Some people think self-care is about must-dos for physical health, like exercising and eating "well" to achieve and maintain a certain weight or sleeping enough in order to perform at an optimal level. Others think it's about getting pampered with manicures and spa treatments.
Connect the Dots Coaching asked four awesome professional women to share some of the things they do to care for themselves. The women's actions ran the gamut from singing to drinking green juice to bringing small pieces of joy to keep at work and they overlapped in areas like meditation, naps and exercise.
Read on to learn how Dora Kravitz, the senior coordinator of professional development for the Gottesman Center at the American Museum of Natural History (1-14), Jennifer Hains, a psychotherapist and meditation teacher (15-24), Nancy Shapiro, a social worker and educational advocate (25-39), and Blair C., a director of business development (40-50), implement self-care in their lives.
Connect the Dots Coaching asked four awesome professional women to share some of the things they do to care for themselves. The women's actions ran the gamut from singing to drinking green juice to bringing small pieces of joy to keep at work and they overlapped in areas like meditation, naps and exercise.
Read on to learn how Dora Kravitz, the senior coordinator of professional development for the Gottesman Center at the American Museum of Natural History (1-14), Jennifer Hains, a psychotherapist and meditation teacher (15-24), Nancy Shapiro, a social worker and educational advocate (25-39), and Blair C., a director of business development (40-50), implement self-care in their lives.
1) Sing as often as possible (karaoke, in the shower, at synagogue)
2) Sleep. I try to get more sleep than I think I need
3) Balance alone time with social time
4) Eat three meals a day (no skipping meals)
5) Go outside—get fresh air daily
6) Ask for help when I need it. I don't need to fix/solve everything (who has the time for that!?)
7) Help others (because it actually helps me)
8) Try to stay relatively clean/organized in my environment/space (office, home, car)
9) Take tiny breaks during the day, even when it's an insanely busy day, even if it's just a one- or two-minute "pause" to get away from work
10) Complete tasks in the order they are "due." Sometimes I'll want to work on more fun things first, but it's better to do them in the right order
11) Show up on time to work consistently. When I know I'm going to stay late at work, balance it with leaving early the day before or day after
12) I don't take feedback personal. It gets in the way. I try to hear what someone is saying, and if it's worth taking in, I listen. If not, I just smile, say thanks and let it go.
13) When I do something really amazing (at work, or personally, etc.) I tell people about it! I celebrate my successes with others
14) Laugh a ton at work at home, etc.
15) Take a long slow walk
16) Listen to or read spiritual knowledge
17) Exercise to sweat it out
18) Call a good friend to whom I can tell anything
19) Watch a funny movie or a comedian
20) Go to a park where I can hear the birds and other sounds of nature
21) Meditation
22) Yoga
23) Write out my feelings in a journal
24) Get a good night's sleep
25) Set my phone to the "do not disturb" function for one hour prior to bedtime and one hour after wake time
26) Participate in a daily group gratitude email list
27) Engage in creative outlets from cooking to crafting
28) Exercise regularly
29) Meditate with visualization
30) Print photos from my phone to carry in my wallet and hang on the refrigerator
31) Bring small pieces of joy to keep at work (small pictures, lavender sash, pens and pencils from vacations)
32) Therapy
33) Allow calls that may evoke difficult conversations to go to voice mail if I am not in the right space emotionally or physically to approach the conversation calmly
34) Pack an emergency snack in my bag at all times to avoid getting "hangry" (angry from hunger)
35) Leave the house with enough time to arrive at destinations 10 minutes early without rushing
36) Use text less and voice call friends more
37) Limit my Facebook time to a maximum of 10 minutes per day
38) Nap
39) Say the Serenity Prayer to start my day and at any time during the day when I sense my serenity slipping away from me
40) Take afternoon naps
41) Treat myself to manicures and pedicures
42) 10-minute shoulder massages (after the mani/pedi)
43) Yoga
44) Run along the West Side Highway
45) Meditate for 20 minutes every morning
46) Cook while playing jazz music
47) Zone out by watching “You’ve Got Mail”
48) Take my dog to the dog park and playing fetch
49) Drink green juice
50) Take hot baths or steam showers
2) Sleep. I try to get more sleep than I think I need
3) Balance alone time with social time
4) Eat three meals a day (no skipping meals)
5) Go outside—get fresh air daily
6) Ask for help when I need it. I don't need to fix/solve everything (who has the time for that!?)
7) Help others (because it actually helps me)
8) Try to stay relatively clean/organized in my environment/space (office, home, car)
9) Take tiny breaks during the day, even when it's an insanely busy day, even if it's just a one- or two-minute "pause" to get away from work
10) Complete tasks in the order they are "due." Sometimes I'll want to work on more fun things first, but it's better to do them in the right order
11) Show up on time to work consistently. When I know I'm going to stay late at work, balance it with leaving early the day before or day after
12) I don't take feedback personal. It gets in the way. I try to hear what someone is saying, and if it's worth taking in, I listen. If not, I just smile, say thanks and let it go.
13) When I do something really amazing (at work, or personally, etc.) I tell people about it! I celebrate my successes with others
14) Laugh a ton at work at home, etc.
15) Take a long slow walk
16) Listen to or read spiritual knowledge
17) Exercise to sweat it out
18) Call a good friend to whom I can tell anything
19) Watch a funny movie or a comedian
20) Go to a park where I can hear the birds and other sounds of nature
21) Meditation
22) Yoga
23) Write out my feelings in a journal
24) Get a good night's sleep
25) Set my phone to the "do not disturb" function for one hour prior to bedtime and one hour after wake time
26) Participate in a daily group gratitude email list
27) Engage in creative outlets from cooking to crafting
28) Exercise regularly
29) Meditate with visualization
30) Print photos from my phone to carry in my wallet and hang on the refrigerator
31) Bring small pieces of joy to keep at work (small pictures, lavender sash, pens and pencils from vacations)
32) Therapy
33) Allow calls that may evoke difficult conversations to go to voice mail if I am not in the right space emotionally or physically to approach the conversation calmly
34) Pack an emergency snack in my bag at all times to avoid getting "hangry" (angry from hunger)
35) Leave the house with enough time to arrive at destinations 10 minutes early without rushing
36) Use text less and voice call friends more
37) Limit my Facebook time to a maximum of 10 minutes per day
38) Nap
39) Say the Serenity Prayer to start my day and at any time during the day when I sense my serenity slipping away from me
40) Take afternoon naps
41) Treat myself to manicures and pedicures
42) 10-minute shoulder massages (after the mani/pedi)
43) Yoga
44) Run along the West Side Highway
45) Meditate for 20 minutes every morning
46) Cook while playing jazz music
47) Zone out by watching “You’ve Got Mail”
48) Take my dog to the dog park and playing fetch
49) Drink green juice
50) Take hot baths or steam showers
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