Hi lovelies,

Practicing self-care does not come naturally to everyone. If you are busy with a job, a family, and a home to run, your wants and needs may be pushed aside for the greater good. In fact, in this scenario, people may actually feel guilty for dedicating a little bit of time to themselves. However, this is not a life strategy that can last very long without causing a lot of stress, anxiety, and potentially burnout. If you are pushing yourself to the extremes, you will no longer be thinking rationally all the time, you may even be making less effective decisions for everyone. That means your self-care is vital for everyone concerned, especially your own mental health and wellbeing. So, let’s have a look at some ways you can dedicate a little bit of time to yourself:

Say No
The best way to make more time for yourself and your family is to stop doing favors for other people and getting involved in things that are not a priority for you. If you can learn to say no and create more time for yourself, the level of stress you will be feeling will diminish very quickly. Although it may be difficult to refuse things at first, once you start to feel the benefits of it, you will know you have done the right thing.

Alone Time 
Finding time to be alone is a great way to practice self-care. Think about having a hot bath, with oils and candles, and maybe some relaxation music. Ensure that you are not going to be disturned, so your partner is downstairs with the kids. Another way to embrace a bit of alone time is to do a little meditation. Meditation is a great way to destress and bring about a new focus in your life. If you are strapped for time, all it takes is around ten minutes too. The idea is to try and maximize the time you have, as the quality alpine time is better than quantity.

Sleep
Not sleeping enough can have a hugely negative effect on your mental and physical health. Mosy adults require at least seven hours a night, and if you are consistently having less sleep than that, you are actually practicing self-harm. Sleeping is the body and mind’s chance to rejuvenate, repair, and protect. The immune system is boosted, memories are recorded on a long-term basis, and any damage that was caused that day is repaired as we as it can be. Beauty sleep has that name for a reason. 

Gifts
This may be a particularly delicate subject for some people. However, if you work hard all the time and never buy yourself anything, you will feel run down and worthless. Neglecting yourself does not give a good message to your children either. You deserve a relaxing spa day; you deserve that new dress of that beautiful arabic jewellery you have been eyeing up. Remember that by treating yourself every now and again, you are subconsciously telling yourself that you are doing a good job.