Taking Care of Yourself – Part 2

Last week, I shared the importance of finding time to take care of yourself. This week, I thought I’d follow that up with some suggestions of little things you can do each day to relax, de-stress, treat yourself, or just find a bit of happiness in a hectic day. I like to call it “mini me-time”.

Based on how much time you have available, some of these self care activities take 5, 10, 15, 30 minutes or more.

Exercise

Doing something active each day is great for our hearts, minds, and moods. Finding time to stay healthy benefits yourself, your family, your work, etc.

• Take a quick walk if you find yourself getting stressed, fatigued or just need a quick pick me-up
• Get up 10 minutes earlier in the morning to stretch before starting your day
• Meet up with some friends for a hike instead of going out for dinner

Find Time for your Friends

Spending time with friends is so important for our emotional well-being. A good gab session with some girlfriends or quality time spent with your friends helps relieve stress, gives us a space to vent, puts things in perspective and just helps us feel uplifted and relaxed.

• Plan on meeting up just for a quick coffee date once a week
• Find 10 minutes to call a friend and catch up over the phone
• Plan a play date at a local park so you can catch up with your friends while your kids play
• Combine two stress relievers and meet a friend to work out together (exercise and friend time all in one)

Quiet Time

Sometimes just being still and quieting our minds can be so difficult. Our worlds are so full of “noise”…technology, family, friends, co-workers, to-do lists, etc. It can be hard to just sit still and relax. Try finding just 5 minutes to relax your mind.

• Find a quiet room and just sit and breath for 5 minutes
• Park your car somewhere quiet, turn off the radio and just sit and look out the window
• Try meditating to relax your mind and body at the same time. There are many apps on your phone that offer a guided meditation
• Light a candle, turn off the light and just lay on the floor for 5 minutes. Don’t lay on your bed or you’ll get sleepy
• Turn off your phone and put away your computer. The world can wait for 5 minutes

Health & Happiness

Taking care of yourself also means making time to invest in your health.

• Schedule any doctors appointments you may be overdue on, cleanings at the dentist, etc.
• Get a facial, a quick massage, a pedicure, manicure
• Take a warm bubble bath with a good book and a candle
• Finally crack into that book you’ve been wanting to read for awhile now

We can always find excuses as to why we don’t have the time to find time for ourselves. However, in the long run, investing in our own personal health and happiness passes on to the one’s we love.

What’s your favorite “me time” activity that brings you happiness?