If you’ve fallen victim to the hustle-culture, you’ve forgotten the words—me-time and self care. Self-care is not pampering yourself. It is not selfish. Self-care is listening to and taking care of yourself, your mind and your body.
Everyone has their own definition for self care. Yours could be a long warm bath at the end of the day. Your friend’s could be an early morning walk in nature. Self care might mean 8 hours of sleep every night for another one of your friends.
No matter how you decide to take care of yourself, self care is essential. To live your best life, you must feel at your best. To feel your best, you must take good care of yourself.
“When you make room in your life to relax and take time for calm and self-reflection, you can not only improve your sense of well-being but also lower your blood pressure, improve your digestion, and even boost your immune system.”- Shadi Vahdat, MD, Internal Medicine Physician.
When your days are busy and you’re feeling overwhelmed, your wellness slips down the priority list. It’s in the middle of these busy days when you actually need to take a step back and look out for yourself.
Self care doesn't need to be expensive or time-consuming or only for Sundays. When you are busy, self care can be:
Staying hydrated
“You’re not you when you are dehydrated.” Even mild dehydration affects your mind and alters your ability to think . Your work/daily routine starts feeling unpleasant.
Self-care is not about keeping yourself happy and well-rested, it’s also about staying healthy. Keep a bottle of water on your desk or include water-rich fruits in your diet.
Calling a loved one who makes you happy/laugh
The best way to get through overwhelming days is staying calm and laughing. And nothing can get better than talking to your loved one who brings a smile on your face.
Take a 10 minute break to catch up with a loved one. Your overcrowded to-do list will stop making you feel overwhelmed.
Automating the boring, time-intensive stuff
If something needs your time and not your thought, why do it ? If you find ways to automate those tasks, do it. Most things that make us busy are the things that you can automate.
Auto filling forms, backing up data, managing content distribution are some things that most of us have automated. But there are automation tools online for almost anything you need. Spend an hour to find them once and save tens of hours later.
Following the 20-20-20 rule
Busy days mean more work and more screen time. Self-care means keeping your eyes cared for too. You must have heard of the 20-20-20 rule, from your ophthalmologist or from a poster at the eye-clinic.
After every 20 minute you spend in front of a screen, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Your eyes take 20 seconds to relax from the screen strain and so the 20-20-20 rule.
You can also use this 20 second break to water your plant friends, get yourself a cup of coffee or light an incense to bring in the cheer of aroma.
Appreciating a job well done
Some things at work don’t go as expected and some deliver amazing results. And these times call for a celebration. It can be as small as writing an error-free code or as big as bagging your dream project.
Take time with your team to celebrate the little joys. It keeps you refreshed and leaves you feeling good for what’s next at work.
See? Self care doesn’t eat your time away. Taking care of your mental and physical self actually helps you get more work done in less time. Your busy days will feel less busier. Be kind to your busy-self. Your mind and body will thank you.
