Self-care is so important, but when life gets busy, it’s easy to stop making time for ourselves. I get it. A lot of self-care articles say to journal for 15 minutes every day, read for at least an hour, exercise for 30 minutes, and start meditating. While these are all good things, turning self-care into a to-do list isn’t beneficial for your health. Instead, adding to your already long to-do list can be overwhelming and demanding.
Self-care shouldn’t cause anxiety by adding items to your to-do list. Instead, acts of self-care should bring you joy and peace.
In order to take care of myself during busy weeks and months, I’ve developed some self-care habits that I use often in the cracks of life. These fall into two categories: time-saving and multitasking. Today, we’ll dive into multitasking self-care. Most of these activities are like mini spa moments for every day.
Multitasking self-care
The secret to multitasking is that it’s impossible. By that, I mean our brains literally cannot focus on two things at once. However, we can still get multiple things done simultaneously. It’s like running the washer, dryer, dishwasher, and vacuum all at once. Only one requires your focus and attention while the others work automatically. We want to automate some of your tasks for you. No science-y tech here. Just self-care practices I’ve been using for months.
The key to multitasking is to get multiple things done at once while only doing one thing that requires your attention.
Exfoliating body scrub
I live in Michigan and have super dry skin, so lotion is necessary for my skin’s health. However, I recently found something else that pairs well with lotion: exfoliating body scrub. I really like this one by Perfectly Posh and use it once a week on my skin. The best part? It’s part soap, part exfoliant, which means you can use it instead of your usual soap in the shower. This saves me time because I don’t usually have time to exfoliate and clean with soap; besides, which am I supposed to do first, anyway? It’s much easier to do these tasks simultaneously with one product and no extra work. Scrub away the dead skin and get clean!
Note: Be careful when applying exfoliating body scrub to your feet. Don’t slip!
1-minute hair mask
If you read this blog post, you know how much I like using conditioning masks on my hair. Some weeks, I have time to put on a hair mask and face mask on, and then relax for 30 minutes, reading a book. And some weeks, I’m super busy and have about 5 minutes to shower and run out the door. So, I found this 1-minute hair mask from Garnier Fructis I like to apply in the shower. It can be used as a conditioning mask, leave-in conditioner, or conditioner, so this product is very useful, no matter what kind of day you’re having.
Bonus: Before you apply your hair mask, apply your face mask. By the time you cleanse your body and shave your legs, your face and hair are ready to be rinsed. There’s nothing like feeling you just left the spa when you leave your bathroom.
Essential oil roller
Essential oils are practically magical, but this busy lady doesn’t have the time or patience to figure them out. So, I let someone else do that for me. HSDeurloo recently gave me an essential oil roller with oils that are supposed to increase happiness. This little glass bottle already has the right combination of oils and carrier oils, so I don’t have to worry about it irritating my skin.
There are so many essential oils and essential oil combinations out there that do different things. Reduce stress, heal wounds, reduce back pain, and more, with a small swipe of the roller on any pressure points. Plus, the light scent will offer a burst of aromatherapy while you’re on the go (or at your desk). It only takes seconds to apply, but you’ll feel the effects for a long period. This allows you to heal or de-stress while going about your day.
Podcasts and audiobooks
I previously said multitasking is impossible, but there’s a catch: it’s only impossible when you’re trying to use the same part of your brain for multiple tasks. However, if you want to listen to podcasts, audiobooks, or music while performing a task that doesn’t take the same part of your brain to do, such as driving, cooking, or cleaning, you can effectively multitask. Obviously, be careful when driving or cooking with fire. Pay attention to the road and whatever is cooking, and pause or ignore the audio when you need to focus.
Before I started working from home, I listened to so many audiobooks and podcasts in the car. I doubled my books read in one year by doing so. Now, I enjoy listening to audiobooks and podcasts when I cook and clean. They allow me to learn or enjoy a story while I’m being productive.
Implementing shorter self-care tasks gives you the chance to make time for other self-care activities that take more time, like a pedicure, massage, date night, or girls’/guys’ night.
Remember: Self-care activities should bring you joy and peace. Just because these activities and items work for me, that doesn’t mean they have to work for you.
Challenge: Try one self-care item listed above or something you’ve been meaning to do. Let me know what it is and if it brought you joy in the comments.
Note: I shared the links above to products I find useful. I am not receiving any compensation, monetary or otherwise, by sharing these links. I share them to inspire you to find products you love by brands that align with your lifestyle and beliefs.
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