Ok, well now that you know how super weird awesome I am, I have some vital information of my own to share with you:  sometimes we make a big dramatic deal about not having time for self care when truthfully, anyone (no matter how busy) can add little acts of self care to their daily life.  I’m talking about things that may require an additional 5 to 15 minutes of your time.  Yet these are the very things that can help you de-stress, relax, and feel loved and important throughout the whole day.

Here are a few suggestions I have for you to add a little TLC to your day:

Wake up early and do something just for you.    I know the thought of waking up earlier than absolutely necessary may be appalling to some of you, but hear me out.  5-15 minutes of sleep is not going to make or break your day.  But you know what really could make your day? Waking up before anyone else and savoring the quiet, and doing something fun or calming or just for you.  If you’re like me, you’ll spend the rest of your day doing everything for everybody else.  Take 5-15 minutes of YOU time first thing in the morning.  I like to get a cup of coffee and a devotional and just have an uninterrupted time to read.  Do whatever works for you.  Sit with a cup of tea and enjoy just being still.  Write in a gratitude journal.  Set goals for the day.  For the highly motivated morning person, do 15 minutes of exercise.  Or vary it every day – Monday, exercise, Tuesday, meditate, Wednesday, journal, etc.  

 Use the minutes just before bed to do something else for yourself.  Same idea as above, just at the end of the day.  I like this because you can spend all day looking forward to that me time that will come at the end of the day.  Do some bedtime stretches.  Have some herbal tea.  Read.  Pray.  Set goals for tomorrow.  Whatever you want.

 Care about yourself enough to make self care a routine part of your day.  You wouldn’t go a whole day without eating or drinking (at least I hope not!).  You wouldn’t go a whole day without sleeping.  In the same way, our bodies, brains, and hearts need care.  We need connection.  We need down time.  Our culture is shouting at us that the opposite is true, but it’s lying.  Friends, we can only go so far before we just can’t anymore if we neglect ourselves.  It’s not selfish.  You’ll be useless to others if you neglect yourself. Or worse, you’ll resent them. You can’t save someone else if you’re drowning, know what I mean?

I hope you are inspired to love yourself a little more each day.  It’s not another chore on our unending to-do lists.  It’s fuel to fill your tank so you can keep on running.  Anyone else excited to start a new self care routine?  Tell us all about it in the comments!