During a quest for personal growth, self-care often takes a back seat. After all, you have new priorities, so taking the time out of your day to care for yourself may seem wasteful.
The issue is, self-care is always important, particularly during periods of personal growth. If you’re how you can fit self-care into your schedule, Practical Fitness’ free jumpstart challenge is the best way to get you started. Learn more here.
Many people assume that personal growth is fulfilling enough in its own right, making self-care less necessary. However, while making progress toward goals can be uplifting, that doesn’t mean it’s enough to keep your spirits up while you navigate various challenges.
Often, personal growth takes a lot of energy, making the experience stressful. Even if the reward at the end of the journey is worthwhile, finding ways to ease the associated stresses is essential.
Starting a new career can lead to a ton of personal growth. However, the venture can also be quite stressful. If you’re currently working, you might have to keep that job while also spending time expanding your skillset, ensuring you can transition into your preferred field. You may even be battling burnout, making both of those tasks harder.
In some cases, going back to school may be essential. For example, if you want to land a tech job, earning an online degree in information technology gives you the skills you need to become an IT expert. If you have your sights set on a business career, a degree in business, economics, or finance could help. For a position in advertising, a marketing, communications, or psychology degree could do the trick.
Regardless of the approach, there’s a decent chance you’ll feel stretched a bit thin. That’s why self-care is so vital. With self-care, you get a chance to rejuvenate and recharge. Plus, many of the activities can be fun, ensuring you have some bright spots in your day while you move toward a brighter future.
Over the course of your life, you’ll experience a range of major life changes. Some will be inherently positive, while others may be negative, but they’ll all be stressful in their own way.
For example, most would view buying their first home as a positive event. However, it’s also incredibly challenging. Choosing a mortgage type, awaiting the results of home appraisals, addressing issues after home inspections, and working your way toward closing takes a lot of time and energy. Plus, the experience is emotionally charged, making it even more stressful.
Similarly, having a child is often a joyous occasion, but it also throws your life into upheaval. Sleep disruptions are incredibly common when you have a baby. Additionally, you may find it hard to fit socializing, hobbies, or other activities into your schedule.
Self-care becomes important during major life changes because any significant shift in your paradigm – including positive ones – isn’t always easy. You need a respite from the stress, ensuring you can keep moving forward without sacrificing your health or well-being.
Fitting self-care into a busy schedule might seem impossible. Luckily, there are a few options that only take minutes to complete, like HIIT, allowing you to reduce your stress without disrupting the flow of your day.
You could try two minutes of deep breathing or a five-minute guided meditation. Listening to a mindfulness podcast while commuting or doing chores could also work, as well as dancing to your favorite song each day. Even 10 minutes of reading or stretching can make a difference.
Rethink self-care by finding quick moments of joy. That way, you can squeeze them in whenever the chance arises.