Too busy for self care? Try a self care snack
Everyone I talked to this week (myself included) has just entered into the busiest weeks of the holiday season, with next week being so busy none of us know how we're going to fit everything in. But we're going to try.
Weeks this busy can cause us to move so quickly that we end up as little tiny balls of tension and stress by the end of the day without even realizing how we got there.
During these types of hectic weeks, I lean heavily on "self-care snacks". Tiny, intentional moments of nourishment for my body and mind that take anywhere from 1 to 10 minutes.
These micro-practices may be small, but when weaved consistently throughout my day, they have a powerful compounding effect on my overall wellbeing.
Here's an example of what it looks like in my day:
I usually start with the simplest (and often the most potent) snack before I even get out of bed, a mindfulness snack.
My mindfulness snacks are often a 1-minute meditation that focuses on breathing or a 3-minute meditation on gratitude. These practices lower stress hormones, smooth the edges of overwhelm, and help me find my center before I get into the hustle of the day, which often includes supporting everyone else through their end of year stress and overwhelm.
After I get up I'll sneak in a quick stretch snack.
Stretch snacks are simple movements like neck circles, cat/cow, child's pose with side bends, downdog and a quick forward fold to help wake up the body and release any tightness or stiffness from sleep. It helps prep my body for the physical demands of the day to come, which often includes carrying heavy bags, commuting up and down countless subway stairs, teaching yoga classes and then still being on my feet to cook dinner after a long day.
Next, if I have time I'll sprinkle in an exercise snack.
Exercise snacks are one of the easiest ways to get (or keep) your energy moving without committing to a full workout. For me, this might be a 10-minute shoulder and arm strengthening routine, a pelvic stability sequence or some foam rolling. I'm currently obsessed with giving my quads and inner thighs some love. Sometimes I'll even do a quick dance break.
These tiny bursts of movement activate circulation first thing in the morning, balance blood sugar, wake up the brain, and provide an instant mood lift.
If I have a break at home during the afternoon I'll give myself one of my favorite snacks, a nap snack.
A 20-minute nap is life changing because it gives my brain a chance to rest and gives me energy to get through the rest of my tasks for the day. But let's be honest, at this time of year I rarely have time for a full 20 minute nap. So I'm leaning heavily on a 10-minute yoga nidra nap practice. If I don't even have 10 minutes to spare, I'll pull out my acupressure mat and lie on it under a blanket and just close my eyes for 5 minutes.
This isn't about needing to fall asleep to get the benefits. In fact, a better name for these snacks would be nervous system reset snacks. Letting the nervous system drop into restoration mode and experience a brief downshift that sends a signal of safety to the brain, which helps reset cortisol rhythm and keeps you from hitting that late-afternoon wall of exhaustion.
While this is how my self care snacks look throughout my day, you can tailor these snacks to your needs, schedule and rhythm and practice them at ANY time of the day so that you get a micro dose of exactly what you need exactly when you need it.
This holiday season, let these tiny rituals be your anchor. These small moments of care stacked throughout the day can help keep you grounded, balanced, and more present for the people and experiences you love.
The best self care doesn’t need to be time-consuming—it just needs to be consistent.
