When you live a busy life with varied responsibilities, it can feel impossible to take time out for yourself. It's a balancing act where setting boundaries and taking care of yourself need to come into play. If you feel like you're not getting the time you need to nurture your needs, here's what to do.

Make your meals count

Fuel your body with what it needs and even try a few new healthy foods you've never tried before. Try to have fun with new recipes, finding bright and exciting ingredients to make dishes that look like Instagram-worthy restaurant shots to pamper yourself. There are tons of free cooking classes online for you to try, too.

Do something fun for exercise

Physical activity helps boost immunity, so give it all you've got. If you’re not into going to the gym, look for fun things you can do to get that exercise in. Try dancing or at-home fitness routines online so you can keep your body moving while making it feel like fun.

Relax deeply

Stress is something we're all feeling collectively. We can't escape it entirely, but we can cope with it. What helps to relax you? Have a few tried-and-true methods you use to relax and rotate them throughout the week. This sounds like an effortless thing to do, but choosing this time for yourself each week gets overlooked often, so decide to make it a priority and stick with it!

Fulfill your need to interact with others

Find ways to interact with friends and family in whatever way you can. Get coffee or even just give them a call. We are fortunate to have the virtual world we have, so take advantage of that when you don’t have time for a meetup. Don't forget to check in on those in your circle, too.

Turn off the drama

When the news and social media gets too much, please turn it off. We got along just fine before we had all this information at our fingertips, and it will do you so much good to live in the moment instead. You can practice by setting a timer each day to consume information and stop once the timer is up. This will help you still feel connected and informed, but it won't allow you to spend hours of your day consumed by it.

And, of course, find those ways to treat yourself wherever you can. Support a local restaurant by going out or ordering takeout to take a night off of cooking. Soak in your tub, order a new outfit or running shoes, and find ways to tap into what makes you feel more content.

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