7 Simple Self-Care Tips to Unbusy Yourself.

We live in a world where being busy (not to be confused with being productive) is glorified.

With the pressures of our “want it now” instant gratification culture all around us, it’s important to remember we have a CHOICE in the matter.

I am a HUGE fan of using self-care to decompress and recharge. I view self-care as a form of self-respect.

Unfortunately I know that lot of people struggle with self-care because society tries hard to make us feel guilty for taking time for ourselves. We’re also made to feel that we need to buy an expensive face mask or carve out hours of time to engage in self-care.

For this reason, I was inspired to share some self-care tips I have in my toolkit which don’t cost a dime and require little planning.

Here are 7 simple self-care tips to unbusy yourself:

1.Start The Day Slowly

I am not a morning person and now that I have a 1.5 year old, gone are the sleeping in and coffee in bed. I do however set my alarm just 10 minutes early to get in some important “me time”. That includes: writing in my gratitude journal, making my bed, my skincare routine and downing 20 OZ. of water before I have a cup of coffee (thanks for the tip, Lauren). If my son decides to sleep in, then I’ll sneak in some meditation before we start our day too.

Even if you’re not a morning person, try and reserve at least 5 minutes for mindfulness to appreciate the day before grabbing for your phone and jumping out of bed.

2.GET FRESH AIR

Make some time to get lost in nature every day. Take your workout outdoors or better yet go on a gratitude walk to give your mind a mini reset.

3.CONSUME POSITIVE CONTENT

Watching the news gives me anxiety so I made the decision not to watch it. The same is true for the people I chose to follow on Instagram.

If someone or something is making you feel “lesser than”, there is an unfollow button and you should use it! You have the power to curate who you follow and what content you consume.

4.DO A DIGITAL DETOX

Each Sunday I try and spend a full 24 hours off of social media and truly be present with my family. On Monday I feel ready to be creative with a renewed sense of clarity.

Whether it’s a weekend, 1 day or even a few hours try to give yourself a break from all the noise. If we’re constantly filling our free time with emails, social media, news and online shopping we’re never free to be alone with ourselves and our thoughts.

5.SAY NO

As a people pleaser, this one is especially hard for me. I’ve learned that saying yes all the time and to things I really don’t want to be doing is extremely draining.

Protect your energy and reserve saying YES to things that light you up.

6.CREATE BOUNDARIES WITH YOUR TIME

The first time I looked at the “screen time” app on my phone I was horrified. I had spent over 24 hours/week on Instagram, which brought me to the realization I had lost an ENTIRE DAY scrolling…. #NOTOK. I promptly set a time limit for Instagram to 1 hour/day. Although it’s sometimes hard as so much of my job depends on social media, I REALLY try and stick to it for personal purposes.

Be mindful of how you’re spending your day. Are certain things or people sucking your time? Set limits on your tech/social media and schedule time for friends and self-care as you would an important meeting.

I hope you find some of these self-care tips to unbusy yourself helpful! Curious if you have any suggestions in your toolkit! What works for you? Tell me in a comment below or on my latest Instagram post.