Self Care Hacks for the Chronically Busy

Ever since I was little, I have been chronically busy. As a kid, I was in all the sports and after-school activities. In high school, I stacked on National Honors Society and Mathletes (#nerdlife). Then I went to culinary school, where classes were 8 hours long, and joined the competition team, spending 6+ more hours at school practicing and monthly travel events.

I would love to say that I have been mindful of practicing self-care while living a busy lifestyle, however, it wasn’t until I had a severe case of mono that lasted 8 months that I realized my stress management and self-care skills miiight actually suck.

In today’s society, the term self-care gets a bad rep and many people have a very glorified perspective of it. It’s not all face masks and bubble baths… but also, it doesn’t have to be time-consuming, expensive, or difficult to add into your day. Adding little things into your routine as a daily self-care practice actually can be more effective than having that one day or several hours to yourself. Smaller practices are usually easier and less overwhelming to accomplish, which means it’s probably going to stick a lot easier than drastic lifestyle changes that often only stick for a phase. Just like saving pennies add up to dollars, utilizing small pockets of your day for self-care will add up for your health.

Over the last few years on my healing journey, I have found a few self-care tools that have worked well for me. Since I believe that everyone's needs are different, I share these ideas not as a template to follow, but in hopes that they will spark some inspiration within you for your own self-care routine.

1. 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise

I learned this technique in one of my first lectures at nutrition school at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, and it’s been super helpful to me! Dr. Andrew Weil, who gave the lecture, recommends doing this exercise twice a day. After consistent practice for at least one month, the body will begin to recognize it as a calming tactic. For example, you can use this technique if you can’t fall asleep or if you feel yourself getting angry, etc.

The benefits: Quick tool to relax the mind and body, lower blood pressure, decrease anxiety, and help prevent panic attacks

How it works: Start by exhaling all the air from your lungs. Then breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 7 counts, and audibly breathe out for 8 counts. Repeat this for four cycles. If you want to know more about it or have an example, Dr. Weil has a video and article about this technique here.

How it has helped: As someone prone to anxiety, I use this in situations where I am starting to feel overwhelmed and anxious to help ground me. It’s also been useful if I wake up in the middle of the night in helping me fall back asleep. I use it as a daily practice as well as mental health “survival” skill. Definitely one for the mental health first aid kit!

Time commitment: 1 minute

2. Dry Brushing

When I first heard of dry brushing, the people I heard talking about it were using it mostly for cosmetic use such as a reduction in cellulite, removing puffiness, helping get rid of backne. I have always hated my backne, so I tried it out several years ago. My lymph nodes are also generally the quickest to react to things that don’t agree with my body, swelling especially around my neck and jawline. Dry brushing has helped decrease this inflammation, not to mention how smooth my face has become from the removal of dead skin that happens in the process of dry brushing.

The benefits: Promotes lymphatic drainage, reduces inflammation, gets rid of dead skin cells, boosts energy, reduces cellulite, aids digestion, promotes healthy blood flow and circulation. When your blood is moving as it should, your body naturally detoxes quicker and easier.

How it works: Starting at your feet, dry brush in long strokes working your way up the body. Brush from your hands upwards toward your armpits, then from the center of your chest towards your armpits. Check out a how-to video here. You can brush your stomach in a clockwise motion to help aid digestion. Be more gentle on your face or get a softer brush for your face (there are dry brushes that are made specifically for your face and sensitive or soft skin). You can do this before a shower, to rinse any dead skin cells off in the shower, or after a shower and apply body and facial oil afterward to moisturize and soothe any irritations.

You may need to shop around to find a dry brush that works for you and your skin. Don’t be afraid to try a different brush if you feel it hasn’t worked for you! It took me three different dry brushes to find the perfect fit. The dry brush I use can be found here, or you can check your local Whole Foods.

How it has helped: Dry brushing has helped reduce swollen lymph nodes in my neck, promote better skin texture (my face is soo soft after dry brushing + moisturizing), and reduce backne (hallelujah).

Time commitment: 3 minutes

3. Tongue Scraping

Sounds gross, right? It looks about as gross as it sounds, but it’s totally worth it. I first learned about tongue scraping from Lee From America. I was so nervous to try it and sucked at it the first month of doing it, but it does get easier. Now, it’s probably the easiest self-care habit I have built into my routine.

The tongue holds so much information about the overall health of the rest of your body, so it’s important to keep the health of your tongue in check. After doing this and seeing the benefits for myself, using a toothbrush to clean my tongue just doesn’t do the trick for me anymore.

The benefits: Removes the film on your tongue (created from dead skin cells, plaque, food particles, yeast that can otherwise stay on your tongue for over a week), helps curb bad breath, clears toxins and bacteria, can help promote better digestion and organ health that has been linked to tongue health, and the best part: enhance taste buds.

