It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that if you are tired, suffering from a cold or dealing with screaming back pain, you aren’t at your best. The tired, sick, in pain you just can’t do what needs to be done to get you to where you want to go in your business. Period.
We know that. Of course we know that. Everyone knows THAT. The problem is we aren’t living it on a daily basis.
Often we think of self-care as something we do, like an event – visiting the spa with the girls, enjoying a bit of retail therapy, taking a day off to do nothing but putter – when it really should be thought of an essential part of our daily routines.
Why? Because we are expending creative and physical energy on a daily basis and it’s takes a lot more than a once-a-month trip to the spa to recharge it.
5 Simple Ways to Pamper Yourself Daily
#1: Start off with a little me-time – It doesn’t matter if it’s an extra 5 minutes snuggling your pillow while your husband handles the Get-up routine with the kids, 5 minutes to enjoy that first cup of coffee or 5 minutes of journaling to start your day.
It doesn’t matter what IT is – just give yourself 5 minutes in the morning to enjoy IT.
#2: Take a morning coffee break – We are all guilty of foregoing the traditional corporate morning coffee break to tackle other duties, like throwing in a load of laundry or tidy up the playroom. What we forget is WHY we looked forward to that morning gab session: we need downtime.
It doesn’t have to be a coffee break, but it does have to be a break. Jump on the treadmill, stretch, grab a snack. Do whatever you need to do to support you!
#3: Eat lunch – Okay all you crazed work-aholics: consider yourself busted! Join the kids for a bite to eat or if it’s just you, grab a magazine and sit down (not at your desk) for a quick lunch break.
Eating a healthy lunch will not only fuel your creativity for remainder of the day, it helps you avoid the afternoon energy crash that leads to binging on junk food.
#4: Set up a virtual coffee date – Remember how you complained about working at home being isolating? Connect with a twitter friend, each grab a latte and chat – like people who don’t work all the time do!
Instead of sitting at your desk (and most likely multitasking), find a favorite chair or view and enjoy the conversation.
#5: Do a nightly relaxation routine – Treat yourself to a little something special every night. A soak in a hot bubble bath with your favorite book, a pamper-yourself-silly home-spa treatment or quiet time to meditate.
Yes, the dishes need doing and the mudroom is a complete disaster. That stuff can wait until you give yourself 30 minutes to unwind, and recharge after what I know has been a busy day!
1 Comment
Great ideas Carla. I am pretty good at the morning and night ones, but the middle of the day… *sigh*. I like the idea of having a twitter lunch buddy! That sounds really fun and maybe I’d remember to eat lunch that way. 😀