5 Ways to Add Self-Care Into A Busy Schedule
Have you been struggling to find work and life balance? Has prioritizing yourself recently felt like a chore and another thing to do? If the answer is yes, you aren’t alone. With many responsibilities on your plate it may seem impossible to consider carving out more time to take care of yourself. This article is here to help you find practical ways to include self-care into your busy routine.
1. Pick a self-care bucket
Let’s look at self-care using the 8 Dimensions of Wellness. This includes the following categories: Physical, Social, Emotional/Mental, Environmental, Intellectual, Vocational, Spiritual, and Financial. By breaking self-care down into categories, you can choose which bucket(s) need your attention. To help you decide, ask yourself, “What is the area of my life I want to focus on?” or simply “What areas of my life require my attention today?”. Then choose 1 or 2 categories to focus on. After selecting the category, choose activities from each that you are interested in. We will cover more of what type of activities each category entails in the next section. First let explore each dimension in detail:
Physical self-care: is any activity you do that helps you take care of and honor the physical needs of your body.
Emotional self-care: is any activity that helps you prioritize and recharge your mental and emotional health.
Social self-care: is any activity that focuses on connecting with other people.
Spiritual self-care: includes any activity that helps you form a relationship with a higher power outside of yourself. Ex: God, the Universe, the tree outside your home, nature, or other religious groups.
Financial self-care: relates to any activity that helps you prioritize and consider your financial goals.
Environmental self-care: relates to activities that help you maintain a safe, organized, calm, and sustainable space at home, your office, or local community.
Intellectual self-care: are activities that help stimulate your mind and keep your brain sharp. These activities help you learn, think critically, and get creative.
Vocational self-care: are activities that help you maintain a healthy lifestyle while working at your job. These activities promote a positive work life balance.
2. Pick an activity
Picking the activity is as important as freeing up the space to complete it. Below you will find inspiration to help you start your self-care journey. Remember there are many different activities that could fall under each category. Give yourself permission to experiment with the list below then get creative about what other activities you’d like to try.
Physical self-care:
Eat balanced meals
Schedule and attend health related appointments
Hug or massage your body
Drink 8 cups of water or more daily
Schedule uninterrupted rest or take a nap
Move your body (Stretch, dance, pilates, lift weights, walk, play a sport, Tai Chi)
Emotional self-care:
Journal
Talk out feelings
Schedule time to cry or experience emotions
Take 5 deep long breaths
Listen to mental health podcasts/ youtube videos
Social self-care
Network to meet new people
Set boundaries in existing relationships/friendships
Find a group hobby
Spend time with your support system
Visit a book club meeting, group sports, and/or volunteer
Spiritual self-care
Pray
Learn about spiritual practices that resonates with you
Spend time in nature or in places you feel spiritually connected
Listen to uplifting music or motivational speeches
Financial self-care
Build an emergency fund
Create realistic financial goals
Track monthly expenses
Invest in financial literacy resources
Attend financial workshops
Environmental self-care
Declutter your space (bedroom, living room, office space)
Garden
Recycle
Donate old or unused items
Take a digital/social media detox
Listen to calming music (Jazz, lofi, frequency music, instrumentals)
Vocational self-care
Network with like-minded people and people who are working in your field
Take mental health and sick days as needed
Attend trainings for professional development
Meet with a mentor and/or career coach
Set personal career goals
Intellectual self-care
Explore a new hobby
Learn new words
Play brain teasers like word searches and crossword puzzles
Puzzles
Tactile hobbies
Writing
3. Start small
Surprisingly, you don’t need a full weekend to prioritize self-care. Depending on the flexibility of the activity you choose, you may only need about 5 minutes. That’s right, you can break self-care up into feasible timeframes that work best for your schedule. Start to think about how much time you have available to complete the activity. For a busy person this could look like 1 to 15 minutes about two times a week.
Remember we are starting small, the goal isn’t how much time; the goal is to get you in the habit of completing fulfilling activities in small increments. During your activity it may be helpful to have a timer set to keep you from running over the time you have allotted.
4. Schedule it
Just like you would for a doctor's appointment or work schedule, you have to put self-care on your calendar or you will not do it. You can decide if it's a daily, weekly, or monthly date with yourself. The more you schedule “self-care time” the most likely you will see the benefits of showing up for yourself. Even the busiest of people deserve to put themselves first through self-care. Self-care planning requires intention and follow-through.
5. Take action (Do the activity)
The final step is to do the self-care activity you’ve planned for the day. You’ve guessed right, do it when you’ve said you would. Be devoted to taking out the time to mean what you say and take care of your needs. Friendly reminder that 1 to 5 minutes can go a long way when you are persistent in scheduling and completing self-care activities.
You can take back your life with small and intentional activities. If you are struggling to prioritize your life you don’t have to do it alone. Schedule an individual session with Hope 2 Heal Counseling today. For self-care digital products visit our Esty shop.
Danielle Moore, LCSW©️2026