Squeezing Self-care Into Important Life Milestones

You’re taking your final exams. You’re getting married. The house you’ve been fantasizing about is finally yours. These milestones are exciting, and as we pursue them, we may run purely on adrenaline.

The adrenaline rush may feel heady as if you can conquer anything. But it’s a stress response. Adrenaline, after all, is a stress hormone. While it has no direct negative impact on your health, getting stressed can lead to bad habits, like overeating or lacking sleep.

Studying for exams, for instance, urges us to pull an all-nighter. If we sleep in instead, we feel anxious about not passing the exams. But have we ever really understood our lessons better when we didn’t sleep?

Similarly, moving to a new place or planning a wedding can take a toll on our well-being. Despite being exciting events, a wedding and moving into a new home demand much of our time. As such, we may forget about our basic needs, like eating a meal or taking a shower.

That said, here are some hacks to getting self-care amid an important life milestone:

1. Take Breaks

Your life milestone won’t disappear if you take a break. Besides, you need lots of energy to enjoy whatever the milestone has in store for you. For example, if you’re about to give birth, your newborn wouldn’t give you the chance to sleep for eight hours again. So take all the breaks you can while you’re still pregnant. It won’t make your baby any less healthy when they come into this world.

Brides-to-be, incoming college graduates, soon-to-be managers, etc, should take breaks, too. The turning point in your life won’t get derailed because you decided to unwind. Let loose from time to time.

2. Avoid Cramming

Letting loose doesn’t mean abandoning your tasks and doing them all at the last minute. That would only give you more stress. If you’re overwhelmed with your tasks, divide them into manageable goals. For instance, if you’re moving to a new home next month, start packing your non-valuable items as early as now. Each day, try to fill at least one box. By the time of your moving day, only your personal items would be left to pack.

Follow the same rule if you’re studying for a test, planning an event, or preparing for a career shift. Tick off your to-do list every day, and you’ll be relieved when “the day” comes.

3. Schedule Important Appointments Early On

If you’re about to get married, one of your important appointments is probably a bride makeover. You’d have a facial treatment, mani-pedi, and maybe a weight loss plan, too. If your makeover involves cosmetic procedures that may affect how you’d look at the wedding, schedule them early on.

For example, if you want to lose several pounds in less than six months, start your weight loss plan immediately, and commit to your diet. If you want an easier way to shed the extra weight, consider non-surgical fat loss procedures, such as an effective TriPollar treatment. Non-surgical procedures like this are also helpful if you want to lose weight without going under the knife. They don’t cause bruises and scars, so you’d look your best during your important event.

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4. Don’t Skip Your Skincare Routine

Just because you work all day doesn’t mean it’s okay to sleep without washing your face. No matter how exhausted you are, make time for your skincare routine. Besides, you don’t need a 10-step ritual to stay moisturized. Washing your face with a cleanser and toner will rid your skin of dirt well enough. Apply a layer of moisturizer afterwards, and you may now sleep. The entire routine may take only five minutes.

A good skincare routine prevents you from looking haggard when you wake up. So whether you’re going to your new home, final exams, wedding, or new workplace, your skin will look fresh and radiant. It can hide the fact that you were exhausted the previous day.

5. Don’t Skip Meals

Finally, don’t skip meals. With your stomach full, you’ll become less irritable. As a result, you can work with more energy and motivation. Are you moving houses? You’ll be organized while unpacking or unloading your stuff. Got promoted at work? You can start your tasks with a positive mindset. Are you getting hitched? You can start the event with fewer jitters and anxiety.

An adrenaline rush may fool your body into thinking you’re not hungry, so be aware of your needs all the time. If it’s time for lunch and you haven’t touched any food yet, don’t wait for your stomach to growl before eating. Taking a few bites is better than binge-eating later into the day.

Prioritize your well-being amid a significant life milestone. You’ll enjoy it so much more because you’re healthy and refreshed.