Never has self-care been so important. It’s something you know you should, or need to do, and yet you STILL don’t prioritise it.

The thing is, you will continue not to prioritize it until you embody or realize the principle, that these self-care activities will ultimately take you most expediently towards your latest goals and dreams. (And who doesn’t want to move there as quickly as possible???)

I know that you’re super busy and have a to-do list as long as your arm. I’m guessing you’ve heard the adage that goes something like; “If you don’t have time to meditate, then that’s the time that you need to meditate for half an hour.” Knowing that is one thing, but when you’re stressed out, with SO much to do, taking that time can seem impossible, or even ridiculous.

I totally get it. I’m a recovering ‘too busy for self-care,’ kind of gal. Though I used to be permanently in that trap, I still find myself there sometimes. It’s a hugely ingrained habit. It requires awareness, detachment, determination, and practice to transform.

5 nuggets of wisdom to help you break the “I’m too busy for that.” cycle.

1. Know that self-care is cumulative.

The more you do self-care practices, the more benefit you’ll receive. If you’re running on empty a little bit of self-care, will take the edge off for a short period of time, but won’t fill you up and it won’t sustain you. If you do a self-care practice before you NEED to, it’ll keep you running for longer. If you do regular self-care practice before you NEED it, you discover you are more resilient and bounce back way quicker when life happens and things aren’t going quite to plan.

2. Know that different types of self-care serve you in different ways at different times.

Some forms of self-care are pleasurable in the moment. Others you feel better, not during, but right after doing them. Others still are for the long-term benefits which you won’t feel the benefit of, for an extended period of time.

For me, meditation, dance, massage, and photography are all currently pleasurable at the moment. Pilates and Yoga can sometimes feel pleasurable in the moment, but I always feel better after a session. Drinking celery juice took several months before I started feeling the benefits. They’re all self-care practices, but the benefits show themselves in different ways at different times.

Being mindful of which category your self-care activities sit in, and ensuring you do some from each category will give your the highest chance of staying topped up and optimally resilient.

I often find that the clients I work with find it more difficult to allow themselves the self-care activities which are pleasurable in the moment. They feel too frivolous, too self-indulgent like there are more important or more valuable things they could be doing.

There’s actually nothing more important than ensuring that we bring pleasurable activities into our lives. It enables us to release the expectation from others and from our businesses to provide us with those moments. When we actively choose to experience plenty of pleasurable moments, the universe reflects back opportunities for more and more of those moments in wonderful ways that we couldn’t have dreamt up for ourselves.

I call these Pivotal Pockets of Pleasure. (Coined during conversations with two separate clients who gave me permission to use it!)

How many Pivotal Pockets of Pleasure do you choose to bring into each day? Could you introduce more?

3. Know that when mindfully embodying self-care practices in the moment, you’re allowing the universe to line up the things you’re wanting.

When you’re prioritizing and taking care of yourself, you’re radiating a signal out to the universe that you KNOW that you’re valuable, that you’re worth taking care of, that you’re worth investing in. The universe will mirror back to you experiences that match that vibration! If you want more pleasure, – do pleasurable things, if you want to feel good in your body, – do things which allow you to feel good in your body now (dancing works for me.) If you want more money, – do things which enable you to feel abundant in the now – (self-massage with deliciously scented oils is a good one for me.)

4. Use your self-care practices to give you the confidence that you can handle anything (you can.)

Notice that chosen well, a self-care practice will help you move a little or a lot towards feeling better in yourself. More steady, more relaxed, fitter, more empowered – any, or all of the above. When we become aware of this and purposefully notice and acknowledge it each time we do a self-care practice, we move a step closer to more and more consistent steadiness. We begin to embody the fact, that no matter what happens, we can do things that bring us back to our centre. When this happens, we become less fearful about the inevitable bumps in the road which will occur.

5. Know that little and often wins the race.

We don’t need to spend hours every day on self-care in order to gain the super steadiness which is available to us. Several pockets of five minutes each day will grant you huge gains. I currently do a 10-minute meditation in the morning, Live in my Free Facebook Group(immediate pleasure.) I dance to new music on Spotify in my candlelit shower (immediate pleasure.) I make a celery juice every morning (long term health gains.) I walk in nature every lunchtime (immediate pleasure and long term health gains.) I make myself a cucumber juice mid-afternoon (immediate pleasure and long term health gains) and or a chaga-tea with maple syrup in the evening (immediate pleasure and long term health gains.) Plus if I start feeling depleted or tired, I do another 5-minute meditation, some diamond dotz or take a nap. Set your alarm and take the five minutes. You’re so worth it.

Hopefully, you’re now sold on why prioritizing self-care is a good idea. If not, get in touch.

If you’re stuck on ideas for self-care activities that would bring you pleasure and or delayed benefits, check out part 3 of this blog here.

As a reminder of what self-care actually is and why it’s so important, check out part one here.

If you’d like to keep in touch – sign up for my newsletter here.