Self-Care for Busy People: Small Habits that Make a Big Difference

“The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.” 

-Carl Rogers

By: Lauren Miller

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Lady gardening to calm herself down.

What is self-care?

This term is all over social media, but what does it mean? According to the World Health Organization, self-care is a broad concept that describes “what people do for themselves to establish and maintain health and to prevent and deal with illness. 

Here are 5 ways to incorporate self-care into your day without feeling like you are adding more to your overflowing to-do list. 

1. Get a good night’s rest: Set a bedtime for yourself and try to maintain it all seven nights in a week. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine posits that sleep is a huge predictor of physical and mental health (eg diabetes and depression). 

   
   

2. Move your body every day: If you can fit a thirty-minute exercise into your daily routine, it will improve your health and mood. It can be hard to get thirty minutes all at once. Try breaking it down into smaller chunks. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park at the back of the parking lot and walk a little farther to get into the office or store. Set a timer and go on a five-minute walk at the top of the hour. Walk for 15 minutes on your lunch break. You can try different strategies to find what works best for you.

   
   

3. Smell the roses: Spending time outside can help increase mindfulness and reduce stress and burnout. Try taking a mindful walk on your way to the mailbox- notice the sights and sounds of your environmental surroundings. Take a conversation outside under the shade of a tree. Combine time outside with moving your body by walking, hiking, biking, or gardening. 

   
   

4. Schedule self-care: When you schedule a meeting with a client, employee, or friend, you put it on your calendar and you keep it. Treat yourself the same way. Schedule time for your sleep, movement, and mindfulness. Honor and keep those appointments. Your time taking care of yourself is an investment in your health and longevity. 

   
   

5. Be present: Try doing one thing at a time for at least some portion of your day. We’re constantly attempting to multitask, so instead, try to do one thing at a time and be present with that experience. Start small, try mindfully brushing your teeth or eating a meal. Just focus on that one experience. If your mind wanders away, gently bring it back to the present moment and focus again on the task at hand. Being present or mindful can reduce stress and fatigue. Practicing it in short settings will help you develop the sk

   ill so you can use it for longer periods. 

Remember that self-care is not just another to-do list item; it’s a component of a healthy lifestyle.