We’re past Labor Day and you know what that means: “Back to work.” Labor day, get it? LABOR. Get to it already, sheesh!
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You probably already know that I don’t mean that.
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Of course I believe in working hard, putting in time and effort, and taking action towards goals. Of course I do. But I’m also all about balancing it out with down-time, me- time, play-time, nap-time. I don’t start my day without tuning inward and focusing on my breath.
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And if you follow me on Instagram, you also get a glimpse into my daily workout routine. Just to be clear: I don’t really like working out that much, but I love both how strong I’ve gotten and also how it makes my mind feel, ie more normal. Exercise helps me feel better equipped to cope with the overwhelm of life — COVID and otherwise.
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I share some of the ways I ground myself because of what’s showing up in my practice. The vast majority of my individual clients are women, and I am hearing from so many of them how they are — just one week into September –“drowning.” I get it, there have been countless articles capturing the issues. This piece, for example, about overloaded moms, and both this one and this one on the toll the pandemic has had on careers, all underscore what I’m hearing from clients. It’s so much.
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That’s why with all the pressures to get back to work, I’m redoubling my efforts to communicate how important I think it is to take extremely good care of ourselves right now. Whether you’re a professional who’s feeling nervous about returning to an office setting, or you’re a parent challenged with distance learning or keeping your kids and family safe as they return to classrooms (or BOTH) — there are myriad real life challenges testing us now.
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So here’s my September Self-Care tip for you. Start your day with 3 deep breaths. That’s it. Keep it super simple, but keep doing it. Three deep breaths, before coffee, before your phone, before email, before everything except maybe hitting the bathroom. Set an alarm to remind you if you need it — whatever it takes! Maybe it sounds silly, overly simple, but simple is the point. Getting connected to your breath and letting it flow is grounding, empowering, and life-affirming. Getting connected regularly reminds you that you have a tool you can go-to at any time.
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Try it for a week and let me know how it goes!
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