When did going out with a friend feel like a guilty pleasure? I’m talking just the two of us; no husbands, no SOs, no kids. Just us, dinner, drinks, and hours of talking. Ahhh.

That can only be described as self care.

And when you’re busy, it can seem like it doesn’t happen enough.

Between work, family, running a household, caring for extended family that may need help, extra groups you belong to, small emergencies that come up … you get the picture. It sounds a little too close to life, right?

When we let all of life’s “emergencies” take priority, that’s when we start to allow the autopilot in our lives to take over. The autopilot has us saying YES to everything. The autopilot has us trying to fit 25 hours of commitments in 24 hours of life.

It isn’t so much as learning to say NO as it is learning what to say YES too.

And it’s not just a chance at lounging in the tub for a few moments at the end of the day. (Although that can be part of it if you really enjoy it.)

The ultimate way of practicing self care is to indulge in what you truly want to do.

And here’s the kicker: to NOT feel guilty about it.

We apologize for all of the things we really want to do while saying YES to the things we don’t. Sound familiar?

You tell your husband: “I’m sorry I spent so much time in the tub. I’ll take over with the kids from here.”

Of course, he’s not the only one you’re apologizing to. You do it again and again throughout your busy day.

That’s where you’ll often find where your guilty pleasures lie. That’s where self care begins.

If you apologize for running late because you had a few more things to talk over with your bestie, that’s self care. Especially if you only see her once every few weeks.

Maybe it’s time to say NO to a few things you don’t care about. And start saying YES to the things that make you a better you.