Ep 216: Self-care – the power of less

In this episode, we take a look at an aspect of self-care that’s often overlooked: the impact of doing less, not more.

Often, when we discuss a need for self-care, my clients’ minds turn to new activities, new routines… new stuff. They can easily visualise a ‘need’ to somehow squeeze even more into their already hectic schedules. As a result, self-care can quickly feel like a chore, not a benefit. Which is the opposite of what we’re trying to achieve!

Instead, I challenge my clients to identify tasks, responsibilities and events that they can delete, reschedule or step back from. By removing things from our combined workload, we give ourselves space to take a breath. This pause allows us to see things slightly differently and be a little more intentional about how we navigate our remaining commitments.

I share some simple examples of how you can bring ‘the power of less’ to life. Hopefully these serve as an inspiration. Remember, self-care is most helpfully thought of as anything we do intentionally to improve our situation. Sometimes, doing less is a great first step in this direction.

Get in touch with your thoughts and questions – you can email me ‘podcast at worklifepsych dot com’ – or join the conversation over at WorkLifeSpark. There’s a sign-up link below.

As always, thanks for listening!

Resources for this episode

• ‘Pause and Reflect’ course details and sign-up – https://www.worklifepsych.com/PauseAndReflect
• WorkLifeSpark sign-up – https://www.worklifespark.com/sign-up
• Self-care: what is it and why does it matter? https://www.worklifepsych.com/self-care-what-is-it-and-why-does-it-matter/
• Self-care: 5 mistakes to avoid – https://www.worklifepsych.com/self-care-5-mistakes-to-avoid/
• Self-care: an intentional approach – https://www.worklifepsych.com/self-care-an-intentional-approach/
• Upcoming masterclass on Self-compassion – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1990550352689?aff=oddtdtcreator