Within the last year, many of us have come to terms with our lack of ability to slow down. In comparison to countries around the world, Americans tend to live a relatively fast paced life; living to work rather than working to live. 

It is this mentality that ultimately forces us to believe the only way to live happily and successfully is by constantly doing something: for work, for others and maybe even for no good reason. The bottom line is no matter what we are doing, it often is not for the mental, physical, emotional or social well-beings of ourselves and that is what causes burnout. 

In order to prevent the entirety of one’s existence to follow a work, sleep and eating cycle, self-care has become one of the only solutions. With a little bit of practice it can completely and utterly change lifes. 

One of the most vital components of self-care is understanding that being busy does not equal productivity. By figuring out the times of day there isn’t as much to do, it can be replaced with quality ME time, making for a genuinely productive way to spend that period. 

Another thing to keep in mind regarding self-care is that it can always be tailored to individual needs. Just because someone else finds walks and bubble baths therapeutic doesn’t mean that spending an hour outside or in a bathtub everyday is the only answer. Find what brings happiness and relaxation to each soul and pursue that consistently. 

Lastly, if self-care is truly a priority, time must be made for it. It does not need to be something elaborate everyday, but rather finding those little things that make the day exciting. Whether it is journaling, watching a movie, going on a drive with nice music or laying down doing nothing, spending time with oneself everyday is so beneficial in the long-term, helping to create a healthy relationship with oneself.