How to nourish yourself through learning and self-care

As a busy woman with a special goal in mind, you probably believe you don’t have time for nurturing the personal side of your personality. It’s often the case that when something does need to be sacrificed in life, women usually choose to sacrifice their own well-being and happiness as they believe they can cope without it.

You may see me time as selfish, a luxury that benefits you alone, in fact self-care and nurturing can benefit everyone around you.

Here’s how to improve your self-care so you and others benefit:

Be strict with your time

When you're ambitious, you can find it very hard to switch off professionally. Sometimes working late into the night in the belief that the extra hours will push you further forward faster. In fact the opposite is true. A recent study showed that those who worked 12 hours a day were much less productive than those who worked nine and had regular breaks. Consider it, do you procrastinate, even a little? Do you try to fit in a call with your mum while balancing the company cheque book? Are you forever multitasking, but don’t seem to wind the jobs up? This is where me time comes in.

Every day you need an hour to do exactly what you want to do. This could be reading a book, writing a journal or even shopping online. It’s up to you but it is your time and your time alone.

You won’t notice it while you’re enjoying the me time, but you will find that when you get back to work, your brain is refreshed and ready to go.

Be strict with technology

In a connected world it seems harmless to answer an email while you’re reading a book or running a bath, but these little work interruptions can damage your mental health along with the relationships around you. You may have a lot of support in family and friends but even they will heave a sigh of relief if you set a time limit on your technology.

There are very few people who expect you to be available during unsociable hours. Most understand that you have a life you must lead too. Many will actually respect that you’ve a firm handle on the work life balance and the most successful will admire you even more as they know how important it is for working women to have something more than work.

Set goals and reward yourself

Do you restrict your own self-indulgence due to a strange belief that you don't deserve it? For instance, if you’ve had an unproductive day do you punish yourself and work late, even though you may be exhausted. If these habits are too hard to shake and you do feel selfish for taking time out for yourself, use it as a motivator instead. For instance, tell yourself that after you’ve contacted ten people you’ve earned yourself ten minutes me time that day. Finishing a section of a report for work earns you a deep hot bubble bath. All working women should set themselves goals and not wait for anyone else to reward them.

Go on start caring for yourself today and everyone around you will reap the rewards. Remember a life coach can provide great support and advice for personal development in all areas of life. 

The views expressed in this article are those of the author. All articles published on Life Coach Directory are reviewed by our editorial team.

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Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP3
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Written by Jenny Garrett, OBE - Award Winning Career Coach & Leadership Trainer
Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP3

Jenny Garrett is the award winning coach and founder of Reflexion Associates, a leadership and coaching consultancy. She’s also the author of Rocking Your Role, a how-to guide to success for female breadwinners, Creator of the online coaching programme, the Happenista Project and co-founder of Rocking Ur Teens CIC.

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