You can google Self Care ideas and get all of the suggestions in the world. BUT, I like my tips to come from real life people. So I asked my blogging friends how they squeeze Self Care into their busy routines. These ladies have some genius Self Care ideas!
Self Care Ideas for Crazy Busy Women
I didn’t really intend for this post to be about “crazy busy women”. But as it turns out, the women, at least the one’s who responded, are crazy busy. Most of them are moms, a lot of them have full time jobs and ALL of them are bloggers, so, it makes sense that they are busy. But, they all get that Self Care is important and they’ve figured out ways to work it into their routine.
- For a “quicky” self care activity you can have a little book in your bag and color. I do it. When I take my twins to music or swimming class for example.. a little “time for me”. Naty, A Ton of Colors
I love this idea from Naty! Coloring, or any type of simple, creative outlet is definitely a go to self care activity for me. A coloring book is portable and doesn’t require more than a few colored pencils. It’s perfect for all of the time you spend waiting. If you’re looking for other ways you can use your creativity for self care, check out my 10 Favorite Crafts!
- I am sloppy about self care, I prefer sleep than wake up early to do a beauty routine and I often forget to do it at night. So, my perfect solution was I took the wrinkle products to work. It’s just in front of one of my monitors. When I feel tired, I remove my glasses and do the wrinkle treatment just there. 1 minute massage around my eyes, then on my neck, it’s only 2 minutes and it’s just relaxing. Cassie, Little Time To Read Today
I loved this idea so much from Cassie that I immediately grabbed a little mirror and my makeup bag and stashed them at my desk. So smart!
- The feeling of being overwhelmed by everything you need to get done in a day and very little time to do so can be stressful and trigger mental health issues. It is amazing how much stress is lifted once you start using a planner, keep your schedule on track and gain self-control again.
Once you get the habit of using a planner on a daily basis it doesn’t take much time to add quick thoughts, goals, to do lists and appointments.
You will no longer have constant stress from missing deadlines or feeling like you have something coming up but no idea what it is. You will be more organized and that will have a natural positive effect on your life. Thass – Diary of a Journal Planner
I know Thass is right here. Someday I will get a planner and be organized and never worry about forgetting to do things again. Or worse, never feel the regret of having missed something important again.
- Listening to good music, favourite audiobook or podcast is a great form of self-care for people with hectic lives because you can do it while you are busy with other tasks.Make a playlist with your favourite songs so you can list on your way to work, while watching the kids, doing housekeeping or any other time you need a little pick-me-up treat. Better yet if the songs remind you of a good time or moment in the past or special people. The same with podcasts or audiobooks. This has the added value of helping you learn something new. Thass, Meraki Mother
This tip from Thass, I’m totally already on board with. I try to always have music on in the background. Except when I’m writing because then I just get distracted and start singing and it’s actually super difficult to sing and write at the same time.
And, in addition to podcasts and audiobooks, I a big fan of listening to TED talks for a little learning or inspiration.
- By far, my favorite method of self-care as a mom is working out! I use free programs (and a couple I have paid for). It’s my 30 minutes of peace, working on something just for me. I love it and miss it on the days I can’t get to it. Rachel, Pencils and Chalk
I need some of this motivation from Rachel. I have said it a thousand times. I need to start working out. There, now I’ve said it 1,001 times. Maybe that’s the magic number that will actually get me to add working out to my routine.
- Prioritize where you spend your energy, not just your time. When I started my first job out of college, I spent way too much time at work and obsessed over it while I wasn’t there. As a result, my relationships suffered. I realized jobs would come and go, but spending time with family and friends are where my priorities lie. Now, I am so much happier working hard, but still leaving work at work. Chloe, Brunchspeak
I wholeheartedly agree with Chloe here. I’ve been there, with taking work home, and it’s a very hard habit to break. Break it anyway.
- Sneak self care into your day whenever you can. Waiting at the school bus stop? Do some deep breathing or visualization. Driving to work? Listen to a favorite audio book. Waiting for dinner to finish cooking? Do some yoga stretches. No matter how busy we are, there is always pockets of time in our day that are unused. Turn those into Self Care Time! Sasha, Life’s Carousel
Sasha is one of the busiest people I know. She’s got three awesome kids, about a million pets, teaches full time AND runs two blogs. She’s a smart woman who has figured out how to get as much out of her day as she possibly can. Find your pockets, people!
- Prioritize & plan. Once you have clarity in what needs to be done you can schedule and priortize your precious time accordingly. Add your favourite self-care activity to those to do’s and plan it just like you would plan cleaning the toilet or prepping meals.
Do the ‘mini’ version. Instead of taking an hour long epsom salt bath, take a 15 minute loving, mindful, shower. Instead of heading to the beach for walk, go to the park around corner and get there your me-time-nature-fix. Instead of going to the gym, do a home workout. You’ll save a lot of time, but you’ll reap similar loving self-care effects. Win-win!
Set a time: 5 minutes self-care. Just like many people set a timer for meditation, you can likewise set a timer for any other self-care activity. And we all can ‘spare’ 5 minutes, definitely if it’s for our own sanity. I.e. Write down 3 things you’re grateful for in 5 minutes (emotional and mental self-care). Choose three items in your closet you’re willing to donate or throw a way in 5 minutes. The time pressure will probably even help making a decision. Decluttering is a great form of mental and practical self-care. Do 5 minutes of stretching for some physical self-care. Hmm.. so, who said you need time for self-care? You need assertiveness! Loura, Nomad Soulzz
Loura has got this Self Care thing down. She’s all about doing these activities with intention and understanding that you don’t need to block off an hour at a time. I love her ending. “You need assertiveness!”.
