Now, you can’t really structure your days in anticipation of how it might look when you go back to work. However, what you can do is establish daily practices of (self-care) beginning the day, staying open for play with your child, for cooking a delicious meal, of practicing self-care, of pursuing your passions.
To have these practices become second nature to you helps when you start work. Often when we get busy we neglect self-care, or pursuing a hobby we love, cooking or even playing with our child. If you establish a routine of pursuing self-care months before you start work, this habit will kick in at busy times to help you stay grounded, focused and mindful about your priorities.
Here are some things that help
- Practice waking early preferably an hour before the rest of the household. This is your “Me” time. A time that you can spend in the calm and quiet of a silent morning, doing things that set you in the right frame of mind for the day.
- This can be anything from practicing yoga, meditation, running, writing, praying, painting or reading an inspirational book. The choice is yours. This is your time and yours only to connect with yourself, your day, your scared source of strength and passion.
- Schedule, perhaps in your planner, all your self-care practices that help you relax, feel good and look good. The idea is to feel energetic, loved, nourished, relaxed and stress-free. Going to the parlour to get a pedicure or a massage can be a part of this to-do list.
Brushing your hair before you leave to work might be something that you need to be reminded about (with a baby around, anything is possible). I, for instance, schedule self-care routines that I would like to pursue every day. It helps me do it – come hail or storm and it helps me focus on caring for me. - I write up on my wall-planner (a large chalkboard wall) routines such as washing my hair thrice a week, going to the parlor, applying moisturiser twice a day, keeping next day’s work clothes out at night. These might be really simple things but I often find that, unfortunately, they are the first to go when I am stressed (leading to more stress, clearly). Putting them up on my planner lets me know that there is time for everything and everyone. That nothing is as pressing as the mind makes it out to be.
POINTS TO CONSIDER
- It is important to carve out a “me” time that helps you focus and start the day.
- To-do lists about self-care that includes practices of grounding, awareness, stress-busting, relaxing, following your passion is more important to put on your calendar than to-do lists about tasks that need to be done around home or at work.
If you need more help in understanding this, write to us.