Permission to PAUSE Free 5 Day Self Care Challenge logo. Teal calendar with meditation figure, 8 to 12 June 2026, 3rd Annual

When you spend your days caring for others, it’s easy to lose yourself.


This Carers Week, join the Permission to PAUSE Self Care Challenge. Gentle daily practices designed to support unpaid carers in reconnecting with calm, energy, and wellbeing.

Five small moments. Just for you.

Join the Free 5-Day Challenge
In support of Carers Week 2026

Does this sound familiar?

You’re constantly running on empty but taking time for yourself feels like something you haven’t earned.
You’d like to ask for help, but worry it’ll look like you’re not coping.
Slowing down feels like it adds to the stress, not reduces it.
You barely sit down before someone needs you again so even five minutes comes with a side of guilt.
You’re beginning to lose sight of who you are beyond your caring role.
Rest feels like a luxury. Not a right.
You’re looking for something simple that actually fits your life and not another thing on an impossible list.
If you recognise yourself here, this challenge was made for you.

Challenge starts Monday 8th June

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Give yourself permission to PAUSE this Carers Week

When you’re looking after someone you love, the days can blur together.

Between personal care, appointments, and all those moments of simply being there, it’s easy to forget that you need looking after too.

That’s why we’re back for our third year with the Permission to PAUSE Self Care Challenge.

Not because self-care is trendy. Because we know what it is to care for a loved one. And because last year’s participants told us how much those five small moments mattered.

This Carers Week, join our #CarersPAUSE community and give yourself permission to pause.

Over five days, we’ll share simple, realistic self-care moments. Rooted in lived experience. Grounded in science. Small things that fit into real life, not perfect routines.

No pressure. No guilt. Five small moments. Just for you.

The free Permission to PAUSE 5 Day Self Care Challenge starts 8 June.
Join the Free 5-Day Challenge

The Permission to PAUSE Self Care Challenge
in 5 Days

Each day you’ll receive a gentle practice focused on one essential dimension of self-care, designed to fit around the realities of caring for someone you love.

Prioritise Your Body

When you spend so much time caring for others, it’s easy to push your own physical needs to the bottom of the list. Today we explore a gentle, realistic way to reconnect with and support your wellbeing.

Anchor Your Emotions

Caring can bring love, worry, exhaustion, and guilt all at once. Today we focus on a simple way to create a little more emotional steadiness.

Unwind Your Mind

Your mind can become so focused on responsibilities that true rest feels out of reach. Today we introduce a practical way to quiet the mental load and create a moment of calm.

Strengthen Meaningful Connection

Caring can sometimes feel isolating, even when you’re surrounded by people. Today we reflect on a meaningful way to reconnect with support, understanding, and connection.

Embed What Works

Self-care often gets left behind when life becomes overwhelming. Today we look at how small moments of care can become part of your everyday life beyond the challenge.

Join the Free 5-Day Challenge

How it works

1. Daily Video (3–5 minutes)

Each morning, you’ll receive a short video to help you pause before the day takes over, offering a gentle focus and intention for the day ahead.

2. Daily Challenge (10–15 minutes)

A simple daily self-care practice designed to support your wellbeing in realistic, manageable ways. No equipment needed, just a small moment for yourself.

3. Community Support

Connect with fellow carers throughout the challenge in our private WhatsApp community. Share your experience using #CarersPAUSE, read along quietly, or simply know others are walking beside you. There’s no pressure to participate in any particular way.

4. Optional Evening Zoom Session (30 minutes)

Each evening, you’ll be invited to a gentle live Zoom session with Ola and a community of people who understand the realities of caring. A space to reflect, reconnect, and end the day with support, with no pressure to speak or turn your camera on.

Join the Free 5-Day Challenge

Meet your host Ola

Ola Soneye is a certified coach, founder of Work Care and Thrive, and an unpaid carer herself.
For nearly three decades, she has balanced a career in IT and leadership alongside caring responsibilities she often felt she had to conceal, carrying the 3am worries, the difficult workplace conversations, and the feeling that there was never quite enough space left for herself.
Today, Ola combines lived experience with coaching, wellbeing science, and professional expertise to create support that feels practical, compassionate, and realistic for people navigating caring responsibilities and everyday life.
“Self-care doesn’t need to be perfect to make a difference. Sometimes five intentional minutes is enough to help you reconnect with yourself again.”
Join the Free 5-Day Challenge

Real words from the challenge

Small moments of care can make a meaningful difference. Here’s what people shared after taking part.
This challenge reminded me that self-care isn’t selfish, it’s essential. I’ve let go of the guilt I used to feel for taking even a few moments for myself.
Challenge Participant
The simple breathing exercises brought me a sense of peace I hadn’t felt in a while. Life gets busy, but I’ve realised that caring for myself is part of how I care for others. I plan to continue these practices every day. Thank you so very much for this experience.
Challenge Participant
This challenge came at just the right time. I’m so grateful. It gave me simple, effective tools to manage stress and find small moments of joy. The best part? Each activity only took 10 minutes. It really is a gentle reminder to give a little time back to yourself.
Challenge Participant
It has helped me to literally pause when I am beginning to feel anxious. Helps me to mentally and physically step back and breathe.
Challenge Participant
Ola will help you find time to care for yourself in ways you didn’t think were possible.
Challenge Participant

Reserve your place

Sign up below and we’ll send you everything you need to join us on Monday 8 June.
We’ll never share your details or send you anything unrelated to carer support.

Know someone who could benefit from this challenge?

Share it with them. Small pauses are even more powerful when shared in community.