Tag Archives: Self-care

Apr15

What does your self care routine look like?

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What does your self care routine look like?

If you’ve been following us on this blog, you know by now that the secret to being a productivity powerhouse is investing in self care. You can read about it here: What is the Secret to Becoming More Productive? It’s Not What You Think. In that article, I mention that self care is more than just going to the spa or doing a face mask. The reality is that, self care looks different for everybody. Your version of self care would definitely be a lot different from mine. Mine would involve a lot of food and pet kisses, but I digress…

I have a box in my closet that holds “self-care” things. I take it out whenever I need a breather or whenever I need to take my mind off things that worry most adults (bills, work, relationships, health, etc.) Inside this box is a collection of diverse miscellaneous knick knacks that help me decompress: a coloring book, some pens, a compass (for making mandalas), old CDs, copies of my favourite cartoons and comedy shows, a calligraphy set…you get the idea. I don’t take away items in that box, I only add. All of these items are things that help me nurture my personal well-being.

What items would help you celebrate ME time? Out of ideas? Here are a few to get you started.

Physical
A jar or tube of face scrub – buy one of those yummy smelling one. If you’re a dude, the ones with coffee are very popular, and gives you the added bonus of smelling nice. Exfoliation is one of the self care practices that gets forgotten if it isn’t automatically incorporated in your skin care routine.
Face masks – same thing for face masks. This practice only get remembered when you finally find the time to decompress or when you feel you need to relax. So might as well get those that have skin improving benefits.
A jump rope – if you’re into fitness, you might already have exercise equipment at home Having this in your self care box will remind you that exercise is also, if not, THE biggest self care ritual there is.

Mental
Drawing or coloring materials – doing something creative is one of the self care rituals that not only improves your mental clarity, but also improves your cognitive functions by exercising your mental muscles. And it isn’t even hard, back breaking work.
Puzzle books – These are probably one of the best ways to improve your cognitive skills over all. Puzzles help exercise your logical faculties, without you having to feel pressured, tired, or burned out (very unlike solving problems at work).

Emotional
Pet treats or toys – these are things that will remind you to play with your pets or just go out for a walk with them.
Books – keep hardcover copies of the ones that resonate most with you, all the rest you can keep as e-books (or not, but if you’re doing Marie Kondo…)

Spiritual
Candles – light a beautiful beeswax candle in a scent you like and send out light and healing to yourself or those who need it.
Crystals and shells – if you’re into that sort of thing.

So here’s a question, if you were to put together a self-care box, what would be inside? Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Apr8

What is the Secret to Becoming More Productive? It’s Not What You Think.

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What is the Secret to Becoming More Productive? It’s Not What You Think.

When we think about productivity, we think about the people who seem to get everything checked, done, and dusted off on an arbitrary ‘to do’ list. We think about the account manager who has more work, more clients, more logged hours. We think about the parent who gets the shopping list right, the kids bathed and off to school, the bake sale cookies made, the house spotlessly clean. We think about the student who get to all the classes on time, passes all the papers, does extra curricular activities, and even has time for a relationship. When it comes to productivity, we think that the people who do more are more productive.

While these examples seem like the perfectly put together life most of us dream of, it is also a recipe for burnout. The truth is, doing more is not a very sustainable way of living. When you get stuck in the mindset that you have to do more in order to be productive, you paint yourself into a corner and start a mindset of being busy for the sake of being busy. So, do you want to know the secret? The key to being more productive is to carve out time for self care.

Now you might be this person I’m talking about. The one who has all their meetings scheduled, their work deliverables in progress, and their social calendar packed with engagements. I salute you. Most of us though, need a breather. Most of us need to take time for self care.

Before you go and book a spa session, let me explain a bit further. Self care is more than just going to the spa or doing a face mask. It could be, but it is more than that. Self care is any deliberate action that you make time for in order to nurture your mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional wellbeing. At its very basic, self care is all about cultivating the relationship you have with yourself.

Take a step back. Do you like being the go to person for all things at work? Do you like having your social calendar filled to the brim? Do you like being able to take care of everyone, all the time? These are all things to aspire for but are outside of yourself. All of them are about other people. In order to be more productive, you have to invest in giving your whole self (mind, body, spirit) the care it needs in order to function and flourish at your highest level.

The science backs it up: people who invest in self care have better cognitive abilities. They have better focus and concentration and perform better over all. They don’t run themselves to the ground and they know when to take the time out to focus on themselves.

You are an investment, treat yourself as worthy.

Do you have self care tips that you want to share with us? Share them in the comments! Stay humble and hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Nov5

3 Easy De-stress Rituals

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3 Easy De-stress Rituals

Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of our physical health. We routinely take our vitamins, exercise religiously, and try to watch what we eat to make the best possible food choices in order to take care of our bodies. Shouldn’t we make the same meticulous effort to take care of our minds as well?

I get it. Life can be a hectic mess. We can be so caught up in the stresses of our everyday lives that we might forget to slow down and take care of ourselves. We slip into old habits that seem more convenient. We sometimes miss our vitamins, are too tired to sneak in a quick run, or grab a quick bite at a fast food joint instead of getting healthier meals.

Stress can creep up into our lives and make us feel crappy, tired, and anxious. It weakens our immune system and wreaks havoc on our digestion. It can make us feel cranky all the time and might even affect our relationships. But there are simple things you can do to get your life back on track and to “stress less.” After all, self-care is important!

Have a go-to self-care activity
Everyone’s self-care plan is different but one thing remains the same: The Objective. The objective of a self-care plan is to have a go-to activity that you enjoy doing that is guaranteed to calm you down and reduce your stress levels. Lighting scented candles, knitting, coloring, painting, playing a musical instrument, listening to soothing music, watching cartoons are all good examples of a self-care activity. Create a self-care plan for when you need to decompress. I’ve written about “How To Create A Self-care Plan And Why You Need One”, check it out to get some tips!

Declutter
Clutter adds to stress. Imagine coming home to a cluttered house at the end of a long and difficult day. Would you feel relaxed? Of course not. The visual chaos will absolutely add more stress to your already stressful day. And all you ever wanted was to come home to a warm bed and enjoy a quiet evening.

So take off all those clothes that are piled on to “the chair.” You know, the one we all have, the one we use as a catch-all for outfits we tried but didn’t put back in the closet, for bags that didn’t go with the outfit, for pajamas that we plan on re-wearing etc. Pick up everything that’s on the floor and put them back where they belong. Declutter your room and when you can finally see your bed, climb into it and enjoy the space.

Create a bedtime routine
Again, this might look different for everybody. Mine is reading or listening to a podcast right after cleaning up rituals and getting into my pajamas. I’m trying (so very hard) to limit screens to (at least) an hour before bedtime. If you succeed at doing this, please teach me how.

What are your de-stress rituals? Share them with us in the comments! Stay humble and hustle hard.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help