Changing My Attitude Towards Self-Care And 7 Hacks To Sneak It Into A Busy Schedule

I never gave much thought to “self-care” —  the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health and well being — until my time wasn’t my own anymore. That’s right, becoming a mom completely changed my perspective on and attitude towards self-care. When I was working full-time, I did the bare minimum for my self-care and kept using the same products and doing the same daily routines without giving any deeper thought to consider was any of it actually working for me? 

Let me tell you when I was chained to my pumping machine four to five times a day during maternity leave, it gave me a lot of time to reflect on my attitude towards my own well being; I realised I did so many things (gym, skincare, diet etc) in the name of self-care because I felt I had to and not necessarily because I understood or enjoyed whatever I was doing. Whether I saw or experienced any kind of gains was irrelevant because in my mind it was another thing I checked off my to-do list and that was enough.

But it’s not. Self-care goes beyond “Netflix and masking” or hitting the gym every day — it’s being proactive and cognisant of actions that result in feeling good from the inside and being sure to repeat those actions every day with the same effort and enthusiasm. It’s a promise to show up for yourself in a meaningful and intentional way every single day.

It’s taken me a little while to get my self-care routine figured out but along the way I discovered some easy hacks to work self-care into the busiest of schedules and actually see meaningful results in different aspects of my life.

1. Workout with YouTube fitness channels for shorter and more targeted routines. I discovered PopSugar Fitness and Fitness Blender channels on YouTube about four months ago and I haven’t looked back. Both channels offer a wide variety of 30 to 45-minute workouts ranging from cardio, strength training, dance, pilates, yoga, different combinations of each and much more. They regularly upload new videos and the workouts can easily be done at home — all you need is a short window of free time, a yoga mat and some light weights. Depending on fitness level, time availability, personal needs and even your mood(!), you can easily choose workouts that work for you. I love switching up my workouts every day. Each night I scroll through the channels and decide what workout I want to do the following morning. The ones I really enjoy go into a saved playlist on my YouTube account so even for days where I have no time to think, I can quickly choose from that list of workouts and be pretty sure I’ll enjoy it. It’s made getting a daily workout in easy and fun and I don’t dread it. And the best part: I’m seeing more results than I did by going to the gym for hour-long workouts that I never looked forward to and I’m always in a great mood for the rest of the day.
2. Set the alarm clock for 30 to 45 minutes before the rest of the house wakes up and/or the day starts. This is not new advice I’m sharing. It’s advice I finally gave in to after years of claiming to not be a “morning person”. But it’s made a big difference in being helping carve out some me-time. Most days I use this window of time to workout, relax with a my first cup of coffee, read or chill out. There’s something so peaceful about a quiet house that helps me focus on the day ahead without feeling stressed or pressured.
3. Netflix and skincare. Netflix and manicure. Netflix and haircare. Why not invest in some self-care while watching Netflix? My favourite combo is an episode of Queer Eye and a quick 10-15 minute face mask (I’ve listed my favourite ones here). My skin has seen incredible benefits from masking regularly — it’s clearer and more radiant. Alternatively, I cut and file my nails or leave on a hair mask and/or a foot mask (Sephora has a great mask selection) while watching Netflix. Rotating care for different parts of the body has lent itself to its own kind of weekly routine for me and I don’t waste extra time doing it.

   

   

   

4. Use shower time for body and food scrubs. Knock two things out at once and feel extra smooth and revitalised after a shower! I don’t necessarily do this every day but once a week I try to take a few extra minutes to focus on self-care in the shower. Again, there are longterm benefits from doing scrubs and it’s super easy and cheap to do in the comfort of home. I particularly like the Sephora Collection Sugar body scrub because it’s got big granules that I feel scrub my body and feet very well. I use it more for my feet because they are very dry and cracked and the scrub really helps smoothen the rough texture.
5. Include tidying up as part of a bedtime routine. This one is definitely a strange one to add because tidying up after a long day just seems like work — not self-care. And I guess it makes more sense to me now because I have a toddler whose toys are always strewn all over the house at the end of each day and it just stresses me out if they’re not put away properly. Forget jabbing my foot on one of his Lego pieces, I just feel moody and like I can’t properly unwind until my house looks clean. So my daily bedtime routine begins with 10-15 minutes (honestly that’s all the time it takes!) of tidying up any clutter, putting things back from where they came from, clearing out bills and organising my handbags. And when I’m done my mind is instantly clear and relaxed and ready to take on a new day clutter-free!
6. Use traffic, long commutes or even kids’ nap times to listen to a podcast and/or catch up with family or friends. This one has been in my daily routine for years. If I’m driving, I’ll plug my phone into the AUX jack of my car and play a podcast. I have a few specific ones I like and they are usually 30 minutes to an hour long — perfect for a long commute or bad traffic days. The time seems to go by faster and maybe I learn something new. If I’m on the train, I like to text with family or friends I haven’t spoken to in a while and it’s an immediate mood booster 🙂
7. Stop endlessly and aimlessly scrolling on social media. Instead follow positive, uplifting accounts and influencers and engage with intent. Some might say I’m a hypocrite because I do spend a lot of time on social media every day. But it’s a necessity in my area of work as well as blogging. What I have tried to do is not endlessly and aimlessly scroll social media but be mindful of the content I’m consuming and spending time on. I choose to follow accounts and influencers who I feel uplifted and motivated by in my areas of interest — fitness, female entrepreneurs, mom hacks, beauty and skincare and travel — and engage with content with the intention that I want to learn something new. I think this is the positive and powerful impact social media can have and it’s important to focus on that, rather than mindless scrolling just cause.

I hope you find the list of self-care hacks above useful. It’s not really about investing more time for taking care of yourself; it’s about shifting your mindset and how you spend the few minutes or hours you have each day to better your well-being and happiness.