Published on
June 7, 2023
Thrive’s Director of Customer Success shares how habit-stacking helps her prioritize her well-being.
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My favorite way to prioritize my well-being is by prioritizing ten minutes of unplugged movement. My dog, Paolo, is a great forcing function and built-in accountability buddy for my movement time. Even when I want to blast through work or home projects, he makes it so there are no excuses. When we go for a walk, I make one of the parks on the lake our destination and once there I take a few minutes to breathe in deeply and mentally list three things I'm grateful for. Sometimes I close my eyes with these deep breaths, but I'm really looking for a moment of pause and presence. Habit-stacking has been key because I make these necessary walks a chance to move my body, unplug from technology, connect with myself and my higher wisdom, and receive all the benefits of being outside in nature to destress.
When I prioritize myself, even with short movement breaks, I'm a calmer, happier, and more present mother. Giving myself time to clear my mental to-dos, reground in gratitude, and even sometimes do a mental visualization sets the tone for the rest of the day. Thinking about who I want to be for them helps reshape my attitude and ability to be present and connect.
I live in Seattle Washington with my husband, 3 kids (12, 6 and 4), and our dog Paolo. I've worked in tech start-ups for the better part of 10+ years. I found my own well-being journey after becoming a single working mom with big aspirations in all areas. I knew that I couldn't achieve my goals on leftover chicken nuggets alone but time was the biggest obstacle. I thought "what is my one small thing?" (this was pre microstep awareness!) and I begun making a green smoothie each morning. I figured if I got my greens in then, then the rest of the day, as unpredictable as it would be, wouldn't be the worst. I just had to pick one time to get my greens in. And it worked! That small step helped me begin to feel healthier and find more ways to incorporate well-being into my life. I drank more water, I began to make exercise a priority and even had a coworker who became my accountability buddy. I ended up getting my 200-hour yoga teaching certificate a couple years down the road, all the while continuing to achieve my career goals, meet my now husband and add a couple more kids to the pack. :) I couldn't have done it all without taking care of myself initially .