Making Time for Self-Care When There’s No Time to Spare
Does your heart rate spike the second you receive a calendar invite?
Or perhaps you have to cancel yet another exercise class or social engagement because your child is sick… again?
Maybe you can’t even think about scheduling something for yourself because your work schedule or your loved one’s medical needs feel so unpredictable.
Time scarcity is a common topic of conversation (and concern) amongst my personal and professional relationships. Many people find themselves pulled in a million different directions with an untenable pathway to self-care even if they know what works for them.
Time and time again, I hear the question - “How do I find time for self-care when I feel like there is no time to spare?”
This article alone will not solve for struggles around time scarcity and self-care. It is a topic that is so nuanced as each of us manages our own unique set of obligations, responsibilities and psychological needs.
However, it is possible to expand your self-care practice by incorporating cognitive, physical and sensory grounding techniques into “micro-moments”: brief opportunities that already exist within your daily routine.
Taking advantage of “micro-moments” will not be the big fix, but it will hopefully offer a sense of grounding and control over your time and well being.
Quick walk: Not enough time to get in the workout you’d like? Try sneaking in a 5-10 minute walk in between meetings, errands or phone calls. Or practice progressive muscle relaxation (tensing and relaxing different part of your muscles) during meetings or transition times.
Extend Your Shower: Your day is packed from the moment you wake up until your head hits the pillow at night? Add 1-2 extra minutes in the shower to quiet your mind or supplement shower time with a grounding aromatherapy spray.
Listen Up: Perhaps you cannot say “no” to your daily commute or work trip, but you can say “yes” to blocking out 5 minutes to listen to music, an audiobook or a calming meditation at the beginning/end of your travel.
Park + Walk: Running around town to check off your never-ending to-do list? Park your car in the farthest possible spot so that you get a physical movement break.
Sensory Awareness: Ground yourself with sensory awareness using the 5-4-3-2-1 coping strategy – observe 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste.
Mindfulness: I couldn’t write an article about self-care without giving a shout-out to mindfulness meditations and breathing exercises. These are strategies and practices that are with you all day everyday. Not sure where to begin? There are great apps that offer helpful, guided practices as short as 1 minute. Check out Dr. Katie’s free meditations here.
Life happens – and we cannot control most of it; we can, however, recognize micro-moments to incorporate small steps for self-care as we juggle everything along the way.
