11 Self Care Habits of Successful Women
Being successful often comes with a massive to do list. As women, we do so much for others and we simply do not put ourselves first often enough.
But without giving our body, our mind and our overall self a break, and taking care of us, we cannot possibly be successful.
Successful women formulate habits that help them achieve and maintain their success, in whatever form that is for them.
These self care habits of successful women can help you prioritise self care and incorporate it into your day without feeling like you’re simply adding more to your plate.
1 – She makes time to exercise
Self care really starts with looking after your body. It’s the only one we are given and we need to take care of it.
Sure, some days lazing and watching Netflix counts as a ‘rest’ day and is good for self care too, but you also need to make sure your body is strong and healthy.
You don’t need to be a gym junkie to make it happen (although if that’s your thing then that’s cool too).
You just need to make a commitment to yourself to move more, then move more again.
You could start with making time to walk a few days a week, add incidental exercise like parking further away or doing squats as you unload the dishwasher. It all adds up.
Make a commitment to making the time to exercise. Your body will love you for it.
2 – She understands the value of alone time
If you’re an introvert, chances are you already know you need alone time to recharge and recalibrate. But extroverts can benefit from this time too.
During time alone we are given the opportunity to be with ourselves, reflect on who we are, where we are and where we want to be.
The problem is, the busier we are, the less alone time we seem to have.
Creating this alone time and finding the value in it is so important – you can combine it with exercise or self care or use it to meditate and reflect in gratitude. Whatever you do, make it happen.
3 – She rewards herself with desires, not food
While I do love a good ol’ Krispy Kreme, there’s a big difference between a treat every now and then and rewarding yourself with food.
Rather than saying ‘when I achieve this, I’m going to eat this’, a successful woman sets goals with rewards that are her wants and desires, such as a weekend away or a massage.
Giving yourself tangible rewards that aren’t food ensures you keep up with the whole idea of looking after your body and your mind.
This means you won’t feel guilty about your rewards and are more likely to achieve them rather than self sabotage.
4 – She schedules self care like she would any other appointment
If you had an important meeting with a client or even a potential client you wouldn’t miss it would you?
You’d schedule it in and make dang sure you’re there.
So why treat self care any differently?
Why not give ourselves the level of importance we place on others?
When setting your schedule and intentions for the week, be sure to allow enough time and even block out time for self care.
If you have it written down and scheduled in your far more likely to stick with it and make it happen.
Join our FREE 5 Day Self Care Challenge to help you find what works for you when it comes to self-care, and how you can include it in your day.
5 – She understands the value of the word ‘no’
Both ‘yes’ and ‘no’ are two of the most powerful words we use, unfortunately we seem to use ‘yes’ far too often when we really want to be and should be saying ‘no’.
How many times have you committed to something because you couldn’t say ‘no’? You wanted to, but you felt guilty for it or obliged to say ‘yes’.
‘No’ is a word you need to become comfortable with saying.
Because often when you say ‘no’ to others, you’re saying ‘yes’ to yourself.
You’re saying yes to giving yourself extra time, to putting yourself first and to putting your priorities first.
It’s okay to say ‘no’.
6 – She eats healthy (most of the time)
Even the most hardcore health nuts will tell you that eating perfectly healthy 100% of the time is an unrealistic goal.
As soon as you tell yourself you’re not allowed to have something, guess what happens? Uh yeah, you want it and you want it baaaaad.
So rather than feel guilty when that Krispy Kreme makes it’s way into your hands, own it, enjoy it and don’t regret it.
Don’t feel bad for it. It’s a freaking donut. The whole world isn’t going to cave in because you ate a donut.
Tell yourself how amazing it was and then kick right back off on your healthy eating.
It’s so important to nourish our body with good foods.
Sometimes this is harder than others, but if you set your intention and start your day in a healthy way, it’s much easier to stick with.
Plan your meals if that works better for you, avoid grocery shopping when you’re hungry or even get healthy meals delivered!
Whatever you need to do to ensure you’re giving your body the best you can. It’s a pretty awesome piece of machinery – look after it!
7 – She flexes her creative muscles
We all have a creative flair, some of us just don’t realize it.
Whether you love writing, drawing, creating, making, designing or anything in between, flexing your creative ‘muscles’ activates a different area of the brain to the analytical side and gets you thinking in different ways.
You don’t have to be a brilliant artist or storyteller to be creative.
Find what you love doing and do more of that. Or if you’re not quite sure what you love, start experimenting. Take a class, learn a skill you’ve always wanted to learn and get creative.
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8 – She makes little life upgrades
Giving yourself little upgrades in life can help make you feel a million dollars without having to actually spend a million dollars.
It’s all about bringing in little luxuries into our lives and appreciating them.
What in your life makes you feel cheap, poor or ashamed?
Do you absolutely hate using shampoo and conditioner from the supermarket? Maybe start buying it from the salon instead. While it costs more it also lasts longer and every time you wash your hair you’ll feel luxurious and spectacular.
Maybe you cringe every time you have a friend over and hand them a chipped or old or mismatching wine glass. Upgrade to new, beautiful wine glasses and you’ll be excited to have friends over again.
These little upgrades don’t have to cost a fortune but the impact they have on the way you feel about yourself is amazing.
You don’t have to go out and buy yourself a new car but maybe pay for your car to be washed every few weeks so it looks good. The little things make the biggest difference.
9 – She connects with others
How often do you make time to connect with those you love? Just as we need to reconnect with ourselves, it’s also important to make time to connect with others.
Whether it’s scheduling in a coffee and catch up with a friend or making time for a family dinner, make connections with others a priority.
It’s not only for the ones we love. Getting out to networking events and meeting new people can put you out of your comfort zone and help you expand yourself and your business.
10 – She lets negativity go
We attract more of what we already have, so if you have a whole lot of negativity guess what is going to keep coming your way? Easier said than done right?
The biggest change in my attitude came when I decided to stop letting the little things get to me. That was it, line in the sand, not going to happen.
Instead of complaining about people who were doing things ‘wrong’ I reminded myself that they might just have a different outlook on things.
Instead of getting angry at every red light I came to, I used the time to stretch my arms and move around a little.
It’s not an easy thing to do, negativity becomes a habit and can be difficult to break, but learning how to let the negativity go can free up so much more mental space and emotional space – you’ll feel so much better for it.
11 – She spends time with gratitude
We cannot possibly expect to be given more of what we want when we don’t show gratitude for what we already have.
Spending time with gratitude each day not only puts out to the universe that we are thankful for what we already have in our lives, but it also allows us to refocus on all the good and eliminate the negative.
Just spending a few minutes each day reflecting on what we are grateful for can make all the difference.
It doesn’t have to be deep and meaningful all the time – some days I am truly, truly grateful for my hot coffee of a morning and my gorgeous coffee mugs to drink it in.
It may seem shallow but being grateful for the little things makes it easier to be grateful for the bigger things.
Soon, with practice, you’ll find yourself showing gratitude all day long without even realizing it.
Being grateful for the red light (a chance to stretch) or the speeding fine (a reminder to slow down) might seem like a stretch but it’s up to you how far you want to take your gratitude.
While it may seem like your plate is loaded enough and adding any of these to your list seems like too much, remember they are habits, designed to be formed one at a time and become so much part of your day you do them without thinking.
Start with one and see how you go, then slowly add more. You’ll find as you add more habits you’ll end up with more time for self care and less time for stress.
