Choose to prioritise your wellbeing. Start with five minutes a day…
“I just don’t have time for that.”
”I am too busy to go for a walk/read my book/ exercise…”
“After I have finished this, I will allow myself to do that.”
Do any of these phrases sound familiar? We may tell ourselves that taking purposeful care of ourselves and making room for enjoyment in our lives is an optional extra to build in when all the work is done, and all our time has been ‘productively’. However, what message does this send to our minds and our bodies? We need them both to be functioning at their best if we are expecting to manage life’s demands in a healthy, balanced way and yet we place them last on our list of priorities.
But what about if we choose to make a designated space in every week, or even better every day to prioritise something that is good for us even if it is just for five minutes a day? This time should be prioritised and not viewed as an option.
It can be useful to attach the activity to a habit that you already have in place for your day for example, your evening meal, brushing your teeth or getting changed for bed.
Try a new 5 minute habit each day:
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Try out a mindfulness app for 5 minutes each day after brushing your teeth;
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After your evening meal, sit quietly with no technology nearby and just breathe deeply for five minutes with your eyes closed and your back straight;
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Write in your journal for 5 minutes each day, expressing anything that you are feeling;
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Before you go to sleep, stretch your body to release tension (here are some good stretches for sleep to make sure you are doing them properly and safely: https://www.healthline.com/health/stretching-before-bed )
Life is busy. If we don’t create and protect deliberate space to care for our minds and our bodies, the time will be absorbed by other things.
Be your own priority; your body and mind will be grateful.
You make a boundary
when you draw a circle
around something and
say, 'Everything inside
here is scared.'
Elizabeth Gilbert
