Working full-time, maintaining relationships, cooking your meals, looking after family, pets, chores, appointments, maybe even a side-hustle….yep, we get it — life can get jam-packed! 
 
When we’ve got too many ‘to-do’s’ and barely enough hours in the day to get everything done, the first thing that tends to drop off our schedules is self-care and looking after our own physical and mental health. However, this is exactly when we need to be concentrating on nourishing our body, mind and spirit so that we prevent burn-out down the track, and maintain the energy needed to show up in the way we desire for ourselves and those we care about most. 
 
So what’s a busy guy or gal to do? Just for you we’ve created a busy person’s guide to self-care, and because we know you’ve got things to do and places to be, we’ve made it short and sweet- you’re welcome.
 
Do the bare minimum
This may sound counter-intuitive given what we’re taught, but stick with us. When it comes to self-care and filling up your own cup every day, ask — what’s the bare minimum I can do to achieve that? Even though an hour of hot Yoga sounds nice it might not be accessible to you at certain times, so perhaps a 15-minute at-home yoga routine to get those zen feels could do. Maybe you really only need 10 minutes of journaling in the morning while you sip your smoothie to feel nourished, or just a quick jog around the block to shake off a long work-day before starting on dinner; you get the drift. Identify your bare minimum and make sure you’re at least giving yourself that each day- anything above and beyond can be a bonus if you’re moving through a super stressful or ‘full’ time of life.
 
Schedule it in
When we don’t have something pencilled in, it can be easy for it to fall to the wayside or be pushed to the bottom of our priorities! Marking your calendar with your self-care time is not only a fantastic way to keep yourself accountable, but it will solidify its importance if you’re seeing it up there amongst your meetings and other priorities. We’re also big fans of doing a small act of self-care for yourself as soon as you wake up in the morning. This way no matter what else gets thrown at you through the day – or if the day doesn’t go as planned - and you don’t manage to anything else at least you’ve done something to give back to yourself at the start of the day. 
 
Use your lunchbreak
Ah, the golden hour — no, we’re not talking about sunset (this time). If you’re working some version of 9-5, then claim that full hour lunchbreak to refresh, recharge and nourish yourself. If you’ve been sitting indoors under florescent lights, head outside to get some Vitamin D and fresh air, or better yet pack your activewear and squeeze in a walk, run or even a quick gym class, depending on what’s close by. If a midday exercise sesh isn’t on the cards, you might like to relax by finding a grassy patch to lie back on and listen to a guided meditation or your favourite podcast instead.  
 
Practise mindfulness throughout your day
If sitting down for a session of your favourite mindfulness activity (here are some ideas we prepared for you earlier) isn’t feasible, don’t stress — there’s an alternative! Try getting into the habit of regularly dropping into your own breath throughout the day and just being aware of your rhythm of inhales and exhales, and bring your attention back to the task at hand. The perfect times to practise this are when you’re in deep conversation during a meeting, doing something with your hands like washing dishes or even while you’re waiting in a line at the shops or for the kettle to boil. 
 
Use your commute time
If you don’t WFH, commuting to and from the office may be the only time in your day that you get a moment to yourself. Pop in those headphones and tune out from the rest of the world by listening to a meditation, podcast, audio book or just your favourite tunes to get you in a good mood for the day ahead. If you don’t get motion sickness, you may like to take your book or journal to read, write or sketch. Get as creative as you like! If you do work from home, then use some of the time you save from not having to commute to an office to take care of you!  
 
Step away from the electronics
Put down your devices! Working on our computers by day and then scrolling by night while you have Netflix on in the background is like an overload for our brains and isn’t good for our health, not to mention that blue light! Close that laptop and put the phone away face-down in the corner – or in another room- while you do a tech-free activity. If your phone’s out of reach you’re less likely to pick it up and start mindlessly scrolling!
 

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