Self care is a very challenging topic. To be honest, self care – taking care of my emotional/mental/spiritual/physical needs – has been one of my biggest challenges. Can you relate?
With the fall holidays approaching, this is a good topic to have on your radar. If you’re like most of us, your default will be to get caught up in things and forget about taking care of yourself. But, these are exactly the days when you most need to take care of yourself.
One way to fix this is to have a self-care toolkit to help you out during these instances. Having a list of self-care routines can make it easier for you to implement them when needed. There are some other tricks you can employ to get you through the tough times, too. Keep reading, and I’ll share my top tips for starting or rebooting your self care routine.
Create a Self-Care Backup Plan
Let’s start with a self-care backup plan. This should be a list of at least five activities you can easily fit in your life during the most stressful periods, and even holiday season.
Quick – grab a post it note and jot 5 activities down right now!
Keep your list where you can see it everyday (e.g. desk, or bed side table, or refrigerator or bathroom mirror). Remember “out of sight, is out of mind” so keep this in a place you will see often during the day. This will help guide your mind automatically toward caring for yourself without thinking about it too much. Your list might include simple reminders like going to bed at a certain time so you’re well rested. Or having healthy snacks or going for a daily walk. Whatever they are for you, make sure you actually do this exercise!
Make Yourself a “Care Package”
Another way to increase your chances of keeping self-care at the focus during hard times, is to prepare a care package ahead of time. This can include some of your favorite little indulgences like a good inspirational book of quotes, herbal teas, a note with your affirmations on it, or a self talk phrase.
Keep it simple. And put it together now and if you have a desk at work and at home make sure you put it in both places. Include anything that brings you joy. Being able to reach for this package when you’re stressed can mean the world and make a huge difference to your outlook.
Reach Out to Your Social Network
When things get stressful, it always helps to have a great social support network to provide emotional support. It’s always a good idea to reach out to close friends and family and reconnect with them. Make a note to reach out to someone that is positive in your network every day and keep that connection going. All it takes is a calendar reminder and minute to send a quick text message and reconnect.
In short, take these quick steps to be pro-active and help reboot your self care routine. When in doubt, do the simple and quick thing that is inexpensive. If you take the steps above it will help you reboot your self care routine right now. And keep in mind that it’s during the tough chaotic times like the holidays that you need to nurture and take care of yourself the most.
Give it a try and let the community know what is working for you in the comments below.
