As responsibilities pile up, it can be hard to make time for yourself. But prioritizing self-care benefits every part of your life. It helps your health and mental health. It also makes you better able to handle your other commitments. But prioritizing self-care in a busy schedule requires deliberate planning. Here are concrete steps you can take to prioritize self-care:
1. Identify what you need. First, figure out what kind of self-care you need. What are the activities that enhance your sense of well-being? Whether it’s taking a walk in nature, spending time alone, listening to music, eating a nourishing meal or writing in a gratitude journal, make a list of the things you can do to take care of yourself.
2. Start with one thing…and do it daily. Pick something quick and easy that you can start doing every day. Maybe you can take a minute every morning to take several deep breaths or say an affirmation. Perhaps you can choose to stretch before bed or light a candle while you sip a cup of tea. Find something you enjoy and put it into practice immediately.
3. Schedule it. To make sure it happens, treat self-care like any other activity you take seriously: Put it on your calendar. When planning for your week or day ahead, include activities that restore you. Write down when you plan to call your best friend or do several minutes of meditation. After it’s on your calendar, treat it like a non-negotiable.
4. Make errands more efficient. Free up pockets of time that you can use for yourself by combining errands. For instance, if you currently go grocery shopping several days a week, you might find that planning meals and doing one weekly shopping trip leaves more room in your days.
5. Delegate responsibilities. Maybe you can “do it all.” But do you have to? Think about the daily or weekly tasks that you might be able to take off your plate. Could you ask a family member to help by picking up the kids? Maybe they could take over meal planning? Perhaps now is a time to invest in paid services, like house cleaning or wash-and-fold laundry. Making space in your schedule can help you find time for self-care.
6. Set (and stick to) boundaries. Protect your time for self-care by saying no more often. Before taking on extra work tasks or social events, ask yourself if you really have the bandwidth. Particularly pay attention to the situations and people that drain your energy and well-being. Using clear boundaries can help you end the energy drain and prioritize self-care.
7. Practice self-compassion. You don’t have to do self-care “perfectly.” Even taking time to check in with yourself is a way of taking care of yourself. Self-care is not selfish. It’s a way of staying healthy, resilient and able to bring your best self to the people who rely on you.
No matter what you’re juggling in your busy schedule, you can use these tools to prioritize self-care.