While a giant house is definitely a sign of luxury, the current definition of luxury needs an update. These days, a different metric is used for luxury. Some describe it as peaceful afternoons, while others claim that luxury is having an extra two hours of sleep. As you can see, luxury has turned into a spectrum. Still, many will agree that having the time to take care of yourself is maybe the ultimate form of luxury, or at least the one you can’t afford to lose.
Your Calendar Needs an “Absolutely Not” Button
You have a calendar full of things that technically matter. Most of them do, but if you fill your calendar, and leave no breathing room for rest, all of those things will merge into one big pile of stress that will haunt you until you tick off every box. That happens rarely, and you end up being exhausted anyway.
If that sounds like you, the best cure for that is to start reserving time for yourself before everyone else gets their turn. Put an hour in your calendar and label it. Now, that hour should be sacred; you aren’t allowed to use it to catch up on emails or finally organise the cupboard. Instead, use it to rest, or do something that brings you joy. That’s the best way to recharge.
Make Boredom Your Little Retro Rebellion
Your brain loves receiving and analysing information from the outside world, but it doesn’t like being bombarded by it. In fact, it probably needs a break from being fed tiny pieces of information all day long. At this point, you know the routine. You pick up your phone to check one message, and then two hours later, you see that you automatically started scrolling.
Although scrolling gives you that instant gratification, try doing nothing for a while instead. It’s difficult at first, but every change causes a little friction. Sit outside with a drink or doodle. Boredom is good, and you will fall in love with it again. It gives your mind somewhere to wander and catch up with your pace.
When Your Usual Stress Fixes Stop Cutting It
Sometimes a cup of tea, an early night and your favourite takeaway can only do so much. If stress keeps hanging around despite your best attempts to rest, it may be time to look beyond your usual self-care habits. If that’s the case, the best course of action is deciding to speak with a qualified professional. There is no prize for trying to handle everything alone.
For some people, that support might involve talking therapies, structured treatments or specialist medical options. If you’re researching something as specific as deep brain stimulation Brisbane, for example, that idea belongs in a conversation with a qualified medical professional who can explain whether the treatment is relevant to your circumstances. Don’t decide anything on your own, even though it’s tempting to self-diagnose at late hours.
Treat Your Evenings Like They Are Yours
If every evening you try squeezing productivity from yourself until bedtime, your sleep schedule is probably hanging by a thread. There is a particular modern madness in finishing work exhausted. Then after that, you’re satisfied with eating dinner while scrolling or you’re cleaning something because you feel guilty. When this is the pace, of course you’ll always be too stressed to enjoy the evenings.
A boundary is what is needed here. You can just pick a point where the day is officially over. After that, you are no longer working on improving yourself or optimising your routine. You can shower slowly, put on comfortable clothes and make something warm to eat. You can listen to music without also doing dishes. You can even go to bed early. What a thought! But if you lay the groundwork, catering to your needs becomes easier.
Spend Money on Removing One Irritating Thing
Self-care isn’t strictly tied to spending money. Still, sometimes money is useful when it buys back your time. If cleaning your oven makes you want to move interstate, paying someone else to do it can be a perfectly sensible luxury. If meal preparation turns your Sunday into a tiny domestic factory, buying something ready-made once in a while is allowed. You have free will; it would be a shame not to use it to make your life better.
Choose the task that creates the most disproportionate misery. Then all you need to do is outsource it if you can afford to. Maybe you just need someone else to clean the windows. Your money should occasionally make your life easier, not just make your shopping basket heavier.
Build a Tiny Emergency Kit for Bad Days
You shouldn’t ever wait until you’re completely frazzled before deciding what helps you feel like yourself again. This is a recipe for a burnout. We can prevent that by making our own collections of reliable comforts. It could be something simple such as keeping your favourite tea around or having clean pajamas ready. It could be stocking up on your favourite snack.
Some people even fill their emergency kit with puzzles, colouring books, or yarn for knitting. They know that these activities will help them calm down and unwind after a long day, and they also tend to keep the basket around, so that they have a reminder to be more intentional about slowing down.
Conclusion
Taking care of both your body and mind is a big job already. Protect that like you would protect something expensive, because it is expensive. Your time is the one thing you cannot put back in the shopping trolley once you have spent it. So spend some of it on yourself. Everything you’re trying to accomplish is never going to be finished. When one task is completed the next one arrives. You are the only constant thing in your life, so prioritise yourself and always make time for self-care, even if it feels unnatural at first.