Balancing Life and Self-Care

 I am so glad one of our readers asked for information about about balancing life, work, having a family, and self-care to avoid burn out. For a long time I personally struggled with work-life balance and didn’t even pay attention to truly taking care of myself. This led to… you guessed it… burn out and a mental breakdown. My hope is that this post will change your life for the better whether you are in a regular busy season or a valley low.

Spending Quality Time with Your Family: 

• Have a game night – Budget tip: Uno is inexpensive and can last for hours
• Sit down at the dinner table together at least once a week – it is so important to have good communication with each other
• Pray and worship together
• Play sports outside
• Take a family vacation – daycations are good too! Visit a new spot!

Sometimes we as parents forget to take care of ourselves. To be the best for our family and to be able to pour out to others, we have to take care of ourselves too. 

8 Ways to Take Care of Yourself:

Spiritual self-care 

• Prayer – Spending time with Jesus in prayer – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NIV
• Journaling – write our your feelings, what God is speaking to you, and even your prayers
• Volunteering at your local church
• Going on a retreat or walking in nature

Psychological self-care 

• Journaling – if you are creative maybe even write a story
• Reading a book that interests you
• Unplugging from electronics
• Take up a new hobby
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Physical self-care  

• Soaking in a bath, maybe buy a new bath bomb or soak in some epsom salt
• Exercise a few days a week – releases endorphins AKA happy chemicals in your body
• Be sure to eat 3 nutrient-dense meals a day. Please do not skip breakfast 🙂
• Go for a walk on the beach or at a park
• Unplugging from electronics
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Emotional self-care

• Being assertive (be okay with saying no) and set boundaries
• Receive the grace that has been given to you
• Write down what you are thankful for – Philippians 4:6-9 explains it best “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.“
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Social self-care

• Go out to dinner with a few friends
• Invite someone new out to coffee
• Join a community group 
• Do not be afraid to ask others for help
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Professional self-care 

• Attend a new training or find a work mentor
• Spend a little time getting to know your co-workers. It will also help you build relationship. 
• Setting boundaries – Set clear boundaries with work and learn how to be assertive. I love how Webster’s Dictionary defines being assertive, “disposed to or characterized by bold or confident statements and behavior.” Balancing life can be easier once you learn the skill of setting boundaries. 
• Take a lunch break – even if it is for only 10 minutes, sneak away to a relaxing place and eat a healthy lunch
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Environmental self-care

• Keeping the house clean (Truth: My husband cleans more often than I do. However, I am getting better in this area, because I absolutely love my new, non-toxic cleaning products. I will share about this in another post). 
• Declutter your workspace or areas in your home
• Start recycling – We just started in our home. Mom tip: Show your child a recycling video on KidsTube and how it can help save the world and animals. Our son is on board to save the sea turtles 🙂
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Financial self-care 

• Save money
• Creating a budget and tracking your spending – Robert and I use the Mint app. 
• Paying your bills on time
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My prayer is that these tips will help you live a happy and healthy life. Balancing life and self-care are important, and being aware of different ways to take care of yourself and finding balance can help you refocus when you are in a foggy season. Check out some other resources on our page that can help you in your walk. To read more about Godly Self-Care, check out this post at DailyPS.com.

We would love your feedback! What are some ways you balance work and life? Do you have other self-care tips? Please comment below!

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