How to fit moments of self-care into the busiest times of year

We all love a bit of self-care, don’t we? 

Maybe we think of self-care as a long break by the sea, reading those books that have been on our to-read list for years, or a much-awaited trip back home to catch up with family and friends. Maybe a theatre excursion or dinner in that restaurant you’ve been meaning to visit. 

But what about self-care during those months of seemingly never-ending university applications, student meetings, family meetings and conference trips? Those times when it is all we can do to manage to get up, go to work, go home and go to bed. What do we do then for our self-care?

Redefining self-care

This, I believe, is when we need to redefine our ideas of what self-care is. Self-care can be thought of as anything we can do for ourselves that gives us a sense of calm and rejuvenation, and which we can realistically do on a day-to-day or weekly basis. Something that allows us to stop and breathe, even if just for a few minutes.

I was introduced to this type of self-care when my family was in the midst of a crisis. I was still managing to come to work and do all I had to do, but there was no possibility of going away or even leaving the house in the evening. 

I needed to reinvent my self-care. So, I sat and wrote a list of 10 things that brought me joy, which I could realistically do before or after work at home. Then I told myself that I would do one thing from my list every day, just for me. 

Ten things that bring me joy

This was my list:

1. Enjoy a cup of coffee and a cuddle with my dogs for 30 minutes in the morning before anyone else wakes up.
2. After a shower, use some nice-smelling luxurious body cream.
3. Have a calming skincare routine before bed.
4. Read some pages from a fiction book of my choosing.
5. Light a scented candle.
6. WhatsApp a good friend and have a chat (I don’t like phone calls).
7. Go for a 10-minute walk out in nature with the dogs.
8. Eat a slice of cake with a cup of tea.
9. Order a takeaway instead of cooking.
10. Watch a movie.

Ten simple things just for me: self-care on a time and location budget. And it worked. It really did. My whole concept of self-care changed, and I realised that I could still look after myself and give myself the attention I needed – refill my cup, if you like – even though I was battling against obstacles that I couldn't change.

Self-care on a (time) budget

So when we, as future-pathways advisers, find ourselves in our third consecutive month of difficult conversations and last-minute application deadlines, or stuck in an airport with jetlag, trying to catch up on work emails after a conference, remember that self-care doesn't have to be an expensive holiday. It doesn’t even have to be a no-work-emails-after-working-hours boundary (which can be difficult to implement during application season). It can be as simple as stepping outside for 10 minutes and breathing in nature.

I would recommend everyone write their own “10 self-care ideas on a budget” list, and keep it somewhere close. Then, when things feel too much, you can look at it and allow yourself to tick one (or more) item off the list and begin to refill your cup – even during the busiest periods.