3 Ways to Create Healthy Boundaries to Protect Your Self-Care Routine

I get it… you crave more time for yourself, but it just seems like something always gets in the way and before you know it, your self-care routine slips and your “me, myself, and I” time is non-existent. One minute it’s your child asking you to drive them somewhere, the next it’s your hubby asking where his other sock is, and then the phone rings, before you have to sprint out the door to work.

By midmorning you’re feeling more frazzled and overwhelmed than calm, clear, and collected to start your day.

What’s missing here are healthy boundaries. That with a little bit of trust and patience on your end, change you experience around and give you exactly the time you need no matter what else is going on.

1. Get clear on your “why”.

Your “why” is the purpose that will drive you to give yourself this time in the first place. Ask yourself, “why do I desire to create uninterrupted time for myself?”

Perhaps, it will allow you to feel calmer throughout the day, to learn to love yourself more, and feel freer to live your life and not let life dominate you. It all comes down to making a decision. The only way you can create a healthy boundary is by getting crystal clear on your own motives and why this is so important for you. 

2. Schedule it in.

If you don’t schedule it, it doesn’t exist. It is said that we have 50,000+ thoughts that run through our minds all day! The number is staggering. But the most staggering is not managing those thoughts by not writing what is most important for us down. The same goes for your self-care routine. Do you need 20 minutes in the morning? One hour? Time after lunch or right when you get home from work? There is not one way that works for all — it is about being real with how much time you need to feel connected to yourself so then you can feel fulfilled first and then give to others. Schedule it in the calendar and use technology, such as a calendar reminder app, to help you to stick to the schedule.

3. Be consistent.

Let’s face it — no one is going to take you seriously if you don’t take your own time seriously. Consistency breeds results and changes your habits for the better. As you lean into greater consistency with the things that support you to be the best “you” each day, you and everyone around you will reap the benefits.

By creating healthy boundaries for yourself first, you get to be more present when your child comes crying or your husband asks for your attention too, because you’ve given to yourself. Remember, a happy woman makes for a happy home.