A reminder popped up on my phone about what I was doing two years ago. I scanned through the pictures and thought, Hey—who is that smiling, well-rested person? What happened?! And then it came to me. It must have been that multi-year pandemic that sapped everyone’s stamina!
The notification is a good reminder that physical wellness doesn’t happen automatically. Are you in the same boat? Are you mindfully advocating for your wellness every day, or do you push yourself to the brink of burn-out and then swing back?
With a little care and dedication, you can put that back-and-forth to rest. Let me tell you how a colleague flipped her routine. When she sharpened her wellness, her effectiveness at work instantly improved.
I finished a tough negotiation with an overseas company with my colleague Caroline, who’s always ready to rumble. “How do you do it, especially for these early morning calls?” I whined. “I’m barely getting my bearings after my first cup of coffee!”
Caroline laughed. “I didn’t tell you about the time I got caught flat-footed after over-sleeping? As the other side pushed on a critical point, I was scrambling to boot up my laptop. My phone kept buzzing, blowing up with texts from other people on the deal team trying to reach me to figure out our counter-offer. What a nightmare!”
“So, now you set two alarms?!” I teased.
“Not quite. But I realized I can’t just jump out of bed and function. My formula is nothing crazy: 15 minutes on the bike, a 5-minute shower to freshen up, and grabbing overnight oats out of the frig. But that time to ease into the day ensures I have the mental and physical staying power I need!”
In the August series, Become a Self-Care Advocate, we’re talking about how you can be your own biggest supporter for a healthy body, mind, and spirit routine. If your schedule is anything like mine, you probably feel like you’re in the middle of a never-ending marathon rather than a sprint. And that marathon has become even harder due to the uncertainty of the pandemic.
When you’re stressed, it’s tempting to reach for a couple of cans of Red Bull or an oversized cupcake to put you over the finish line. But if you do, you’re setting yourself up for a crash. So instead, use the soft skill of healthy self-esteem. Your choices will change when you respect and encourage yourself as you would others.
If you haven’t done it already, figure out bespoke ways to support your physical wellness. Don’t make it too fancy—just stick to the basics. For instance, is it:
Here are three ways to complement and anchor your wellness practice:
*Make it fast by taking 30 seconds to declare, “I set myself up for a successful day by tending to my physical, mental, and emotional needs.”
*Make it deep by taking 30 minutes to think through your daily routine. Do you need to shake it up with more action or more nurturing?
*Make it real by designing a practical, sustainable routine.
Taking care of yourself isn’t vain or self-centered—it’s an essential, shrewd way to meet your goals. Think of the last time you tried to have a meaningful discussion with someone who was hungry, tired, or scattered. Wasn’t it exasperating as you attempted to get them to focus, reason, and problem solve? It’s easy to avoid being that person. Start filling up your tank so you can keep going. All. Day. Long.