Struggling to juggle work demands and self-care?

Balancing work demands with self-care can feel like an impossible juggling act, but it doesn’t have to be. It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and forget that you can't pour from an empty cup. Remember, self-care isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity for maintaining your well-being and sustaining your productivity. Start by setting small, manageable boundaries—maybe it’s dedicating the first 15 minutes of your day to a quiet morning routine or ensuring you take a real lunch break away from your desk. Prioritizing these little moments of care can make a huge difference in how you show up for both your work and yourself. It's all about finding that balance and being kind to yourself in the process.

Think as if every activity is a mindfulness practice and mediation. If you bring yourself into present and pay attention what is going on inside of you, you are being mindful. Sometimes this might mean recognising negative feelings within other times calm peaceful sensation. Try not to judge yourself for whatever you feel, only observe the feeling - what is it trying to tell you? What is it you need to pay attention to? What you might not have processed yet?

Often in the most busy times one needs to allow themselves to take break. As more stressed one feels, as more should pay attention to self - care even if in the smallest tasks such as a good diet, some form of exercise and good sleep. If we manage that our mind will become more cooperative in healthy and balanced progress rather than reactive one.

Boundaries are important and often hard way learnt life lesson. We might be good in setting up boundaries to others but we struggle to set them to ourselves. Being a workaholic who doesn't know when to stop might be a good indicator of a need to start setting up boundaries to ourselves. Sometimes other people, reminders or even time set for rest in our calendar can be necessary to maintain healthy work-life balance. Everyone is a different individual and what will work for one might not for another. Someone might need times off every day for shorter periods of time, for others might work longer intense periods and then extent periods of rest.

Self-compassion's a vital part of mindfulness when you're swamped with work. It's about treating yourself with the same kindness you'd show a beloved human or pet. Throughout the day, I try to give myself small doses of compassion. When I'm stressed, I might take a few moments to say, "This is tough, but you're doing your best." It's like giving myself a pat on the back. Being both the giver and receiver of compassion feels brilliant. It helps me stay calm and focused. It is better than beating myself up. Practising self-compassion alongside mindfulness keeps me grounded and helps me deall with my workload with a clearer head.

Finding a balance between work and self-care can be tricky, but I've learnt it's helathy to be flexible with my routine. I try to set priorities and adjust my schedule as needed. Some days, work takes precedence; others, I focus more on self-care. I've found that small, consistent habits help—like a quick morning workout or a few minutes of meditation. I remind myself it's okay to shift gears. Sometimes I might lean too heavily towards work or self-care, but I try to course-correct when I notice this happening.

I've found some ways to include mindfulness into my hectic work days without feeling overwhelmed. I start by taking three deep breaths before starting my "big task of the day". I do this whenever the stress crops up again. I make sure to stay active throgout the day by taking short breaks to walk around. There are certain songs in my playlist that put me into a relaxed state.

In my experience when I experience struggling to juggle work demands and self care (which is unfortunately often) I take mini kindness breaks. You can do this throughout your day by simply silently speaking kindly to yourself, giving yourself grace while acknowledging your efforts or just take a few minutes to just sit and breathe. Speaking kindly to yourself is extremely important because our minds and bodies often are led by what we speak.