Everybody knows that life is stressful. Have you ever just wanted to stop what you’re doing and take a break from your responsibilities? If so, you’re not alone. Sometimes you need and sometimes you want a break, but that’s not always going to be easy because you can’t just stop your life and ignore your responsibilities. You need a moment to treat yourself, to recharge, and to focus on your wellness. But how do you do that?
There will be moments that you’re talking to the bank about your mortgage because you’re worried about making repayments. There will be moments when you find yourself looking at resources like Edmunds, to find out whether or not you could be getting a better deal on a car and then you can pay less than your current one. You’ll be doing price comparisons for everything from your groceries to your utilities, and all of this can manifest into a total stress fest.
You deserve to stop just for a moment, step back, and treat yourself to something that doesn’t involve paying bills or meeting responsibilities of being a parent. You’re still you, and while you have a range of roles to play in your life, you sometimes need to be a nurturer – your own nurturer. It’s important to treat yourself every now and then and engage in what you need. Here are four ways to do it!
Outsource the help you need.
Whether you need to speak to a financial adviser, cleaner, gardener, or – extravagantly – a chef, you need to outsource what you need sometimes. There’s only so much that you can take on in one go and you need to learn what your own personal boundaries are so that you’re not taking on too much at once. A wonderful way to treat yourself is with help. It is not a weakness to ask for help and it’s the ultimate treat when you have had it pours on top of you for so long.
Eat a home cooked meal.
It’s often the case that we forget to take a moment to cook for ourselves. A wonderful way to treat yourself is with less convenient food and more home cooking. You are then in a better place to feel nourished and it’s so important that you’re able to nourish yourself, and if you find it’s too hard to cook, then use some of the meal services that provide you with the fresh ingredients that you need for your weekly meals and cook them. Planning ahead is not always easy and it’s okay to acknowledge that.
Just pause.
You do not have to be productive every minute of every day for the rest of your life. Set some time aside every week, even just 10 minutes, to take pause, to sit still, just be. Something simple like this has so many benefits for your mind and your body.
Take a break.
A vacation is enough to be all you need to reset yourself, so what you need to do is plan this ahead. Make a budget so that you can set aside money each month for flights, hotels and spending money, and book yourself a vacation. You don’t need a gaggle of friends to go with you, just go by yourself and be in the world and be present with yourself. It’s the ultimate treat.
It’s not difficult to treat yourself, but often it’s the guilt that stops us from doing it. Remember that you are worth every second of your time and putting yourself first means acknowledging that. Lead by example for your children and make your mental and physical health a priority.
