Beliefnet
2018-06-29

You’ve got a to-do list that feels like it’s a mile long. There are kids to run around, social and church commitments, work deadlines to meet, and a house to keep clean. To get everything done, you put yourself aside and focus on fulfilling the needs of everyone around you. Neglecting yourself isn’t good for anyone. Sure, you’re getting your kids where they need to be and putting meals on the table, but you’re left in a state of constant physical and mental exhaustion, which makes you feeling helpless, overwhelmed, and extremely stressed out. How will you get anything done if you’re suffering from burnout?

Luckily, there’s a simple way to avoid those feelings: self-care. No matter how long your to-do list is or how busy you are, you have to take some time for self-care. These self-care techniques can be as simple as laying your head down for 3-5 minutes a day or giving your favorite pillow a quick cuddle. Despite how busy you may think you are, there are hundreds of self-care techniques you can practice to keep yourself sane, avoid getting burned out, and are quick to complete. 

So without further ado, take a look at seven self-care strategies you can practice when you’ve got five to ten minutes to spare.        

Taking a few minutes to declutter your workspace, closet, car, or kitchen can be a spiritual experience. Not only does it help to rid your spaces of physical distractions, but emotional ones as well. The very act of tidying up your workspace can help you feel accomplished, recharged, and motivated. Taking the time to dig through the piles of papers, heaps of clothes, knickknacks, and whatever else is crowding our lives can help us be more productive, happier, and calmer. Plus, it can help to spur creativity, improve sleeping patterns, and boost your mood. Getting rid of all that clutter can help to eliminate stress and anxiety and reduce feelings of negativity. One of the most important things to remember about decluttering is to start small. 
 
Don’t think you need to re-organize your entire house and office in one day. If you find yourself with an extra five minutes, use it to take the bag of clothes you’ve been meaning to donate to Goodwill or finally organize your junk drawer in your kitchen. You’d be amazed at the effect this small action can have on your mood.

A low-maintenance way to take care of yourself is to use a humidifier. There are many health benefits to humidifiers, especially during the winter. The air in your home is naturally more dry during the winter season and cranking up the heater only makes it worse. Dry air can take a toll on your respiratory system and may result in dry eyes, sore throat, chapped skin and lips, itchy skin, and you're more susceptible to colds and the flu. Investing in a high-quality humidifier can make the air in your home more pleasant and brings about a surprising number of benefits. Boosting your immune system, relieving congestion, preventing dry skin, and improving sleep patterns are just a few of the ways a humidifier can keep you and your home more comfortable. The best part? All you have to do is plug it in and it goes to work for you, making it a perfect choice on the days you’re really strapped for time.

On the days you’re feeling overly run down, stretch and breathe. Sounds simple right? It is! Stretching out your body helps to keep your muscles flexible and healthy. Sitting in a chair all day can cause your hamstrings to get incredibly tight. If you don’t stretch them out, it can make extending your leg more difficult. Over time, this can affect your ability to walk. Not regularly stretching your muscles makes it easier for them to get damaged when you do use them. Studies have shown that regular stretching leads to muscles that are long, lean, and flexible. Plus it’s a great way to get rid of stress, improve circulation, and reduced pain and stiffness.

Breathing is probably something you don’t think about too often, but you should. Taking a few deep breaths has shown to have an incredible effect on stress. When you’re stressed, your breathing patterns change, which means your body isn’t getting the necessary oxygen it needs. Breathing deeply and slowly can help to regulate your breathing, which results in lower stress hormones in the blood, increased energy, and increased feelings of calm.

Practicing yoga is a perfect combination of these two. The physical benefits of yoga include increased flexibility, improved respiration, and increased muscle and tone. On the mental side, you’ll enjoy feelings of calmness, a relaxed mind, and sharpened concentration. Taking a few minutes to practice some yoga poses is a great way to calm and relax your body before facing the day. 

Keeping a journal doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Don’t feel like you need to write lengthy entries every time you journal. There are plenty of ways you can use your journal for self-care. Exploring and observing your feelings, creating a gratitude list, listing things you love about your life, or just ranting are just a few ways you can use your journal. 

On the days you’re having a particularly bad day, journaling can be the perfect cure. Opening up to a blank page and dumping all your feelings out can help clear your mind and may even help you get to the root of a particular problem or worry. Writing until there’s no thoughts left in your brain can help you get rid of the stressors from your day and help you focus on tackling your to-do list, instead of wallowing in self-pity.

Instead of focusing on all the things you don’t have or haven’t done, try to focus on everything that the Lord has blessed you with throughout your day. You can use your gratitude list as a way of privately thanking the Lord for blessing you with the life you have—even on the days you’d rather have anyone else’s life.  

Talking to your friends or coworkers might be one of the last things you feel like doing on the days you’re completely overwhelmed. That’s because stress has a way of making us think the worst things about ourselves. We fail to see the good  within ourselves and our flaws and shortcomings are what we focus on. If you find yourself as this point, you should reach out to your social support system. Send a text to your closest friends or family members a text and asking them to name three things they love about you is an incredible mood booster. Their answers can help you get rid of feelings of self-doubt and help you to see yourself as others see you. More importantly, it can help you see yourself as the Lord does. Sometimes the faith people have in us is precisely the kind of push and confidence-boost we need to do better and keep going.

With everything you’ve got going on, you might feel like service is out of the question. You barely have enough time in the day to take care of yourself, so how could you possibly find time to serve someone else? There are plenty of ways you can help someone out that don’t take hours out of your day. Smiling at someone, taking a quick walk, with a co-worker or practicing a playing  with your kids are small acts of service that don’t take a lot of time.

By engaging in service, you shift away from the ‘me’ perspective to the ‘we’ perspective. You start to recognize that the best thing you can offer someone is your heart and your time. As you lift others up, you do the same for yourself. You start to realize how full your life is and how much you have to give. On the days where you feel you can’t possibly give anything else, look for ways you can serve someone. You’d be surprised at just how much the smallest act of service can lift your heart and make you more appreciative of your circumstances.    

You don’t have to limit your church-going to just Sundays. There are many benefits to going to church more than once a week. The time you spend at a church of spiritual service can help you focus your thoughts inward and clear your mind. This can help to drastically reduce your stress levels and makes you feel lighter and more confident. If you don’t have time to attend a full service, just spending a few minutes sitting in the pews or walking the church grounds can also help you escape from worldly worries for a few minutes.  

In your most frustrated, stressed out moments, you might start to wonder: ‘What’s the point? Why keep going?’ Attending a spiritual service can help remind you of your purpose and that God has a plan for you that goes beyond this life. Being in your place of worship can also help remind you of all the reasons you have to hold on and remain faithful, which can help to ease your burdens and carry you through the rest of your day.

Taking care of your emotional and physical needs should be something you put first. However, with everything you’ve got going on, it’s no surprise that self-care is one of the last things you worry about. Even on the days where you have so much going on you’re about ready to give up, take a few minutes to practice some self-care. These techniques don’t have to take hours away from your day, just take a few minutes to relax, refocus, and recommit. Doing so allows you to reduce stress, prevent burnout, and feel happier. 


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