Ep #15: Simple Self-care Steps for a Busy Life

Hello and welcome back to Beyond Doubt, Unleashing Confidence.

I'm your host, Nephi Guntai, a life coach committed to helping you overcome self-doubt and reclaim your worth through the power of self-care and personal growth. If you're new here, I'm so glad you've joined us and I encourage you to explore neffywellness.com for a range of resources, coaching programs and tips to guide you on your journey. Today, we're talking about a topic that's close to my heart, prioritising self-care in a busy schedule.

Recently, I had to take a few weeks off due to illness. I was unwell and shortly after my boyfriend also fell ill. It was a moment where I had to like step back and focus on recovery and reminded me of how crucial self-care is. Whether you're dealing with health, family, work or life's many unexpected challenges, self-care is essential. It's not just about pampering yourself. It's about giving yourself the time and space to recharge so you can show up fully in your life.

In this episode, we're going to dive deep into what self-care really means, how to fit it in into your busy life and why it doesn't need to be expensive or time-consuming. I'll also share insights from Hannah Alonzo's YouTube video on how influencers are distorting self-care into overconsumption and consumerism. So you don't need fancy products to take care of yourself. You just need to prioritise simple, intentional practices that nourish your well-being.

So if you've ever felt like you don't have time for self-care or that you can't afford to make it a priority, this episode is for you. Let's get started. Part one, what self-care really means. Let's start with what self-care actually means. So many of us have this idea that self-care is about or has to be something indulgent or luxurious like going to a spa or treating yourself to expensive beauty products. While those things can be part of self-care, they're not the whole picture.

True self-care is about simple, consistent action that nurtures your mind body and soul it's not about something you only do when you're completely burnt out it's something you integrate into your daily life in small manageable ways think of Elizabeth Bennett from Pride of Prejudice despite all the pressures of society her family's expectations and the drama around her she always made time for herself Whether it was a walk in nature,

reading or reflecting on her life, she found ways to centre herself. Those moments of calm and self-care helped her stay true to who she was. One of my clients, Sophia, was feeling similarly overwhelmed. She was a working mum and caregiver to her elderly parents, constantly running on empty. She believed that self-care wasn't something she had time for. But through our coaching sessions, we redefined what self-care looked like for her. It wasn't about grand gestures.

It was about small, intentional acts. Like taking five minutes in the morning to stretch, go for a short walk during her lunch breaks, or simply enjoying a cup of tea without any distractions. Ask yourself, what does self-care look like for you? Are you giving yourself small moments each day to nurture your well-being? Self-care doesn't need to be complicated. It's about finding what helps you feel more grounded and prioritising that, even in small doses.

Part two, the cost of neglecting self-care. Let's talk about the cost of neglecting self-care. So many of us put self-care off because we're too busy or believe we don't need to focus on everyone or believe that we do need to focus on everyone else first. But the truth is, when we ignore our needs, we start to suffer. Whether it's our health, our relationships or our work, everything is impacted when we run on empty for too long.

Take the example of Emma Thompson, the celebrated actress and screenwriter. Emma publicly shared that at the height of her career, she was working non-stop, constantly pushing herself even without taking time to rest. Eventually, it all caught up with her and she experienced severe burnout, forcing her to take time away from her career to recover. Emma's story is a powerful reminder that even the most successful people need self-care. One of my clients, Naomi, faced a similar situation.

Naomi was a high-powered lawyer who thought she didn't have time for self-care. She worked long hours, skipped meals and barely took breaks. Over time, it started affecting her health and her relationships.

Naomi realized that the cost of neglect in her own well-being was too high Through our coaching sessions, she created a simple self-care routine that fit into her busy life Things like taking regular breaks, eating nutritious meals and practicing mindfulness for 10 minutes a day, These small changes transformed her energy and her ability to perform at work and at home. So ask yourself, how is neglecting self-care affecting your health, relationships and overall happiness?

When we constantly put our own needs last, it catches up with us. But the good news is, it's never too late to make self-care a priority, even with small steps.

Part 3. Affordable self-care. It doesn't have to be expensive. This brings me to an important point self-care doesn't have to be expensive i recently watched a fantastic video by hannah alonso as part of her influencer insanity series in this video titled influencers distorting self-care to push over consumption and consumerism hannah talks about how influencers have turned self-care into a way to push products.