- We have a devotional that we do daily – Jesus Always. It takes about 30 seconds to read but it gets some serenity in early. Becky Fisher, The Rain Woman
Becky’s devotional is an excellent Self Care idea to start the day. A short prayer in the morning, or a poem or something that you can read or recite, might just help set the tone for your day.
- My ultimate tip for those who need self-care, is to schedule it. On the beginning of the month, simply grab your calendar (digital or paper) and add your must do things. The must do is a simple list of things you wish to do…such as hair, spa, gym or etc. Then, add what you can where you can on the calendar. Darla, Famlee of Four
Darla knows what will happen if you don’t actually schedule this time for your self care. It will be pushed to the bottom of a list that never ends. If you don’t make time for self care, it won’t happen. You’ll think of 57 other “more important” things to do instead.
- Wash your hair once even though bottle says “rinse and repeat”. Does that count? I’m guilty of it, one toddler and one newborn in the house. Jo.Anne, Weaningful
I love this self care idea from Jo.Anne. When she sent it to me, I thought, I’ve never done the repeat. Not ever, I don’t think. Who has time for that?? And that was exactly Jo.Anne’s point. Don’t listen to shampoo bottles. Do what works for you. Apply that to many other things in your life as you see fit.
- My tip is to do your self care with your kids as much as possible (or with them nearby). If I take a relaxing bath, my kids want to come in with me, and we all actually have a LOT of fun. I workout with my kids playing (and this has prompted my 6 year old to do a daily stretch workout to work on her splits). I read when I can while my kids are playing. And the more you do things for yourself with your kids nearby, the more they will learn to occupy themselves, which is such an important skill! Brenda, Paper Heart Family
I wish I had been as resourceful as Brenda is when I had little kids. These are such brillant self care ideas for busy moms of little ones. I’d like to add to this, not only are your kids learning to occupy themselves, they are also learning that Mothers are people with needs of their own. Someday Brenda’s sons or daughters will grow up understanding that taking care of yourself is important and can be done in life’s small moments.
- Best self care tip I have is “give yourself a foot soak while kiddo is in the tub, just sit on the edge and play with them for a few minutes. Then as they are cleaning up their toys & bubbles & drying off etc scrub off all the dead skin you can. if you have time apply a little moistruizer while kiddo reads you a book before bed time.” Mrs. B, One Weird Mamma
Another innovative Mamma making use of the micro minutes she’s got in her day! I swear, why did I never think of this? Brilliant idea Mrs. B.
- I don’t get much time for self care at all because I blog and homeschool 4 children. Much of my day is eaten up by being a referee to my children whilst trying to get them to do some work.
Needless to say that by evening time I’m usually feeling completely drained. If i’m not writing a blog post that evening then I love to destress by watching a good film in bed. It takes my mind off things and gives me the escapism that I need. If I’m really stressed then I add a cup of hot chocolate or generally anything to do with hot chocolate to my set up. Works every time! Dela, Brown Skin Mama
I have one movie in particular that does this for me everytime. Lost In Translation. I love love love that movie. I put it on whenever I need to shut my brain off and watch something beautiful.
Ok, ladies! And gentlemen? Has a gentleman ever even thought about self care, I wonder? I highly, highly doubt that. For many reasons. Anyway, we have no excuses. There’s a bunch of excellent real life self care ideas that you can get into your routine now!
- Leverage your own peculiar ways to help make sure that you don’t put off your own self-care. For me, I know I’m cheap and that I’m a people pleaser so I try to pay for a product or service or get others involved in the activity. For instance, I checked out library yoga DVD’s but never used them until a small group of us at work played them in a free conference room at lunchtime. I then signed up at my university rec center and that $45 a month was enough to make sure I showed up for longer yoga classes. I quickly made friends with the instructors and other students so I went because I didn’t want to let the group down — low numbers = class cancellation. The conference room gets booked and the university shuts down after each term, which would disrupt my routine but scheduling “yoga time” in my bullet journal helps keep me on-track. Sometimes, though, it seems like nothing will break through my resistance to some aspect of self-care. For instance, I keep migrating “make doctor appointment” in my BuJo but I can’t seem to do it. I may have to tell a friend about this and ask them to check back with me about whether I have an appointment or not. I may even have to trade out my dreaded task for one of theirs. Ironic, but I’ve made lots of doctor’s appointments for friends, including one for a vasectomy for a chicken co-worker! His wife thanked me profusely. Jebra, Jebra.com
I love the idea of friends helping friends make doctor’s appointments. I have to make an appointment for a mammogram, but the last time it was terrifying, and I think I’m going to have to go the phone a friend route. Excellent idea, Jebra.
- Self care when you have zero time is definitely my jam! Water is my boring-but-magical self-care fix of choice. Almost every time I’m having a crappy day, I’ll look back and realise I haven’t had enough to drink. Bonus points for adding lots of ice, and drinking it out of a fancy glass. Liz, Be Crumbled
Sometimes a glass of water is about the best self care you can give yourself. I love Liz’s idea of drinking if out of a fancy glass! Maybe with a squeeze of lemon in it, if you’re feeling really fancy.
Before you go, tell me! What did these ladies miss? Do you have a great tip I can pass on to them to return the favor? Leave me a note in the comments!
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