Very recently, I had an interesting realisation that savouring is actually self-care.

I am always looking out for little experiences that equate to self-care for me as an individual. Sometimes, I find them in mundane and ignored tasks of my daily routine. Other times, I make conscious attempts to blend them into my day-to-day.

My understanding of why some tasks end up infusing peace in our lives while others don't is that they allow us to stop and just ‘BE’ in the moment. It’s like finding something that makes you savour every second of your time, which rarely happens in a fast-paced world. This is exactly what self-care feels like. Like a hot cup of coffee on a cold winter morning. Like a soft cardigan on a rainy night in fall.

If you are someone who tries to avoid burnout by filling up your calendar with tasks that are supposed to help you get rid of all the mental clutter, here’s what you need to do:

1. Shorten your self-care list to only a few tasks.

It is important to acknowledge that the objective of being conscious about self-care is to experience calm, not to overburden yourself with tasks that will leave you feeling more overwhelmed than before.

When you have fewer things to focus on, it’ll be easier for you to get habitual to these activities and blend them into your daily routine.

[If you don’t have a self-care checklist till now, start by making one TODAY or refer to this one.]

2. Practice Savouring.

I am sure most of us struggle to find time for ourselves when too many things are happening at once. If you are smart enough to prioritise self-care (doesn’t matter if it’s 10 minutes or 2 hours), make sure to make the most of it by focusing on being present in the moment. The best advice someone gave me was to always start slow until you find a rhythm and self-care doesn’t feel like an obligation anymore.

Spending time in nature, for instance, is a self-care practice for me. Stepping out of the house solves only half the purpose though. The intensity shoots up to another level when I am wholly engrossed in my surroundings while on a walk. The feeling of a slight breeze on the face and tiny raindrops making the trees look greener elevates the entire experience these days. I return home feeling more relaxed and fulfilled, only because I chose to just be present at the moment.

If you think about it, basically any task that allows you to acknowledge the present by truly being engrossed at the moment is an act of self-care.

There might actually be something in your life that allows you to feel this way.

If not, then I encourage you to find it this week. :)