How are you feeling lately? No, really. How are you REALLY feeling? There’s a lot happening in the world right now, and I’ll be the first to admit that I had a mini-breakdown the other day. Burnout is real but layer that on top of world events, and that’s a whole other story—which is why self-care is so important!
Practising self-care looks different for everyone and it’s important to find what works best for you.
Here are 3 ways I practice self-care as a busy professional:
Firstly, to find your ideal way to practise self-care as a busy professional, reflect on what makes you happy. Love languages are a great way to discover what might be important in your self-care routine. Your love languages say a lot about how to want to receive and give out love and self-care is a huge part of how you show love to yourself.
I love spending quality time with my loved ones. It fills my cup and brings joy into my life. This also includes quality time with myself. I find that if I don’t have enough time to just decompress, relax, and spend time recharging alone, I can burn out very easily. While scheduling my meetings and work is important, scheduling time to hang out just with yourself is even more so. Being married has definitely changed that slightly—Elbs and I focus on communication a lot in our relationship. There are times when I recharge by just being near him, but other times I still prefer being alone. The key is to communicate your needs to one another!
On sunny days, I have an extra jolt of energy and once I get outside in the sun, everything shifts. I definitely think Elbert and I have morphed into home-bodies but even going out for a quick walk makes us feel much better. We both work from home too, so building in an ‘outdoor’ routine is super important.
Take some time exploring what makes you happy and brightens your day! Everyone is different and it’s important to figure out what are your important steps that can help you practise self-care as a busy professional.
How to plan a self-care day in the city
Speaking of outside, one of my favourite ways to practice self-care is to take myself on a date in the city! I used to think it was weird to eat alone or spend time with yourself if you aren’t running errands. But, it’s actually the perfect time to get that quality alone time without having to sit at home if that isn’t your thing.
Once you get into town, plan out your favourite activities! The key here is not to run any errands unless absolutely necessary. Or, unless you’re like me, and you feel AMAZING when you complete your errands. But, remember, this is a day to treat yourself!
Here are some ideas for a day out in the city:
- Bring your favourite book or journal as your date for the day. Or maybe pop by a bookstore and grab a new read to try out!
- Visit your favourite cafe or restaurant for brunch/lunch and order a delicious meal that you can’t wait to eat.
- Pull out your book or journal and spend some time with yourself as you wait for your food.
- ENJOY THE DELICIOUSNESS IN FRONT OF YOU.
- Pick an activity you’ve been meaning to do but haven’t had time for. Anything goes from shopping for a new outfit or maybe getting your nails done, do something for you.
- Grab one more snack or treat before you go do a light walk in your city.
- Pretend to be a tourist and visit all the “cute” spots that you might normally just walk by.
- Breathe in the beautiful sunshine and fill your body with joy
- Before you go, don’t forget to thank yourself for a great day.
How to plan a self-care day at home
If heading into the city isn’t for you, don’t worry! Practising self-care as a busy professional can also include hanging out at home in your PJs, enjoying a good book, and turning off your brain.
For a self-care day at home, I usually make it a point to turn off all my notifications and really unplug from the online world. You can do this however you feel comfortable. For me, it means turning off social media notifications, and not checking my emails.
Take your time with your self-care day at home. I love to sleep in and slowly take my time waking up. I’ll roll around in my blankets, maybe pick up a book, and just allow myself to relax. Now, a self-care day doesn’t mean doing absolutely nothing (unless that is what you need). I still get up and get ready just at my own time.
I’ll do my skincare routine and change out of my PJs into a comfy outfit I don’t mind lounging all day in. I find when I change out of my PJs, it helps to separate that full rest time with the rest of my day. Then I’ll create my self-care plan!
Your day of self-care
My self-care day consists of a few key things: coffee, my favourite foods, a mental reflection, and physical care. All my favourite days start off with a cup of coffee, even if I’ve had enough sleep – it’s a great way to jumpstart my day.
On days like this, I love to treat myself. So I’ll get my favourite brunch or lunch delivered straight to my door. I don’t even have to leave my house! I’ll set everything up on nice plates and just give myself the time and love I deserve to enjoy my meal. Those little extra touches make all the difference when it comes to planning a day just for yourself.
Then when I’m ready, I’ll move on to the rest of the day.
Mental reflection and mental self-care
I post a lot about the importance of mental health, and reducing the stigma attached to it. I think this is an essential part of a self-care day whether you’re at home or elsewhere. We are so busy during the week and I think our brains are constantly jumping to the next thing. It makes us so tired and it’s so easy to burn out if we don’t give our brains time to slow down and just pause.
Some ways I like to take care of my mental health include online therapy. Online therapy for me is something that isn’t talked about enough, but therapy in its entirety brings about so much benefit—to the mind, and in turn your body. Having it online also provides the opportunity for flexibility no matter where you are.
I also try to incorporate a mental reflection during self-care days. I’ll either journal with a few prepped prompts on my Five Minute Journal, or I’ll find a good book and just spend an hour or two diving into some writing. I always feel better after I take some time to do these activities.
If you’re looking for more apps to support your mental health, I also found Calm and Moodfit to be quite interesting.
Physical rest and care
Another key aspect of mental health is physical rest and care. When we are constantly running around for work or our next activity, sometimes we forget to just rest. Slowing down is so important to this day of self-care you are building out for yourself.
I like to carve out a few hours just to rest and relax. This can look like setting up a spa day for yourself, maybe creating a nice bath, using a few face masks, you name it! Whatever feels good to you to give yourself that physical pampering you deserve.
Exercising is also an important part of self-care! A light workout can make such a huge difference in your self-care practices. I like to do a short yoga session to stretch out my body and my legs. It doesn’t have to be intense, something easy and simple to get your body moving really helps to make your mind feel clear and better.
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I hope this helps you create a self-care day that will rejuvenate your mind and soul. Remember, self-care isn’t selfish. It’s so important to take care of yourself and give yourself the time you need. You can’t be your best self and be creative without allowing some time to rest.
Let me know how you plan to spend your next self-care day over on Instagram!
Until next time,
Xoxo Sam.
