How to Prioritize Self Care

Very few people will deny the importance of self care. However, many people find it difficult to prioritize their own needs. With such busy schedules, it’s challenging to find enough time to focus on a self-care plan. If you are struggling to figure out how to prioritize self care, keep reading. I’m sharing many tips to help you take small actions to help you live a more balanced life and fit your self-care needs onto your to-do list.

These small actions are just what you need to get you started on your self-care journey.

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How-to-Prioritize-Self-Care » WhatCherithInks

Why do you need to prioritize yourself?

You’ve heard the saying that you must put on your own oxygen mask before trying to help someone else put theirs on, right? That’s one of the first things I think about when it comes to prioritizing self care. It’s nearly impossible to take care of someone else if you don’t take care of yourself.

You can’t wear yourself out tending to the needs of others without focusing on yourself at some point. That’s a recipe for disaster. Continuing on that path will eventually have negative consequences. If you truly want to live your best life, you have to begin a journey of intentional self-care and continue those habits regularly.

In The Unselfish Art of Prioritizing Yourself, the notion of being selfless is addressed. Many people have subscribed to the belief that we must push ourselves to the limit. This unhealthy way of life leads to burnout, overwhelm, and excessive stress.

Making time to take care of your body, mind, and spirit is essential to being the best you that you can be. If you want to focus on improving your physical health and combat potential mental health issues, you have to put yourself first more often.

How do you prioritize self-care?

So, now that we’ve discussed why you need to prioritize your self care, let’s talk about how to do it. If you truly want to put yourself first, you have to schedule time to do so. Instead of accepting the fact that you don’t have time for self care, have a positive mindset. It’s the only way that you can make progress towards being a better you.

Like any new habit, adding self-care into your life can seem kind of tricky. You probably wonder how you’ll manage to find time to do anything extra for yourself, let alone how you’ll actually remember to do these things. One of the best ways to get started is to build your activities into predictable parts of your day. To make something a habit, it has to happen regularly.

Speak to your family members about your intention to make yourself a priority.

An excellent first step is to speak to your family members about your intention to focus on yourself more. Explain to them the importance of your self-care journey and maybe ask them to help hold you accountable for the new goals you’ve set for yourself.

Having this conversation with your family will help them see that this is a good thing and could really benefit the entire family. The more that you take care of yourself, the better able you are to take care of the people and things around you.

Make your self care personal.

Another thing that will help you create your self-care rituals is to choose activities that are meaningful to you and that you enjoy. This is your practice, so you want to be sure it’s customized to get the most out of it.

Consider making a list of things that help you feel relaxed, peaceful, excited or happy. These activities should be able to be done in a short amount of time and easily fit into your life without special equipment or tools. Try your best to find activities that don’t take a lot of time and don’t cost much money. That will increase the likelihood that you’ll actually do those things.

Be intentional about finding time for self care.

You should add your self-care activities to the most convenient parts of your day. Choose times that are already somewhat flexible so that incorporating something new into that space will be less stressful. Many people go with morning or evening routines, right when they wake up and before going to sleep each night. Getting up fifteen minutes earlier than usual and setting aside a window during the normal night-time schedule are usually things most folks can do. However, maybe designating your daily lunch break as your self-care time might work better.

Consider activities like writing a gratitude journal entry before bed, listening to music while having your morning coffee or going for a short walk during your lunch hour. Trial and error may be required, but find a moment to call your own every day.

Over time, you’ll have a steady schedule for your self-care activities and you’ll be well on your way to the goal of being unapologetic about putting yourself first.

Be flexible and have a backup plan.

It’s best to develop a routine that works for you and stick to it. Committing to a particular schedule will help you to create a habit and ensures that you get the self-care you need. However, try to cut yourself some slack. Some days are more hectic than others. You may not be able to fit in your anticipated self-care activity, and that’s okay. Tomorrow is a new day, and you can try again. Soon, you’ll find yourself wanting to take part in these activities, and getting back on track will be easy.

The bottom line is this: getting into the practice of regular self-care doesn’t have to be complicated. Making a few adjustments to your existing schedule can free up some space in your day. Choosing things that will refresh you and that are simple will make getting started with self care a breeze.