As a counselor, I’ve heard this excuse before, “But I don’t have time!”. I would be a hypocrite if I did not admit to also using this excuse. How can I possibly have time to do self-care when I have to work 8 hours, feed the kids, take them to soccer practice, go to Church to volunteer to wrap presents, help my neighbor mow their lawn, visit my sick relative, go to school, finish my 10 page paper, do the laundry, go food shopping, … the list goes on and on! So back to my original question, do I even have time for self-care? The answer is yes. We all have time for self-care each and every day. We make the choice if we want to make time for it or not.

There are some days when we are just too packed to really do much for ourselves at all. That’s a reality. And that’s okay. But here’s the secret… self-care can be short and sweet. I think we set high expectations on what self-care looks like. It does not need to be 60 minutes at the gym, a 4 hour hiking trip, a day at the spa, etc. It can be something that takes almost no time at all. It’s not about the time, it’s about the conscious awareness of you, yourself and your needs.

This holiday season can get so busy and chaotic that we get lost in the Hallmark Holiday. And so, I hope this blog reminds you that you exist, you matter and you are the most important person in your life. And so, refer to the Emotional Wellness Tab for some tips on fast, quick, easy, short and sweet self-care.