For years of my life, I was so focused on doing things to make extra money that I lost sight of what’s really important: my health and my sanity.
When I had a corporate job, I was committed to being the best employee I could by waking up early and going to bed late to make sure that I was doing my best for my clients.
But this lifestyle started to take its toll: I got cranky, I became addicted to working, and I even started have little eczema flareups on my left hand!
But now I make sure to take time for myself and not be so obsessed with work in every waking hour.
Here’s how I do it:
1. I turn off all screens an hour before bedtime.
In our increasingly wired world, it can be difficult to distance ourselves from our work (or our friends’ Instagram pics).
But it is essential to clear your head at the end of the day so that you can drift off into the peaceful rest you deserve.
This week, don’t look at any screens whatsoever an hour before you fall asleep, and let me know if it made a difference!
2. I take an evening walk.
Too often, my habit has been to scarf down my dinner as quickly as I can and then get right back to working.
I decided to break this habit by committing to taking a short, 10-minute walk around the neighborhood after eating.
On this walk, I make it my goal to just be aware of the sights and sounds around me: the trees, the flowers, other people, the dogs in the neighborhood, etc.
Doing this has helped me to de-stress and clear my mind.
3. I do breathing exercises.
Breathing is something that all of us do constantly without really thinking about it.
But what if we did think about it?
Lately, I have been doing some focused breathing exercises in the evening: nothing fancy, just taking 10 deep breaths in a row while doing my best to not think about anything.
This has been incredibly invigorating!