simply speaking: the art of self-care

In the midst of taking care of family, friends, our jobs, etc., we tend to forget to pay attention to pretty important person:  

YOURSELF.  

I've become very interested in the art of self-care after I realized how much the stresses of life really began to take a toll on my body.  I barely slept (see previous post), my hair thinned, my body (and mind) felt drained, and I snapped at anyone at anytime...the list goes on.  

I just wasn't happy.  

And I knew it was bad when it all began to seep into my production/focus at work as well as my social life and relationships.

Sound familiar?  Read on!  Below are a few ways that have really made a difference in calming my nerves, being more productive and overall, feeling great about life!  (Feel free to mix and match, of course!)

MORNING

• Wake up early.  I'm definitely NOT a morning person, so this was a tough one for me.  But know that just an extra hour in the morning can make a huge difference in the way the rest of your day goes.  I suggest setting your alarm 15 minutes before your regular wake time and adding more time each week.  A challenge:  Put your alarm across the room so that you are forced to get up.  Same goes for the remote control!  Open the blinds while you're at it - nothing like natural light to start your day!

• Turn off the web browser on your phone.  What the what??  I know, crazy thought.  But if you're anything like me, the first thing I do when I turn off my alarm is check my email, social networks. etc.  What a huge time waster!  Replace the 15-20 minutes you'd spend web surfing with meditation, journaling, or enjoying a good cup of coffee.  If you have kids and/or a loved one, this would be a good time to spend a little extra time with them.  A reminder:  Set an alarm that would notify you that you should turn it back on - especially if you are dependent on e-mail for work.

• Eat breakfast.  Yes, yes and yes!  If you're on the go, smoothies are GREAT.  You just add ingredients and you're out the door.  My fave morning smoothie is chocolate almond milk, spinach, avocado, and a small piece of banana.  It seriously fills me up for a few hours.   To make up for my on-the-good breakfast, I take my weekend breakfasts quite seriously...I force myself to sit and enjoy a meal I've made from scratch (breakfast quiches, omelets, pancakes, etc.)

AFTERNOON

•  Read.  Sadly, I feel like reading has become a lost art.  With everything at our fingertips, the most reading that anyone of us does on a given day are comments on some social media site.  Take advantage of the portability of your tablet or phone and read the news, blogs, e-mags...anything that would open your mind.   I try to read during lunch - it is a bit of a relaxer and a great conversation starter to boot.

• Take a brisk walk.  If you have 10 minutes during your day to walk, DO IT!  Whether it's outside or in your building, a brisk walk has become my new caffeine.  Can't take 10 minutes off?  Take the long route to your friend's cubicle.  Opt for stairs instead of the elevator for a floor or two.  While I'm at it, this might be a good time for me to suggest...

•  Exercise!  Feel free to add this one to your morning or evening routine!  This by far was the most difficult yet most satisfying activity that has helped in making me feel more focused, energized, and overall, positive!  You don't have to become a gym rat in order to start feeling great about working out - start small.  A longer, more brisk walk (like the one above) can be done in a park after work just to have a change of scenery. Even your evening commute would be a good way to squeeze this in - just pick up the pace a little.  Adding a good friend to the mix will double as quality time.  

 EVENING

•  Stretch.  A few hours after dinner, when I'm watching television with the family or even doing the dishes,  I find time to really stretch.   Just a good reach to the ceiling on my tippy-toes just loosens my body from the stresses of the day.

• Have a good cup of non-caffeinated tea (or a cozy sleep remedy!).  There's something about the ritual of making evening drinks like tea that is just meditative.  Besides my milk and honey drink, another go-to is Sleepytime tea from Celestial Seasonings.  I avoid green tea in the evening because it has natural stimulants - I definitely don't need that before bed! 

•  Make a to-do list.  While I'm drinking my evening concoction, I sit with my calendar and write what I need to do the next day.  I also review the upcoming week or even month.  Here are few examples:

                                DAILY:  grocery shopping (with a list!), laundry, send bills, etc.
                                WEEKLY:  buy gifts for an upcoming occasion, pick up dry cleaning,   
                                                     mani/pedi, etc. 
                                MONTHLY:  due dates for bills, balance checking account, make note   
                                                        of special occasions, doctor appointments, etc.

Making/reviewing to-do lists nightly just brings  a little order to an already chaotic life.  If there's something that I need to do immediately, there are post-its by my bed.  I just write my reminder and stick it on my mirror or television.  There's just comfort in knowing what's next...

So there you have it.  Believe me, there's a ton more that I do in-between that I consider self-care.  What are some rituals that you implement that make your day (and life) seem a little easier?

simplistically yours,
xoxo andrea