Five simple and short self-care rituals for busy women

18 February 2019

Helen Rebello writes an exclusive piece for Female First

Have you ever noticed how different you feel when you go away on holiday, get a change of scenery, and maybe some sunshine as an extra bonus? You probably think it’s because you’ve slowed down, relaxed, stopped rushing from here to there, and left normal life chores behind but that’s not the whole picture. Going on holiday reconnects you to your Superpowers. Thankfully there are little self-care rituals that allow you to reconnect with yourself and your Superpowers on a daily basis too.

So between now and your next holiday here are five simple and easy Self-Care rituals for busy Superwomen like you.

I'm a big believer in small simple steps being the unsung heroes of you living your best life, so here are five underrated self-care practices you can fit in before breakfast, even if you barely have time to breathe:

1. Start your day intentionally: As soon as you wake up every day, silently say 'Thank you for another day, in which I get to live, love, laugh and play.' This mantra evokes a genuine sense of gratitude in your system before you've even got out of bed, setting you up positively for your hours, days and weeks ahead. Repeated daily, it builds exponentially, shifting you from feeling compressed and powerless, to feeling lighter and brighter as you appreciate each day.

2. Adopt the shower reframe: Self-care rituals don’t have to be over-complicated and they are easiest to incorporate into your life when you add them to an activity you already do daily. The Shower Reframe is a simple mindset shift that will boost your self-worth in an instant, and you can repeat it every day when you shower. Instead of letting your mind take you off into rumination about the busy day ahead, choose to imagine that each drop of water is quite literally showering you with positive vibes for your day. Even if your day goes pear-shaped later, at least you start out present and appreciative.

3. Gift yourself a pocket of peace: Many people tell me they want a meditation practice, but they don’t have the time for it. I used to feel like that too, so I set up my daily practice by starting small with just one minute, where I would focus on breathing in and breathing out. I called it my Pocket of Peace, and this simple practice created strong foundations for me to build my daily meditation habit. Going yourself a pocket of peace daily keeps you grounded, present, clear-headed, calm and focused. Not bad for just 60 seconds of your precious time.

4. Create better boundaries: One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is the gift of better boundaries, so you can fit more of what you want into your day, and less of what everyone else expects from you. Whilst this can seem easier said than done, it starts by learning how to say No without saying No!

When someone asks you to do something, instead of jumping in to say yes, give yourself permission to pause and breathe, before responding with the simple phrase: “I’m not sure if I can do this, can I get back to you on that?’. Very few requests are urgent and if you use this phrase when you feel guilty about saying no, it will give you time to formulate a genuine response that serves you.

5. Use this instant energy booster: Self-care is about making sure you have enough energy each day to do what matters to you, which isn’t always possible in modern life. To maximise your energy and help it flow more freely around your body, try using this great acupressure point located in your belly.

Known as the Sea of Energy, this point is located two fingers width below your belly button. Try applying slowly deepening pressure to this point with your forefinger every morning for just five minutes to boost your energy stores without having 8 hours solid sleep!

Combining these practices ensures you nourish your mind, body, soul and spirit. They may be small, but sometimes the biggest wins come from the smallest forms of self-care.