We usually abandon or ignore self-care whenever we are too busy. We’re meant to take care of our physical and metal health always. Ignoring self-care will lead us to low performance not only at work, but in our relationships as well. We must not carry the weight of the entire world on us. There are times we have to step back for a moment and be kind to ourselves.

Checkout these 5 self-care tips for busy professionals. We’ve got a lot of them, do share yours below in the comments section.

You can also checkout these habits to improve your mental health

1. Make time for yourself

It’s time for you to carve out and dedicate some ‘alone moments’. A little time with yourself is time well spent because it makes you a happier person. When you are happy, you mindset is healthy, hence you have a better mind frame to take care of those around you. Give yourself a break. For this to be done, you will need to

• learn how to delegate others to carry some of your tasks – it maybe family, friends or colleagues
• A “no” is worth it at times
• Reduce your activities, especially those that drain your time and energy
• Buy in bulk – checkout 10 self-care ideas for busy mums

2. Reward yourself

You’ve been working really hard – going out early, coming back late – and you just did great on a tough project. Don’t you think it’s time to reward yourself? When growing up as little girl, I read that “all work and no play makes jack a dull boy”. Rewarding yourself makes you feel good and drives you further into success. It is a positive reinforcement to achieve more and because you deserve it. You can do this by:

• Taking a field trip – museums, hiking, biking, etc.
• Volunteer or give back to people – people feel happy when they spend on other people than on themselves
• Get out of town – a change of environment will re-energise you
• Just be unproductive for a while and give yourself a treat (it could be breakfast, dinner or whatever)

3. Do something creative

This is one of the best self-care tips that works well with a busy professional. Creativity reduces stress, depression and anxiety. Just like physical exercise, it makes our minds focused and engaged on the task at hand. This helps to distract us from stress, especially if we find our jobs boring. You can

• Sign up for a class, training
• Try something you have never done before
• You can paint, design or do creative writing just for fun

When you do something creative, your mind relaxes a little. It inspires fresh ideas that may help you go back to work with a different attitude and energy.

4. Family and friends are gold

Always make time for family and friends. As busy professionals, we are always overloaded with work, so many times we just come back home and crash after all is done. This is not good for your family and in building relationships. You have to make time out for family and friends. You can take them out for dinner, a movie or even invite them for a game at night. This will help you get their support that will boost your mood.

5. Get a lot of sleep

In order to be healthy, professionals say you must have at least eight hours of sleep per day. This means if you sleep enough, you will be energetic and alert throughout the day. That’s not usually the case with some of us. Our busy lifestyles usually get in the way and we work until we forget we needed to have a good night’s sleep.

Sleeping well

• Keeps your heart healthy
• Reduces stress
• Makes you become more alert
• Improves your memory
• Repairs your body
• Makes you smarter

Where these self-care tips helpful? Do share with others and subscribe for regular updates.

Thanks for reading x