Do you have those days (or weeks or months) where you feel like you just can’t figure it out and keep it all together? I do – all the time. I literally can’t tell you that I’ve felt like I have it “figured out” EVER. That’s probably not how others feel looking at my life though – I have a great job (I know that) and I’ve been very successful with my career so far. I take amazing vacations and do these incredible things that I would not have ever thought that I’d ever do in my lifetime. I own my house and a car and I paid off my student debt. I know, I know. You get it. But I still don’t have it together the way you may think.
And these past few weeks, I have been feeling it. I was in Australia for a week just earlier this month, but it was super stressful to take that time off in the middle of a kind of busy time for me at work. I felt like I had to work before I left to be in a good place and even though I’ve been back for over a week now and stayed late most nights, I can’t seem to catch up. I’ve fallen off a fitness routine and have been eating whatever I want. When I’m stressed, I stop taking care of myself.
And this makes me so sad because I have been working SO HARD for the last 18 months to develop healthy habits so that when I get stressed, I don’t jump off the deep end. So starting this week, I have set some intentions to get back on track and make sure that I’m practicing these habits that I set up for myself.
1 – Make Healthy Choices (sometimes)
What is the saying?
Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.
Jim Rohn
So yes – do that! But also, live your life. You don’t have to limit yourself all the time because it will generally lead to more unhappiness if you restrict yourself nonstop. Maybe don’t live off of french fries and ice cream for months on end and stop working out (I definitely didn’t do this….), but let yourself have that treat every once in a while. Set plans for yourself to make healthy choices – eating right and working out and stick to it as best you can!
Another super-easy way to make healthy choices is to drink water and hydrate. Aim to drink half of your body weight in oz. each day and your body will thank you. Just be prepared to take a bathroom break every 20 minutes.
2 – Make Sleep a Priority
With that being said, sleep is one of the HEALTHIEST choices that you can make for yourself. Your body literally needs it to recover (so the scientists and health experts say). If you’re limited on time during the day – figure out how to incorporate sleep into your schedule. Does that mean possibly giving up a workout one day? So what – you can make other healthy choices like eating right to offset it. Unwind before bed by doing two things: establish a bedtime routine and limit screen time.
3 – Establish a Bedtime Routine
I am not going to lie, I thought this one was a little silly and unnecessary when I started this self-care/healthy habits journey, but it has become so important to me and my body. I made a list of things that I wanted to do that were for me (most things that I haven’t actually done before). I decided to take vitamins, wash my face, brush my teeth and – wait for it – floss. I take my makeup off and moisturize my skin. Not only am I taking better care of myself, but it gives me a chance to relax and unwind.
4 – Limit Screen Time
Limiting screen time in general (but especially right before bed) has been one of the best things that I have done for myself EVER. If you have an iPhone – there is a Screen Time feature, where you can set up downtime, which literally locks your apps. You can override it (and can even force yourself to enter a password to override if you don’t have good self-control), but I can promise you, you’ll feel shitty for doing it. My downtime is set up on Sundays through Thursdays from 9:30 pm-5:30 am. I have certain apps that I’ve opted out of screen time (such as my messages, my calendar, and my workout app) so I can access more easily, but everything else is off-limits. I also use the Do Not Disturb feature at night from 9:30 pm-6:00 am. This keeps me from getting notifications that might prompt me to pick up my phone and override that downtime feature. It also lets me have some me-time at night and in the mornings and get myself ready to sleep without interruptions.
5 – Make Yourself Realistic to-do lists
Maybe you aren’t a list maker, maybe you are. I thrive off having a to-do list and crossing things off when I am done, but I am most guilty of making a list with the most unattainable expectations. I’ve transitioned to keeping a larger list of things to do for the week and then each morning, I go through and make a daily to-do list with a realistic set of things that I think I can accomplish for the day. My list includes work-related tasks and personal tasks so that I have everything in one place and I am not maintaining 100 different to-do lists in different places.
6 – Surround Yourself with Good & Positive People
I cannot stress enough how important having a good support system is full of positive people. I have had a lot of “friends” in my life that weren’t good friends. They didn’t care they way that I did and I didn’t get the support I needed from then at certain times. Maybe these types of friends are great for having a good time! That’s okay. But you also need those friends that you can call when you’re on the verge of a breakdown and will be real with you and help you through it.
7 – Talk to Someone
Have someone to talk to, whether it is a friend or a professional. I see a therapist once a week just to debrief my life. I can’t tell you the number of times that I think everything is going okay and then the second that I step into her office, I burst into tears when I realize that something is really stressing me out or I’m not dealing with something well that I thought I was handling. Maybe you won’t cry as much I do (I’m an emotional mess, I know), but it helps so much to have that unbiased place to just vent and talk through things.
What are your healthy habits that keep your life some kind of “together?”
