Sustainable Self-Care for Women
As a little girl growing up in Eastern Europe, I admired the International Women’s Day holiday so much! All these beautiful women were celebrated on this special day. Taking care of themselves was the #1 priority in life. I couldn’t wait to grow up and be like many of them. I still love this holiday today! And that is why it’s a perfect time to discuss empowering self-care practices for women. I want to explore strategies for building a sustainable self-care regimen, including effective budgeting of both Time and Money, to help you prioritize self-care and nurture your well-being.
Recognizing the Importance of Self-Care for Women
Self-care is not just a luxury; it’s a vital component of holistic well-being. Research conducted by Birchbox reveals that a staggering two in three Americans do not prioritize self-care, with only 32 percent of women consistently making time for it. It’s crucial to understand that self-care isn’t selfish; it’s necessary for maintaining balance and vitality in all aspects of life. Despite this, a concerning one in four Americans feel guilty when indulging in self-care activities. This makes me feel sad☹
How do we change it around? Let’s discuss two areas where all of us can make significant shifts right away!
Budgeting Money for Self-Care
We have to address the elephant in the room and that is our available financial resources for this spending category. However, you might be surprised that you totally have enough, may just need to be more creative.
- Assess Your Current Resources: Start by evaluating your financial resources available for self-care. How much do you actually allocate in your budget? Do you even have this category? Maybe review where you’ve spent money in the last few months. Decide what would you “call” a Self-Care category in your budget.
- Set Financial Boundaries: Determine a realistic budget for self-care activities based on your income, expenses, and financial goals. Consider allocating 5% to 10% of your income towards self-care expenses. This could include various paid activities like nails, hair, yoga, subscriptions, and free practices such as journaling and exercise.
- Prioritize Essential Self-Care: Allocate funds for essential self-care needs such as healthcare expenses, massages (which I am now even more convinced are more essential than luxury!) therapy sessions, etc.
- Plan for Indulgent Treats: Set aside a portion of disposable income for occasional indulgences like spa days or leisure activities.
To help you with this process, I’ve created a Self-Care Worksheet available for download. Simply find me at @moneybossparent on Instagram, send me a DM, and comment “Self-Care,” and I’ll share it with you. You can always reach out by email as well.
The worksheet will help you lay out your financial allocation in your budget and time plan as well.
Managing Time for Self-Care
I’ve become obsessed lately with viewing my personal and professional life in the context of how I spend time and where. So this exercise got me really excited.
- Evaluate Time Commitments: Assess your current time commitments, including work, family responsibilities, and personal obligations. Use the worksheet to map out the whole month ahead of time.
- Schedule Self-Care Time: Block out dedicated time slots for self-care activities in your weekly or monthly schedule. I love putting recurring blocks of time in different colors on my calendar to keep these reminders going.
- Delegate and Share Responsibilities: Don’t hesitate to delegate tasks and share caregiving responsibilities with partners, family members, or support networks to create more time for self-care. My family comes to respect and support my time for self-care, as they can see what happens when I don’t do it.
- Practice Time Optimization: Implement time management strategies such as setting boundaries (for yourself first), prioritizing tasks, and minimizing distractions to maximize efficiency and carve out time for self-care.
The bottom line is you must choose Yourself (and yes, it might sound selfish) but I came to terms that everyone around me will benefit from my “best” self if I am feeling great!
Resources to Enhance Self-Care
Here are a few resources I recommend and use myselft for you to try out.
Apps: Explore apps like Fabulous for developing healthy habits, and sticking to a daily routine; Headspace for meditation and mindfulness, Oura Ring for sleep and stress tracking, and MyFitnessPal for fitness and nutrition tracking.
Course: Time Genius by Marie Forleo – If you still struggling with seeing how time is on your side and how you are in control of it, Marie’s course will be life-changing for you. Not only do I love it, but my whole all-women team at MainStreet is going thru it as well.
Books & Journals: Consider reading titles like “How Are You, really?” by Jenna Kutcher and Untamed” by Glennon Doyle: Both of these books inspire women to reclaim their true selves and prioritize self-care amidst societal expectations.
I dedicate time each day to reflect and journal, using resources like Jenna Kutcher’s 5 Minute Reflection.
Local Workshops and Events: Check out local wellness centers, yoga studios, or women’s organizations offering workshops, retreats, or gatherings centered on self-care practices. A site such as www.meetup.com has lots of options. The options are endless!
As we celebrate International Women’s Day today, let’s reaffirm our commitment to prioritizing self-care and nurturing our well-being. By budgeting time and money effectively and leveraging valuable resources, we can cultivate resilience, vitality, and empowerment in our lives. Remember, self-care is NOT a luxury; it’s a necessity for thriving as women in today’s world.
Check out my Money Boss Parent Podcast for a full episode: Episode #227-Self Care for Women
Happy International Women’s Day!
