Self-Care When Busy

Want to practice self-care but you don’t have a lot of time in your busy schedule?

Well I’m about to tell you exactly how to practice self care when busy!

Here are 25 quick and easy ideas for self-care in 30 minutes or less.

Like pizza, but actually good for you.

There is something here that you can definitely squeeze in, even with a tight budget.

Most of these are essentially free.
 
 

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is a form of holistic healing sometimes called a pseudoscience, but smell is one of your strongest senses!

I personally feel more relaxed by certain scents, like lavender. Give it a try.

Turn on your essential oil diffuser, light a scented candle or burn some incense. A good smell can put you in a good mood.
 

 
 

Read fiction

Get fully immersed and lost in a few pages (or chapters) of a good fiction book and leave reality behind for a little while.

You may have a preference for non-fiction books, but there’s something different about reading fiction.

In a study with college students recreational reading actually reduced psychological distress.

That’s right, reading is actually good for your mental health.
 

 

“Of all things, I liked books best.” – Nikola Tesla
 

You do not have to spend any cash on a book that you might not even like!

Just check out a few from your local library.

If you don’t already have a library card it’s pretty easy to get one. I mean, it’s free. Free is the best price.
 
 

Take a Walk Outside

Take a walk outside to get some sunshine and fresh air.

The sun will give you vitamin D and fresh air is always good for you.

Nature can be truly healing.

 

 
 

Stretch

If you only have just a moment to yourself while you’re working at your desk – try some seated stretches.

If you have more time and space, really stretch your body.

You could try a short yoga routine, or just do what feels right.

Stretching will help prevent muscle soreness, promote circulation and can even help improve your posture.

So if you’ve been sitting in front of a computer for a while, a stretch would definitely benefit you.
 

 
 

Workout

After you stretch, you might feel like doing a little more.

We all know about endorphins.

Exercise can also boost your mood and might help you sleep better.

Of course there’s also the benefits of losing weight and looking good too.
 

 

Workouts don’t have to be long drawn out events.

You could try a HIIT workout. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training.

It’s a quick, but intense workout. You can use it to really sweat out your stress.

You can do a HIIT workout from the comfort of your home along with someone on Youtube. For free.

If you want something a little less sweaty, there are plenty of beginner and low-impact workouts available on Youtube as well.

A quick search will yield thousands of results.

You don’t need to go the gym, or even own any equipment to exercise.

Body weight exercises are a great free alternative and here is a list of some that you can try.

You don’t need to spend any money at all, just make a little extra effort.
 
 

Take a long soak

If you’re the type of person who enjoys bubble baths – go all out.

Use the biggest bubbles or a bath bomb and really take your time and relax.

If you’re more of the type who enjoys showers, stand under the spray extra long and enjoy it.

End your shower with a blast of cold water if you want a quick boost of energy!

 

 
 

Use the good stuff

Too often we save the good stuff for later – but why?

Use the expensive lotion that’s just been sitting in the back of the cabinet.

Lather it on and don’t feel guilty about it.

Use the lavish hair products and expensive makeup, get glam for yourself.

Eat off of fancy plates and drink that pricey wine that’s been chilling in the back of the fridge.

Wear the sexy night clothes you were saving for the right moment that still have the tags on them.

While we’re waiting for X Y or Z, later can become never.
 

 
 

Meditate

Just take a few slow breaths and be in the current moment. Be fully present.

You could listen to soothing sounds, try a guided meditation or just sit in silence if you can find some.

If meditating is something that you struggle with, I actually wrote an entire post about mindfulness for anxiety with some easy exercises you can try.

 

 

Brain dump

Get everything that is on your mind out onto the paper.

Vent all of the stresses that you need to.

Or maybe you just need to write down all of the tasks that you need to get done.

Just get whatever is on your mind onto the paper.

Write anything and everything.

You could even go further than that and start a journaling routine where you regularly get all of your thoughts and feelings out on paper.

There are so many benefits to keeping a journal..

But since we’re talking about how to practice self care when busy, I think a brain dump will work wonders in the moment.

 

 

Once you’ve written things out, you no longer have to stress about keeping them stored in your mind.

Look at what you’ve written and make a plan to tackle it. Or to forget about it, your call.

 
 

Gratitude

Write out a gratitude list. What we look for, we tend to find more of.

Sometimes we can get caught up in looking at other people’s lives on social media and forget all of the great things going on in our own life.

Even if things aren’t going super well right now, each of us has so much to be grateful for.

 

 
You can be grateful for even the tiniest things.

Consider: the breath in your lungs, the blood in your veins, the food in your stomach, the roof over your head, the people who love you, the fact that you can read this, your internet connection..

Take time to remember all of the good things you have in your life.
 
 

Color

Adult coloring books have become really popular and so there are many, many options.

Even if you’re not looking to spend any money, a search will turn up a lot of ones that you can print for free!

 

 
Don’t want to color on paper?

There are even coloring and painting apps now.

Paint your finger or toe nails! You can turn coloring into pampering.

A clear coat for strength or bright colors to boost your mood. You do you.

 
 

Buy yourself flowers

There’s something so nice about fresh flowers.

Don’t wait for someone to buy them for you – buy them for yourself.

This can cost a little money, but bouquets can be found at surprisingly inexpensive prices.

If you have a garden, you can just clip a few flowers from there.
 

 
Cut off the ends, pull out a vase and arrange them nicely.