Expensive candles, skincare, luxury wellness gadgets, like you don't need two towel warmers. These things are prompted, are promoted as must-haves for self-care, but they're just really driving consumerism. Here's the truth, you don't need any of those things to take care of yourself. Self-care is about actions, not products. It's about taking time to mentally distress, to breathe, to recharge. Yes, acts of pampering can be part of self-care, but they don't have to be...

Sorry, they don't have to cost a fortune. I'm so sorry, I just burnt. But...

But I'm going to carry on so let's take Sarah one of my clients as an example she used to feel pressured to buy into the influencer driven version of self-care she would spend money on expensive bath bombs skincare products wellness gadgets like you know those roll-ons for putting cream on your face she bought one of those thinking they would make her feel better but none of it truly worked through our sessions we redefined her self-care routine to focus

on simple meaningful actions that don't cost everything she started journaling each morning walking in nature and practice in mindfulness. These cost-free practices had a far greater impact on her well-being than any products ever did. Ask yourself, are you letting consumer-driven trends dictate your self-care routine or are you focusing on what truly helps you feel rested and recharged? Here's a tip. Remember, you don't need to spend money to practice self-care.

Simple actions like deep breathing, walking or sitting quietly for a few moments can be incredibly powerful.

Part 4. Identifying your non-negotiable self-care practices. Once you've recognised the importance of self-care, the next step is to identify your non-negotiables. These are the practices that you commit to no matter what, even on your busiest days. These are the things you must do to maintain your well-being. In Little Women, Jo Marsh always made time for her writing. No matter how busy life got or what challenges she faced, writing was her way of processing her emotions and staying grounded.

It was her non-negotiable self-care practice and it helped her navigate life's challenges with grace and clarity. Similarly, one of my clients, Melissa, found that yoga was her non-negotiable. As a busy executive, Melissa was always on the go, dealing with high stakes decisions and a packed schedule. But yoga was her daily self-care practice that kept her centred and calm, even if she only had 15 minutes a day. That practice became a non-negotiable part of her routine.

Ask yourself, what are the self-care practices that make you feel centred and calm? How can you make them non-negotiable in your life tip identify two or three self-care practices that you will commit to every day no matter how busy things get these practices don't need to be time consuming they just need to help you they need to help you feel grounded.

Part 5. Creating time for self-care. Link to time management. So I know what some of you might be thinking, this all sounds great, but I don't have time for self-care. I hear you. Life is busy and it can feel like there's no room in the day to fit in anything extra. But here's the truth. Self-care isn't something you need to find time for. is something you need to make time for.

In episode 14 of this podcast, Unlock Your Day, Time Management for Busy Women, I shared some of my favourite time management strategies to help you reclaim time for what matters most, including self-care. If you haven't listened to the episode yet, I highly recommend you check it out. Let me share the story of Lucy, another a client of mine. Lucy was a single mum working full-time in a demanding job.

She constantly felt like there was no time in her day for self-care but through our sessions we worked on implementing time blocking, setting aside specific dedicated time for herself even if it was just 10 minutes a day. Lucy blocked out 10 minutes each morning for meditation and it made a huge difference.

She started her day feeling calm and in control rather than rushed and stressed, ask yourself how can you make time for your self-care in your daily routine what small adjustments can you make to create space for yourself. Try blocking out 10 to 15 minutes each day for a self-care activity that nourishes you, whether it's meditation, journaling or a short walk. Make that time non-negotiable.

Summing up. We've covered a lot today and I hope you're feeling inspired to prioritise self-care in your life, no matter how busy things get. Self-care isn't a luxury, it's a necessity.

It doesn't have to be expensive and it doesn't have to take hours out of your day by making small consistent effort to care for yourself you'll be able to show up as your best self for the people and things that matter most ask yourself what is one self-care practice you'll commit to starting this week thank you so much for joining me on beyond doubt unleashing confidence in.

This episode if this episode resonates with you and you're ready to take your self-care journey to the next level I'd love to work with you as a life coach I help women like you overcome self-doubt prioritize self-care and reclaim their worth you can visit nephewwellness.com to learn more about my coaching programs and be sure to check out my free resources at nephewwellness.com forward slash resources and I would really like to thank you for bearing with me today I made

a few stumbles and a few errors and a burp but as I said I'm just getting over not being well so I'd rather get you something that's not perfect but still hopefully helps you out then take another week off or skip this episode completely so until next time I'm Nafia Guntoye remember you are worthy of the time and care you give to yourself bye.