55 Ways To Take Care of Yourself When You’re Too Busy

Here are some suggestions from life coach Marthe Hagen, author of the ebook Feeling Good when Life is Hard. A list of 55 gentle ways you can take care of yourself when you’re pressed for time and attention. For the more detailed description of each, check out her website The Freedom Project. Some or many of these suggestions may resonate with you.

1. Say no to anything that is not important to you
2. Ask for help
3. Get enough sleep
4. Drink tea
5. Listen to your favorite music
6. Eat healthy and green food
7. Take 5 minutes in the morning to just stretch and breathe
8. Walk everywhere
9. Take 5-minute mini-breaks every hour
10. Break your self-care habits into smaller tasks and do one each day
11. Make a plan of everything that needs to be done
12. Make sure you keep in touch with your friends
13. Make room for rest
14. Surround yourself with inspiring photos
15. Write a daily gratitude list
16. Spend your lunchtime as sacred you-time
17. Write a worry-list
18. Take a run or a long walk
19. Keep a planner and schedule no-appointments time
20. Keep track of your achievements
21. Wear your pretty clothes
22. Go to a yoga class
23. Take a hot bath
24. Light candles
25. Write support-thoughts and affirmations
26. Craft an emotional emergency plan
27. Breathe
28. Do something silly
29. Single-task
30. Read Focus by Leo Babauta
31. Take the last evening off
32. Keep a tidy workspace
33. Create some routines
34. Write things down
35. Accept a little clutter and mess
36. Allow your emotions to come to the surface
37. Honor your limits
38. Take the weekends completely off
39. Gather your support group
40. Outsource what you can, for example your home cleaning, laundry or bookkeeping.
41. Delegate
42. Get more sunlight
43. Take your vitamins
44. Eat fresh fruit and vegetables
45. Use scented oils in the shower
46. Resist the urge to be productive all the time
47. Limit your media consumption
48. Meditate in the morning
49. Block out distractions
50. Compliment yourself
51. Do the dreaded tasks first
52. Brighten your day with colorful pencils and pretty stationery
53. Reward yourself
54. Postpone all major decisions
55. Accept yourself as you are