As January hits its full swing, it can be easy to get lost in the busyness of new routines, resolutions, and the post-holiday return to the grind. In the rush to get things done, self-care can fall by the wayside. After all, you may not feel as though you are accomplishing anything when you take a relaxing shower or take time to write down your feelings regularly in a journal. In fact, you may feel that there is a rigid dichotomy between productivity and self-care. But this couldn't be further from the truth. I'd like to argue - and research supports the idea - that productivity and self-care are two sides of the same coin. Without self-care that helps you to recharge your batteries, you won't be as productive when it comes time to work. As we all work to be the best versions of ourselves, let's explore some ways to help productivity and self-care coexist. 

How can I be productive and take care of myself at the same time? 

Chances are that you'd love to have more time to slow down and take care of yourself. And while lifestyle changes can sometimes be implemented to allow for this, many times it may feel like you simply don't have a way to cut down on your responsibilities. Whether it's a demanding job, a house full of young children, or a time-consuming graduate school program, sometimes you can't dial down your commitments. Besides, you want to continue to achieve to achieve your life goals and productivity is a key part of that. However, there are parts of your everyday routine that you can infuse with some self-care rituals to help yourself feel more peaceful. 

One great example is the Self-Care Shower Journal Calendar. When you lead a busy life, chances are that you use a calendar to help you plan out your month. Why not use a calendar with built-in self-care prompts designed to help you reflect on your month and keep you grounded in the busyness of life? The SCS Journal Calendar provides you with an encouraging quote and four reflective prompts each month designed to help you prioritize self-care in your life. By placing the calendar front and center every day, you'll be visually reminded to make some time for yourself and achieve your personal goals which hopefully include taking care of yourself!

Another self-care option is to fill your daily life with routines and practices that improve your day. For example, I make my lunch for the next day the night before and lay my clothes out because it allows me to be more intentional with what I am eating and wearing the next day without having to rush. Simple habits like this also count as self-care because they help improve your wellbeing and overall mood during the day.

A few other basic self-care activities that you can combine with productivity include: 

-Make cleaning your house fun. Turn on some fun music and turn your cleaning session into a dance party; you'll be getting some necessary chores done while also moving your body and losing yourself in the music!

-Romanticize your daily life. This comes naturally to some people more easily than others, but if you can get into the habit of celebrating the small things and enjoying the mundane aspects of your life, including your productivity, you'll be taking care of yourself and improving your mental health without even consciously doing it. Start with looking forward to things you enjoy every day such as drinking your morning coffee or catching up with a coworker at work, and move on to glamorizing the more random parts of your existence. For inspiration, look no farther than some of the recent GRWM (get ready with me) TikTok trends that feature users glamorizing their everyday lives. 

-Remind yourself that taking care of yourself is productive. While it's great that self-care can sometimes coexist with productivity, remember that it doesn't always have to. After all, self-care should be something you make time for because it is good for you. Find a self-care rhythm or two that benefits you and schedule it into your busy life. This could look like a relaxing skincare routine, a weekly bubble bath, or carving out time to read a book for fun each evening. After all, if you don't make time for you, who will?

How can I prioritize self-care if I don't know where to start?

Perhaps you are eager to learn more about embarking on your self-care journey but aren't sure where to start. First of all, a basic definition of self-care might help: "the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness," according to the Oxford Dictionary. So basically, it's habits that promote your physical and emotional health. This can look like establishing healthy morning and evening routines, clearing at least 30 minutes a day to do something you love for fun, or even something as simple as adding a eucalyptus bundle to your showering space to romanticize and improve your daily bathing experience.

 If you want to learn more about how to incorporate self-care into your 2023, you might also want to consider using the Self-Care Digital Workbook. This 30 day workbook walks you through the self-care process through a variety of journal prompts, self-care exercises, and self-reflection built in throughout. It's designed to help you grow as a person and carry basic self-care habits that work for you into the rest of your life. This also makes a great gift for someone who enjoys learning more about themselves and how to improve at self-care.

Topics covered include:

-setting boundaries

-weekly planning

-mindfulness exercises

-journal prompts

-opportunities for setting goals and reflecting on the past

While this workbook isn't a one-size-fits-all for seamlessly incorporating self-care into your life, it can be a valuable self-care resource for evaluating where you are succeeding and struggling in life and can help you to respond by setting realistic goals that will prioritize your wellbeing going forward. 

Hopefully, you now understand that self-care can not only coexist with productivity but can also actively advance it. I know from personal experience that I am a better person when I take time to care for myself and this is the case for others too. As you head into a new week, make sure to take time for yourself as you also work to maximize your productivity. At Self-Care Shower, we are here to help with materials from calendars to workbooks to our self-care kit, sustainably produced and made with love.

Image Sources: 

Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Self-Care Shower Stock Photo

Self-Care Shower Stock Photo

Self-Care Shower Stock Photo

Photo by Maddi Bazzocco on Unsplash