One of my learnings from the last five+ years has been to slow down & care for myself. When I worked in the corporate sector, in a fulltime job, I doubt I consciously took days or hours or even minutes to take care of myself.

Now, even though my life is less hectic, I still have anxieties about something or the other. And in these moments, a few selfcare practices have helped me with my mental health. So, what I wanted to write about today were these practices.

We don’t need hours to take care of ourselves but just a few minutes every day. Fulltime professionals, I’m looking at you. I know work is overwhelming & taking a few minutes for yourself will only benefit you.

Thus, I share with you my 7 Seven Minutes’ Self-Care Practices. Needless to say, you can extend them for longer, if you’ve the time & the inclination.

Breathe

This sounds silly, right? But when was the last time you consciously breathed? Inhaled & exhaled fully? We rush through life without a second thought. But we must slow down for the sake of our life-sustaining breath.

You would have read the word ‘meditation’ many times but the basic premise of meditation is breathing. You must have noticed your breathing when you show signs of being overwhelmed. Take the same notice for seven minutes every day.

Find a comfortable spot where you’ll not be disturbed. Then, ask yourself, ‘Am I breathing right?’ The next step is to take deep & refreshing breaths for the remaining duration of seven minutes. Deep breaths lower stress.

My favourite breathing technique is the ‘Pursed Lip Breathing’.

Hydrate

Frankly, seven minutes are an overkill for hydrating oneself. It takes barely three minutes. Even less if you keep your water bottle filled & handy! I use a water reminder app (Drink Water Reminder) for myself.

I’ve been admonished for using technology to remind me of something so basic; but I’m the one with the healthy, hydrated skin glow; hence, who wins?

Coffee/ tea don’t hydrate. I don’t recommend juices either as they’re loaded with sugar. I stick to water but you can experiment with different flavours of sassy water.

Read

Seven minutes’ reading is better than nothing. For a beginner, even one page a day is an achievement. So, start that book collecting dust on your bookshelf or continue the one you were halfway through but couldn’t finish due to ‘lack of time’.

Light candles

This is what I call my evening ritual. I take a few minutes every evening to turn on a string of fairy lights & to light a scented wax melt. It freshens up not just my living space but also my mental space.

So, invest in a few different scented candles or use the good old tealight & an aesthetic holder, and bring some calm to yourself. My current favourite is the camphor candle from Eliora.

https://www.facebook.com/elioracandle

Caution – Please don’t leave any lit candle unattended.

Listen to Music

Fire up your Amazon Music/ Spotify/ Wynk/ YouTube for at least seven minutes every day. Then step away from the device & enjoy the melodies. I love spontaneously dancing to a few of these songs. It makes me upbeat for the next couple of hours at least.

Play with your Pet

My dog Fluffy ensures I get time away from my computer. Every two hours or so, she’ll come to me with her toy & ask me to play with her. These seven-minute play sessions are just the break I need.

My playing with her is also a way for her to know that I love her. In return, I get copious amounts of positive impacts on my mental health.

Write Down One Thing You Appreciate

I’ve written about Gratitude earlier. It’s the best thing to have happened to me. I now appreciate almost everything about my life. My wonderful family & friends, my cuddly dog, my beautiful home & so much more.

Writing one thing I’m grateful for every day ensures that it doesn’t slip my mind. It can be as simple as a sunrise or a great cup of coffee. Writing it down makes for an extremely feelgood read at the end of the week/ month/ year too!

And that’s it! 7 seven – minute selfcare bits that you can incorporate easily. Begin with one of these & keep adding as you start seeing the benefits.

Are there any selfcare ideas that you suggest I should try?