Let’s face it… we all need to pay more attention to ourselves from time to time. If you’re a busy nurse, mom or business owner (or all three!) your time is stretched thin! We get up before dawn and don’t stop running until well after dark. Life is a continuous cycle and by the time we actually get a day off we don’t know where to start. You’re faced with the never ending mountain of laundry or one of the kids has a project that’s due…tomorrow! I especially give props to the single moms out there doing it all each and every day. It’s definitely hard, but we get it done! In the process of taking care of everyone else, we tend to put ourselves on the back burner…the very back burner! We don’t have time to think about our own wellness because of everything else that’s going on around us. There are things we can do to help us develop wellness habits that will help us survive this thing called life.
Make the Decision to be Healthy
First, you’ll need to choose to live a healthy lifestyle and stick with it! Many people don’t acknowledge the need to make this decision. People want to be healthy and say they’re going to start being more healthy, but they don’t actually decide to be healthy. Does that make sense? You have to commit to a healthy lifestyle and follow through. Just saying you want a healthy lifestyle isn’t the same as living a healthy lifestyle.
How Can We Make Wellness a Habit?
Habits are created by doing something over and over again until it becomes second nature. The more you do it, the more you automatically make that choice without even thinking.
So, here’s a few ways to make wellness a daily habit:
• Set your alarm clock.
• Make healthy (or healthier…) diet choices.
• Plan an exercise routine.
• Make time every day to do one thing you enjoy.
• Spend more time with your family and friends.
If you incorporate these habits into your daily routine, you should notice an overall improvement in your wellness and your day should be less stressful.
Use Your Alarm Clock
Waking up early is not everyone’s cup of tea. I know it’s definitely not mine! But, to be honest, getting up early benefits me in so many different ways. I can knock out several tasks on my daily to do list if I get up early. If you set aside a block of time in the morning to start your daily tasks, you’ll be surprised by how many things you can actually get done!
Healthy Choices
I’m sure you know the old saying “you are what you eat”, right? Well, this is somewhat true! Healthy food choices can impact your health in many ways. Choosing to live a healthy lifestyle and incorporate healthy food choices into your life is an important step. Basically, it comes down to making food choices that are the healthier option, like choosing an apple over a candy bar for a snack. You may really want that candy bar, but you know that the apple is the better choice. Ultimately, the choice is totally up to you!
Exercise
Just what you want to do after a long day at work! As if you didn’t run around enough already… Exercise doesn’t have to be sweating for an hour on the elliptical or taking the dreaded aerobics class at the gym. If that’s your thing then go for it! If not, you can choose a less dreaded option such as going for a brisk walk around your neighborhood. This gives you both exercise and fresh air. I enjoy spending time outdoors in the evening after I’ve been stuck at a desk all day. Make this part of your evening routine and, after a while, it won’t seem like such a chore. If you’re one of those “early risers”, add a brisk walk to your morning routine to get your day started on the right foot.
“Me Time”
Like I said earlier, we tend to take care of others but not ourselves. This is where “me time” comes in. Take time for yourself! It doesn’t have to be a a lot of time, just a few minutes for you and only you. This gives you the opportunity to decompress after a long day. You can do this by simply sitting on your porch and skimming a magazine or taking a long, soothing bath…with the door locked, of course!
Family and Friend Time
With everyone’s busy, hectic schedules it’s not always easy to spend time with your family and friends. Many couples work opposite shifts and barely have time to see each other. One person will go to work as the other is getting off work. I know several couples that have this type of schedule and it works great for them. They manage their kids and the household efficiently because one of them is always available….but they barely see each other! I had one couple tell me that they have to schedule a monthly date night to spend time together. It’s important to always make time for your family, even if you have to schedule a date! When it comes to your friends, you have to consider their schedules as well as their families and other obligations. Social time with your friends is a great way to relax and relieve some of the stress that you’ve been carrying around. Compare schedules with your friends and take a break from life!
These are just a few ways to bring a little calm to the chaos of life. As nurses, we need to remember ourselves occasionally. It’s our calling to take care of others, but we can’t do that unless we take care of ourselves, too!
Sanity Saving Wellness Habits