Enjoy the beauty of the flowers that you gifted yourself. You deserve it.
 
 

Repeat affirmations

Repeating affirmations out loud can feel strange at first, but is weirdly powerful.

There’s something different about actually saying the words instead of just thinking them.

If you don’t know where to start, try these out:
 

 
 

Positive playlist

I think anyone who has enjoyed music before already knows that music can impact your mood.

Music can make you feel things. You can create your own custom playlist, you only have to do it once – then you can listen to it whenever you need to.

Or you can search and find one that someone else made.

 

 
 

Listen to a book

Audio books are really great for commutes.

You can get half lost in a different world, or you could be educating yourself while getting to where you need to go.

But you don’t have to only listen to them while commuting, you can listen anywhere at any time.

Similar to music, sometimes just listening to something can really affect your mood.

If you don’t have any audio books (you can get them from the library) maybe you have a particular podcast that you really enjoy listening to.
 

 
 

Unplug

Take a brief break from responding to other’s needs and focus on your own.

These days reaching for your phone is almost a reflex.

It’s our clock, our calculator, our way to communicate, our portal into another world… But sometimes we all just need to disconnect from it for a little while.

Turn your phone on airplane mode – or at least on silent.

 

 

If your phone is your biggest distraction, plug it in to charge in the other room and get your stuff done!

If you get bored, embrace that boredom.

Challenge yourself to follow your whims and leave your phone behind.
 

Take a Cat nap

Sometimes the best things we can do for ourselves is to just shut off briefly.

I like to think about how when you turn off your computer, let it sit for a few and then turn it back on, it usually starts working again.

Think about your body as that computer. Give yourself a quick restart.
 

 
How long is a cat nap?

If you have a cat you might say 4 hours, but for our purposes a cat nap is about 20 minutes and never longer than 90 minutes.

If you nap for too long you risk waking up feeling groggy or impacting your sleep later at night.
 
 

Hug a furry friend

Do you have a pet or a fur baby?

If you do then you probably already know the benefits of snuggling with them.

If you don’t, maybe you have a friend or relative who has one that you can borrow.

It’s actually scientifically proven that locking eyes with a dog will boost both oxytocin (“the love hormone”) and dopamine (“the feel-good chemical”) in BOTH parties.

 

 
 

Tidy up

Our stress can be multiplied by having clutter in our space and often a cluttered environment is a sign of a cluttered mind.

Trying to work or just to live in disorganized spaces can negatively impact your focus, productivity and anxiety.
 

 
Take some control over your environment.

Spend a few minutes cleaning up around yourself and making everything look nice and neat.

Toss the things that you no longer need.

Sometimes throwing things away can be therapeutic.

A clear space can lead to a clearer mind.
 
 

Fresh sheets

Specifically when tidying up, you should put fresh sheets on your bed, or wash the current ones.

Change your pillow cases or duvets. Then make your bed.

That way when you go to bed the sheets will be nice and fresh.

If you time it right, they might even still be warm and cozy from the dryer. Does that not sound amazing?
 

 
 

Call a friend

Just talking to certain people can turn your whole day around.

Call someone who knows the right things to say, or someone just willing to listen.

Maybe you just want to call your parents and be comforted by their voices.

Reach out to someone if you feel like you need connection.

If you don’t want to call them, send them a message at least.
 

 
 

Watch comedy

I definitely have certain episodes of comedy shows that I particular love and I’m really hoping I’m not alone in that.

Watch your favorite episode, or just a show that you find really funny.

If you don’t want to do a show, try a stand-up routine by a comedian you enjoy.
 

 

Maybe comedy shows just aren’t your thing – watch anything that makes you feel good inside.

Binge watch cute kitten videos, sports fails, hallmark movies, whatever is your cup of tea..
 
 

Drink tea

Speaking of tea.. Are you a tea drinker?

Besides having numerous health benefits I think tea is pretty delicious.

It’s a nice hot beverage that you can drink during most times of the day since it doesn’t have a huge amount of caffeine like coffee.

There’s also a ton of different varieties.

Green tea has amazing antioxidants. Black or turmeric tea can be brewed when you need energy.

You can brew lavender or chamomile before bed.

Don’t forget about chai, ginger or peppermint teas.

Add honey or cream. Sip slowly and really take time to enjoy the flavors and warmth.
 
 

Eat a comfort food

Sometimes we can just get HANGRY.

We get too focused on doing other things are we forget that we need food to fuel ourselves.

I am in no way suggesting that you eat your feelings – try having a regular serving size amount of a food that comforts you.

Have ONE donut from the break room. Eat a SINGLE slice of pie.

For some reason, pasta and soup always comes to mind for me.

But there’s also ice cream.. Just don’t let yourself overeat – that is not self-care.

 

 
 

Cry

Sometimes all you really need is to just let it all out and not hold it in anymore.

A good cry can be really therapeutic. If you need to cry, let yourself.
 

 
Crying is a completely natural and human thing.

It’s the first thing we do when we enter this world. It’s a self-soothing act and studies show that emotional tears actually contain stress hormones and toxins – so it’s better out than in.

  

Final Thoughts

Self-care can come in so many different forms.

It’s really just taking care of yourself.

It’s important to take some time from your busy schedule to fill your own cup.

I hope this helped give you lots of ideas for how to practice self care when busy.

I mean, with 25 quick and easy ideas, you don’t really have any excuses!

So how are you going to practice self-care today? Let me know in the comments below!
 
 

 
 
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