Life can be tough sometimes and kindness goes a long way. Sometimes no one is tougher on me than myself, which got me thinking: it is time we all started being kinder to ourselves. We live in a world where doing something for yourself is often thought of as selfish, but it is not. Since becoming a parent I never put myself first, let’s be honest, I didn’t do it even before my son was born, but with the wisdom that comes with age I have realised that you have to take care of yourself before you can care for others. A lovely health visitor told me after I had my son that I should treat myself as a toddler and my son as the baby. ‘If you don’t look after yourself,’ she said, ‘you cannot look after your baby.’ How right she was. Self care is important. With that in mind, here are my five tips for being good to yourself.

Do Something You Love.

Watch a TV show, go for a walk, get your hair done, have a bath, get a massage. It doesn’t matter what it is. Take the thing that makes you happier than anything else and do it for as long as you can. Self care is self love. I am a workaholic and sometimes I don’t take the time to just ‘be’. I am not saying you have to practice mindfulness or meditate, just do something fun. Treating yourself is important. I treat my husband and son, but sometime  forget to give myself the same treatment. The more you love yourself, the healthier and happier you will be.

Get moving.

Exercise is a necessary evil. It may not be fun at the time, but it will get the endorphins going, as well as making you healthier in the longer term. The key is finding an exercise that you don’t hate. Even going for a walk for 30 minutes 3 times a week will make a difference to your health and happiness. Read more about the benefits of walking here.

Invest in Yourself.

No, I don’t mean buying shoes. I mean saving, actual investing and education. Saving for a pension or a rainy day may not be as fun as shopping, but it is the ultimate in self love. As is paying for further education. Invest in yourself and your future and you will stand out from the competition. Even if you are in a job you love there is probably a qualification that you can do to further your career and add to your salary. Who knows, your employers might even pay for it.

The government also have a new lifetime ISA. The good thing about the lifetime ISA is that the government top it up, so you will actually get free money. Read more about ISAs here.

Take Some Time Out.

Take a long weekend or take an afternoon off to read and drink good coffee. If you are a self employed freelancer like me then you are probably not very good at giving yourself breaks. Be a good boss and treat yourself well. There are plenty of Bank Holidays so even if you do not have much holiday time you can take a long break somewhere. You don’t have to go anywhere, you can just potter around the house or read a book. Staycations are also great. York, Cornwall, Edinburgh and London are all great destinations to spend some time.

Be Naughty.

Eat an entire cake, have two glasses of wine with lunch, have some afternoon sex, spend a lot of money on something you always wanted. If you love coffee, invest in a good coffee machine from gourmesso.co.uk. Sometime being a bit naughty is a good thing.

What tips would you add?