I never really understood the whole “self-care” thing. I always thought it was just bubble baths and face masks that people did to post on social media. But, about a month ago, I was feeling pretty burnt out—work was draining me, and I just wasn’t taking care of myself. One day, I randomly decided to start waking up 15 minutes earlier just to sit with a cup of coffee and not rush into my day. I didn’t think it would be much, but those 15 minutes somehow made everything feel less overwhelming. Then I started making small changes: a quick walk after lunch, reading for 10 minutes before bed, and even making a habit of journaling my thoughts.
It’s been a month now, and honestly, I feel so much better. I’m more patient with people, my stress levels are way lower, and I’m actually enjoying my days again. I can’t believe how something so small, like a few extra minutes for myself each day, made such a big difference.
Has anyone else experienced a similar shift from small changes? How did you start prioritizing yourself? Would love to hear what’s worked for you!
Comments
Yes! Good on you. The key is your strategy, implementing small incremental improvements & changes overtime & in turn makes it easier to function which in turn makes you more able tackle even more. It’s self perpetuating & glorious.
Keep it up!
Great job OP, those little things do make a huge difference.
Adding to that, gratitude journaling specifically
Is shockingly helpful. It triggers your brain in a very cave man way to appreciate what resources are available to you.
Drinking water. Lots of it.
And, not on purpose for me- but my kid is 5 and I had to stop being on my phone around her because she was clearly getting addicted too. We all know our phones are addicting and terrible but like… holy shit. Your day gets three times longer to do fun things when you don’t have it. It’s honestly amazing.
Watering my plants was like meditation. Focusing on something right in front of my, taking it in, making little changes over time to their care. It didn’t occur to me that it was self care until I got busy and lost my routine
I actually kind of did something similar. I started a new job that’s about a 25 minute commute in the mornings. If I left an hour before I have to be to work I would often run into slow downs. So I decided to just try waking up one hour earlier, and act like I have to be at work an hour earlier. I get to the parking lot and I just spend an hour listening to music and sketching and it makes me so much more relaxed during my days.
Then my car broke down and work let me work remote for a week and a half while my car was in the shop. During that time period I had to walk to get something from the pharmacy and I realized the area I live in is much better suited for walking than I had previously thought. So now I’m waking up earlier and going for walks at night.
I just feel better.
The journaling is key. My therapist said it’s like a download of your brain. Physically writing down things helps your brain process it and push it away so it’s not a worry.
I’ve gone back and read something I wrote about 3 years ago that I completely forgot. It was regarding a crazy incident with my sister. I’m like how do I forget something like that? But I wrote it down and it really did download and process out of my mind and gave me peace. So I guess it is working.
Also, I love my coffee so maybe I will start doing that too – 15 minutes early, before the kids are up. 😏