Life can get demanding whether that is due to our calendar being filled with commitments, financial pressure, expectations from family and friends. All of this can make us feel stressed and anxious.

So how can we best support ourselves during this time?

Consistency

Many of us know what makes us feel good, what helps us when we are stressed but when life gets busy, these good habits often go out of the window. As our time fills up it can be our self-care that gets sacrificed.  

So how do you deal with this?

By picking 1 thing that can become your non-negotiable. This doesn’t need to be big, it can be a small habit, in fact we don’t want it to be overwhelming. The focus is on ensuring that this positive habit is something we do consistently, not how long it takes.

So what sort of thing am I talking about?

• a 10-minute walk

• a quick meditation before bed

• reading 10 pages of a book

• drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning  

• eating at least 1 serving of fruit or veg a day

• getting 10 minutes of fresh air and sunlight

• tap and breathe, click here for video on how to

Make the commitment to yourself that you will do this regardless of your schedule. Make it so you can do it even if you are away from home. Mark on a calendar (this can be a physical or digital calendar) every time you do your non-negotiable. Over the weeks this helps you to see how often you are prioritising yourself even when life gets busy. Trying to do it daily helps it to become more automatic.

While this habit might seem small, doing it regularly will have a more positive impact than sporadically trying to do lots of things.