Everyday Self-Care Strategies for Real Life

Last year burnout was classified as an official medical diagnosis.  No doubt that 2020 confirmed this decision.

Not surprising, but still alarming.

I’m no doctor, but the logical treatment for burnout is the often overused term self-care.  

I’m not talking about an extravagant spa retreat.  That’s amazing if you can make it happen. But you need something that can fit into your everyday.  A moment to notice the fall leaves on the tree out front.   Time to silence all of your devices.  

“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everyday Self-Care Strategies to Prevent Burnout

• Create boundaries between home and work. This has become a challenge for everyone as we all work from home. Set a firm time on when you will be “leaving work” and don’t let it creep into your downtime.  Differentiate between work time and downtime.

• Take a bath. Not to make it an Instagram photoshoot - and only if it relaxes you.  It’s one of my favorites.  Part of the fun is finding indulgent goodies. We just picked up some new bath supplies last week from Madbeez Essentials.

• Watch a sunset.  Or a sunrise.  This is something you can do from your backyard.  It only takes a few moments to step outside and feel grounded by the power of mother nature.

• Music I’ve shared, how I use tunes to stay focused.  Another tip I need to put back into practice is to use music to take care of myself (and the family).  Have you ever asked Alexa to play wake up music?

• Recite a Mantra.  If mantras are your thing, here’s one to try.  “I deserve rest.” 

• Exercise Yes, it’s considered self-care.  I have it built into my weekly schedule.

• Connect with nature. This can be as simple as stepping outside and appreciating the fall colors.

• Limit social media.  This is hard when your work requires you to be connected, but you can always set limits on your time away.

• Meditate or if that’s not your thing, just sit and do NOTHING!

• Drink Water, Drink Water, Drink Water

Check that it’s Self-Care not Avoidance

I’m a runner.  I know that people run for lots of reasons.  They run for exercise. They run to catch up with a friend.  They run to stomp out the anger from the fight with hubby.  

Be careful of that last one.  Any act of self-care should be to restore yourself.  Running to push down anger or taking a bath to escape from needy kids doesn’t fill you up.  The anger and needy kids will still be there.

Going back to my running example, if you feel AMAZING after a run that’s self-care. Pay close attention to your motivations.   

We are living in the age of burnout. The list above is just a few suggestions to fight back. What’s working for you?