How it works: Using a tongue scraper, scrape the tongue from back to front and side to side. Check out Lee From America’s tutorial video – this is where I learned it from.

How it has helped: Being a foodie, I do notice some enhancements of my taste buds after tongue scraping. The general health of my mouth has improved and it’s been the cheapest and quickest addition to my routine.

I purchased this tongue scraper. It comes as a two-pack of stainless steel scrapers (get a friend to try it with you!). Because they are stainless steel, they are long-lasting (one or two per lifetime, hello sustainable choices) and bendable to work for any mouth size.

Time commitment: 30 seconds

4. Develop a Skincare Routine

I said it myself, self-care isn’t all about face masks. BUT… having a good skincare routine is good for the skin and the soul.

Side effect: can help you feel like you have your act together for 5 minutes (even if you really don’t lol).

The benefits: Clean and hydrated skin, fewer breakouts, anti-aging, 5 guaranteed minutes to yourself daily

How it works: Cleanse, serums, moisturizers, masks… everyone’s skincare routine is different so find what works best for you and your skin type.

How it has helped: My skin has never been so smooth and clear as it has since being consistent with a skin-care routine. I listen to a fear clear meditation while I do this, so it’s the perfect combo to help me feel ready for the day.

I personally use CLEARSTEM skincare products, which are both anti-acne and anti-aging. After trying sooo many products out there, these are by far my favorite.

Time commitment: 5 minutes, twice per day (morning + night)

5. Meditation

We all know meditation is supposed to be good for us. But who the heck can sit still for 5, 10, 20, even 30 minutes in silence and not be thinking of the hundred other things you could be doing? I struggled with this for years before I finally decided to ditch the idea of how meditation is supposed to go and instead accept it for what it was for me at that time. With meditation, trusting in the process is key, especially as a beginner. That’s why they refer to it as a practice.

The benefits: stress management (by reducing the stress hormone cortisol), increase self-awareness, can help improve sleep (especially if meditating to wind down at night), reduce anxiety, raise your internal energetic vibration.

How it works: Everyone has their own methods of meditation and what works for them. I have tried many methods and tricks before I found something that stuck. Here’s what works for me: I imagine a bright color as good energy and black as negative energy. When I deeply inhale, I envision a bright color traveling through my veins and body, reaching down to my toes, through my fingers, filling up my lungs, etc. When I exhale, I envision all the congested negativity and low energies leaving my body as black air. Then, I will choose a new color and repeat this process until I feel that the black air has become clear, white, or blue. Sometimes until I can’t think of any more colors to inhale, sometimes until I fall asleep.

I’ve also really enjoyed using the Insight Timer app. There are so many options within the free version.

How it has helped: Using this along with the 4-7-8 breathing method has helped me center myself when I start to feel anxious and calm my mind when I have too many thoughts bouncing around. As an empath, it has helped ground me so I can recognize what feelings are my own and what I am picking up from those around me. Meditating before meals has helped improve my digestion and reduce post-meal bloating.

Time commitment: Whatever feels right and works best for you at each stage of your practice.

6. Go to one of your favorite places.

For me, it’s a small coffee shop 30 minutes away. There are different places or activities that will do this for each person, but to me, it’s important that the experience is relaxing. The drive to my favorite coffee shop consists of roads through open fields and I am kindly greeted with a honey cinnamon latte and smiling faces when I arrive. My favorite music in the background, my favorite color painted on the wall, and a small-town feeling community around me—truly one of my happy places.

Side effect: I tend to get a lot more work done away from home, so I often use this as self-care getaway + a workspace.

The benefits: Good vibrations, a clear mind, and a refreshed soul.

How it works: Get the heck away from the daily grind and get to your happy place! If you’re feeling a little stuck on where to go, try visiting different coffee shops, parks, forest preserves, museums, etc. Take some time and figure out what works best for you.

How it has helped: I always leave this little coffee shop feeling so inspired with new ideas and with a pep in my step. When things start to feel stagnant or I start to feel behind, I know I need a mini-escape to my favorite hangout spot.

Time commitment: However long feels right, or however much time you can step away for!

Since I’ve really begun practicing self-care, I’ve grown to love and implement so many practices into my routine. Self-care has looked different for me in each phase of my life, so it’s a practice of embracing learning as I go and grow.

As busy people, we often justify doing everything on our long to-do list except self-care, but prioritizing it can and will make all of the difference in our lives. The more you fill your cup, the more you’ll likely have to give afterward. Because truthfully, being burnt out only slows us down. And let’s be real, the items that do get checked off our lists aren’t necessarily done to their greatest potential like they could have been if we had more inspiration, time, or brainpower from simply taking care of ourselves better.

Stepping away and setting aside time for you is like oil to a machine. Prioritize you, even in small ways, and you’ll keep running smoothly. Your self-care pennies will add up to dollars with consistent routines that serve you best.