Ten pearls on getting started with self-care for the person who has no time for it

1) Pause for a moment to consider that brief acts of self-care have been shown to improve efficiency and productivity in other parts of our lives that we hold at higher value, such as at work.

2) Look for 15-minute, or 15-second, or 3-second moments in the course of your days, like waiting for the bus; waiting for kids to come out of school; or waiting in line for your fourth coffee of the day.

3) When you notice a window of 15 minutes, 15 seconds, or 3 seconds, take a breath. If you only have 3 seconds it might not be the deepest breath, but it can be a noticeable breath nonetheless. BREATHE. If you have time, take some more breaths.

4) Acknowledge yourself for taking the breath(s).

5) Tell the voice inside your head that tells you the breath is meaningless to silence, and in your mind, attach the voice to a balloon and let it fly away.

6) Acknowledge yourself again. This is the most important practice of self-care. If we minimize the ways we try, we set ourselves up for failure. If we acknowledge ourselves, we set ourselves up for success. 

7) Set aside for now big self-care dreams like a spa day or training to run a marathon, or a big trip. Stay focused on the baby steps, and build them slowly over time.

8) Keep taking the opportunities. Notice moments when you could:

• take a conscious breath

• lean your neck side to side or roll your shoulders to stretch

• listen to a favourite song 

• go for a walk, even just around the block

• jot down worries that are cluttering your mind, and set them aside for when you are more equipped to address them

9) Forgive yourself when you don’t do any self-care.

10) Keep acknowledging yourself when you do.