Are you racing through life, feeling hurried and under constant stress? Feeling unbalanced and that every day is the same? Wake up in the night with your “to do” list playing in your head? Are you guilty of thinking you’ll be happy when you get the bigger house, the promotion, the _____ (you fill in the blank)? No time for yourself, to exercise or even eat right? Curious how to balance it all? How to find a job you like (even love)? GREAT NEWS – you’re in the right place! Try these 5 tips. Start small with one of these and then over time add another!
1. Be selfish. Yes you read that right. Put you on the list (and not below the spouse, Kids, work, dog….). You know who benefits from a happy, balanced mom? EVERYONE!
2. Self care. Nothing new here. There’s a reason we see this on the top of so many lists – because it’s critical and it works to banish the burnout! So what does self care mean?
– Eat well (you can still have those treats, just eat healthy 80% of the time).
– get 7-8 hours of sleep. If you’re saying “well I can’t do that” – go back to number 1!
– exercise – you don’t have to go to the gym or head out for a run (although those are great things to do) but MOVE. And I don’t just mean from your house to your car to your desk and then the reverse order at the end of the day. Head out for a walk after dinner. Take the kids if you’d like to connect with them, go on your own if you need some “me time”’or invite a friend if you need some social connection!
3. Say “no” – practice it with me…”no”. Say it again….and again. Think of your life as a pie. Each piece of the pie represents a different “chunk” of your life (eg work, family, exercise, community, leisure, sleep). The pie as a whole is 100% of your time and energy. As demands on you increase over the holidays be intentional about which pie you take from when you say “yes” to volunteering at the school or “yes” to attending a party you’d really rather not go to (but you don’t want to offend). Time is a precious and non-renewable resource. Use it wisely!
4. Practice gratitude. We hear about this all the time but you know what? Practiced Over time, this habit actually alters your brain. It changes the wiring…..don’t believe me? Give it a try for 2 weeks and then get back to me.
5. Forget about the Jones’. Who feels good about themselves when compared to others? Love and enjoy who you are and what you have. If you don’t like something or want something to change, change it!
Which tip are YOU going to try for 1 week?