Wellness

Self Care on the Go

LaToi Storr August 9, 2023 no Comments

Happy Wednesday. Today is a good day to have a good day. Today on our wellness journey I want to talk about self-care for back to school and back to work routines. So many are going back into the office more or back into the classroom now or soon. Your ability to have more leisure time may change. How can you elevate your self-care routine while on the go?

Be Intentional with Your Self Care Time

Time is not always on our side. School buses will be on the road soon, limited timing in the morning and more. So be intentional with your time. Doing that isn’t as simple as we would like. Often it is adding more to our lives that we do not need. For instance, I will be more selective with events during the week. I want to be present with my kids after they arrive home from school. I am not saying I won’t do the whole, homework and quick dinner plating but I want to do it less. So, in the Fall I will be limiting to 2-3 events during the school week. This will allow me to be intentional with my kids and make sure their education is a priority.

Another suggestion for timing and intentional movement is learning what is important to me. So, things like gym, meal prep, and more will take my attention. Setting boundaries for last minute request that I do not want to do. For instance, I have a few friend groups that are having events in the Fall. I will go to what I can and not attend what I am not wanting or do not have time to attend. My time is limited and always have. Allowing people to believe that I should drop things last minute or even in advance that go against things already aligned is nonsense. I refuse to participate in it. In addition, I want to add things like rest, family time, and me time.

Prepare for your Day-Self Care Rituals

When you have an active lifestyle there are many moving parts to making things happen. So for instance, going to the gym means that you have to have your bag prepared. Pack your bag at night. Include your clothes, shoes, water bottle, and other items. Place it in the place it needs to be, like the door or the car. If you know you can’t be home in a descent hour for dinner, pack it for you to go. I would pack dinner in a container that would hold. This eliminated the need to eat out constantly. Also prepack things that are easily accessible. An example of this is knowing you have a meeting at night but only have 30 or so minutes two eat when you get home. Prepack the dinner and make it easy to grab, heat, and eat.

Be Efficient in your Day

I would block off time to play on my phone. Then make it my business to eliminate idle time on it so that it doesn’t take away from me getting things done. The distractions that we allow will be the excuses for later. The more you continue to make excuses for not doing right by your own needs is very telling when others do the same. Not making the things that you have on your plate or yourself a priority will make it hard in the future. When I was at work and had a break I would walk around the building, or go to the gym, or take a nap even because those was ways to refuel. Efficient in your day means knowing what needs to be done and what needs to happen to make it happen. Write down a to do list. I make several lists through the day. One for my family, me, and the business.

Grab the Tools you Need

For instance, we are on our phones, can you use an app to help with your self-care while out and about. There are apps like Audible for reading, mediation, journaling, and so much more that can you give you self-care at your fingertips. I carry my blue/white light on me so I can plug it into my laptop to help with seasonal depression. Always keep a book or a journal on you. Writing is a way to formulate how you are feeling at a moment’s notice. This works when I am working in various locations, at an appointment and more. Stress or anxiety toys for you or your kids are helpful too. Either way, self-care doesn’t have to be stressful because the point is to have a tool on you to help.