No time for a Self-Care Day? How about you just take a moment.

Has anyone ever told you "you should really take care of yourself."?

Have you ever both agreed with that person and also been really annoyed that they gave you a really un-specific piece of advice?

Let's be honest, that "you should take care of yourself" is one step up from the phrase "you know, you should really be alive".

Thanks, Janet. That totally helps me with my stress, anxiety, worry, and general life challenges.

And I suppose the follow-up for that sentence is a perky "take some 'me-time'", which usually means a bath, a walk in nature, a massage, or the even more general "take some time for you" advice. A good gig if you can get it, sure, but for those of us with robust lives, children, workplaces, and a community that you live in "me-time" is often hard to come by.

What if you don't have time for a bath?

What if the time you really need some self-care is during your workday when you can’t just take off and get a massage?

How about you also don't have the financial resources to spend big $$ on a massage or a host of self-care activities (although we will say, we are partial to yoga as one of those activities, and if you give us 2 weeks we promise we will justify the expense)--so then what do you do?

Well, how about you just take a moment?

 What does that mean, you might ask?

Well, we’ve broken self-care activities down into manageable chunks of time to talk about what activities are useful for those time blocks.

For example, if you need a self-care activity but only have 5 minutes, it isn’t useful to suggest a bath or a massage.  If you have all day, taking a “dance break” might not be the best option for you.

So right now, we are taking a moment.  A moment lasts from 2-10 minutes.  This is the time we usually spend scrolling on social media instead of giving our brains something more satisfying. 

Now, this is not a bash at social media, but when you need a self-care moment, social media usually doesn’t fit the parameters we have for “taking a moment”. 

We will get to the parameters behind taking a moment next, but first, do me a favor.  Find a piece of paper and a pen.  Number 1-20 on your piece of paper then set your pen down and read the parameters about the list we are going to make.

This is a list of activities you can do to take a self-care moment that last only from 2-10 minutes. This is not incredibly rigid, so if something typically takes 15 minutes, that is fine to add.  But anything longer belongs on a different self-care activity list.

Here are your rules:

• This activity must be between 2-10ish minutes long.

• Your brain has to be able to do this without much thought.  So nix the crossword puzzles and brain teasers—those are great, but now isn’t the time.  Your brain needs a rest.  Anything you can do on autopilot is great.

• It must be something you enjoy.  And we aren’t going to judge the things you enjoy.  Do you love dishes, go wash some.  Brushing your teeth?  Great. Filling ice cube trays? Perfect.

• It is not an obligation.  So you know those dishes I listed above? Don’t do them if you hate to do dishes, but you need to get them done.  That isn’t self-care, that is self-flagellation disguised as self-care.  If you find folding laundry relaxing, it belongs on the list.  If you find it an oppressive activity that makes you want to strangle your partner with their undies, skip it. 

Once you’ve gotten those rules in your brain, go nuts.  Make your list of 20 things you can do from 2-10 minutes to take a self-care moment.  It might be a bit harder than you think but stick with it until you get 20 things. 

Some of our favorites: reading a magazine, a kitchen dance party, spending time with a pet, or a quick walk outside.

You are welcome to steal any and all of these.  But think about those things you can do for yourself in a short period of time and don’t require a lot of higher-level thought.  It is okay if a couple of them sound similar. 

Up next is a fun activity: do you see any patterns?  Are ½ of your items connecting with others?  Are they all outside?  Do they all include organizing?  These are good things to take note of, so you know what feels like a self-care activity to you and what doesn’t. 

This list is you front-loading your own self-care work before you need it.  The next time you feel like you need to take a moment you’ve got your whole list ready for you.  No more decision fatigue, just close your eyes and point to an item on your list.  Then go do it.  It is that simple.

Want to share your self-care moments with us?  We would love to hear them in the comments below!  And grab our Spring Awakening FREE self-care challenge week here.  Happening LIVE April 2-6th, 2023!