🌿 Self-Care: Who Has Time for That?!
By: Dr. Christa Drakulic, Postdoctoral Fellow
Has anyone ever told you that you need to take time for yourself? 💭
You might think, “In my spare time,” or, “What a joke - I don’t even have a minute to myself.”
Busy lives can make it feel like every moment has to go toward responsibilities. Work, family, relationships, errands, appointments... the list goes on. 🗓️
But here’s another way to think about it:
✨ Taking time for yourself can be as little as a few minutes, a few hours, or a few days - whatever is manageable for you.
What matters isn’t the length of any single moment of self-care. It’s making self-care an intermittent, ongoing part of your life - giving yourself opportunities to recharge, relax, and recover when life starts feeling overwhelming. 🔋
And self-care can be pretty much anything!
💙 Examples of Self-Care
💅 A manicure, pedicure, or massage
💇 Getting your hair done
☕ Taking time to enjoy your favorite coffee or tea
📚 Reading a book
🎬 Catching a movie
👨👩👧👦 Downtime with family or friends
🧘 Meditating
🏃 Exercising, jogging, or taking a walk
🙏 Prayer
🎨 Doing crafts, painting, drawing, or coloring
🌱 Signing up for a group or class that interests you
🏡 Decorating or organizing
🎵 Listening to music
And that’s definitely not an exhaustive list!
📅 “But I Don’t Have Time…”
If you’re someone who isn’t used to downtime - or you’re always on the go - but want to try building self-care into your routine, consider actually scheduling it.
Put it on your calendar. 📆
Set a reminder. ⏰
Treat it like an appointment you intend to keep.
This can help make self-care a habit - and remind you that taking care of yourself deserves space on your calendar, too.
❤️ What About the Guilt?
One more thing: some people feel guilty taking time away from their responsibilities.
Try reframing it.
You’re not shirking your obligations. You’re setting yourself up for success. 🌿
Taking time for yourself doesn’t just help you recharge. It can help you show up more fully - and more effectively - for the people, responsibilities, and things that matter to you.
✨ You don’t need an entire day off to practice self-care. Sometimes, you just need to give yourself permission to take a moment.
If this resonates with you and you’ve been thinking about starting therapy, feel free to reach out to learn more. 💙