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Best Self Care Practices for Quarter 4
Finish the year off feeling relaxed and accomplished
This time of year can also become very reflective as well wishes are given, and the question floats in the air of "What are you thankful for?" "What are you grateful for?" Sometimes we can speak how we want to feel, but that feeling you may wish to is not your reality.
Far too many people waste time trying to buy happiness when it's available without costing a cent. Some people wish and dream of a day when they'll be able to afford the things they feel will make them happy and successful, like a new home, exotic vacations, and more. ( I am guilty of this… and have to check myself from time to time).
Happiness and success aren't derived from tangible things. It's a state of mind that allows you to further your progress in both your personal and professional life so that you achieve goals and reach new milestones toward a better life every day. Quarter four tends to have us getting in the maze and running, dashing, and sprinting to the last minute of 2022. How about we gracefully change the Playbook up this year and finish the quarter? If you agree, give me a "yesss girl…yesss"!
To get yourself ready to have "good vibes, good vibes," you have to develop daily habits that don't hold you back but instead help you get more done during the day, meet obligations with ease, and lie down at night with a smile on your face because everything's headed in the right direction. Are you ready? Let's go.
Make Planning A Way Of Life
Your life is happening and being lived whether you're in control or not. Every day that you wake up and go to bed is 24 hours that's passed. For some people, those 24 hours didn't amount to anything special except the passage of time.
For others, they accomplished something that brought them happiness and contributed to the success that they envision for themselves. The difference between these two types of people is that one lets life drive him, and the other directs his own life. Is your Tesla driving you, or are you directing it? (Journaling prompt moment)
Every day you have to live is a day you can control whether you're happy or prosperous. It begins with a plan. What are you going to do today to take steps that create happiness? (Pen this thought out)
What plan are you going to commit to for success? If you don't know what steps to take, then you have no course of action. If that sounds like something you've struggled with, you can learn how to account for your future.
By doing this, you'll start planning for what you want - and making it happen. You can plan each day for how you're going to spend your time. Even your free time (and you should have free time) can be arranged, so you're living a life full of happiness.
Planning is one thing the world's most successful people have in common. They don't fly by the seat of their pants and let things occur - they craft the kind of life they want to live.
They know that time is a commodity - one of the most valuable things to consider. They spend it like they make the money they earn. Most people are great at investing in the lives of others.
You spend time doing things that bring happiness to people. You work hard to make others successful - whether those people are your work relationships or your ones.
There's nothing wrong with investing in others
Yet, you need to learn how to invest in your own life. If you don't, you're withdrawing from the stores of happiness and success that could be yours and not making deposits.
Without banking on your happiness and success, it will be a long, hard struggle to get what you want - if you get it. Some people make plans well ahead of time, and others do it in smaller increments.
You might plan for something you want to achieve for happiness and success next month or the next day. But have an idea of how you want your day to unfold. Be specific, not vague - you can measure whether the day was a "win."
How: Get out your planners and start by adding in the essential things and blocks of focus time. Focus time can allow you to work uninterrupted on a task or time to read a good book and reset. Build this in your calendar daily.
I love the feel of pen and paper, but I realized that I can get distracted during the day and attempt to work off my memory and forget something. My paper planner is my sketchbook, and I use my Google calendar to schedule and set reminder alarms throughout the day.
Picture the Realization of Your Dreams
This is a way to visualize what it is that you want. When you use visualization, you keep your focus, which keeps you motivated. Studies have shown that motivated people are happier and less stressed than those who aren't.
It's also true that people who have a dream want to find more inner satisfaction. Daily taking the time to picture your goals leads you to appreciate the journey. This is why I am such a big "pen-to-paper pusher." Dreams can come alive on paper.
You'll be able to find happiness - even when things go wrong - if whatever steps you're taking focus on seeing your dreams come true. Close your eyes and visualize yourself decorating your new home, seeing your bank account with a specific amount of money, or being welcomed home with open arms by a loving family.
This act of imagination will help you start living the role of life you want to be in. But you don't want to stay chained to disappointment for what hasn't come about yet.
Appreciating your current situation and where you're heading is also important. Be grateful for the things and the opportunities that come your way that allow you to chase after what you want.
If you have good health that allows you to do what you want, be thankful for that. Whenever opportunities come along, recognize them for what they are, stepping stones for the future you want.
Even when obstacles crop up, appreciate them. Because barriers mean that you're moving forward -you're taking action to make the picture of your dreams a reality. Take this time to examine your goals and see what you can do without burnout. Deal?
Find a Daily Challenge
When you challenge yourself in any area of your life, you grow. If you stick to what you already know and only do what you're good at, you stay stagnant. You hear that saying a million times, "think outside the box."
Choose an area of your life to challenge yourself (and ensure you cover each of them). For example, in the exercise area, challenge yourself to do more than you thought you could with your exercise program.
Instead of doing 30 minutes of walking each day, you shoot for 45 minutes. You'll gain a sense of accomplishment that will make you both happy and successful.
Try a new food: Get something that's outside of your comfort zone. This broadens your horizons and can help you learn about other cultures. You find happiness in cooking, which can bring your family together, too. Some of my favorites are Ethiopian Food andButter Chicken with Garlic Naan bread.
Learn something new: People that grow in knowledge challenge their brains. This can be a new language, book, or skill, and it could be something like taking a dance lesson or visiting a place that moves you, shakes up your life and gives you a deeper perspective.
Resurrect a failure: Every single person in the world has a loss of some kind in their life. They tried something, and it didn't work. They couldn't do a goal - couldn't grasp enough of the knowledge needed to make an idea work.
Look back over something that you tried and wanted but gave up on. Sometimes the passing of time can add fresh ideas and a better understanding of why the failure happened.
When you look back over your life at something that failed, it could be that you weren't prepared for that success. When you challenge yourself to be an "overcomer," you'll find happiness after completing each task.
Finishing something contributes to success, and it's gratifying when you return to something you failed at before. Remember, it took many tries before the lightbulb finally worked! So you got this!
Make It a Point to Show Up and Give It Your All Everyday
We all have areas of life that we hold back in it comes out of fear of looking stupid (raising hand here) or fear of failure. But working towards goals every single day is the key to success.
In everything that you put your hand at, you have to give it you're all. If it's working around your house, don't settle for "good enough." Keep going - and even if you have to start the task, work hard to make it right, to the point where you feel accomplished!
But remember - there is a difference between doing a task right and being a perfectionist. You can give your all with work and personal relationships. When you see the difference between doing enough and doing as much as possible, it will shock you at how better things are when you show up for yourself daily and put in place those tiny steps.
Be present in everything you do every single day. Refuse to let yourself go through life on autopilot. If you finish doing something, you can tell if you're on autopilot if you can't remember parts of doing the task. Should I repeat this for the people in the back? I am guilty of this too.
Your body was working, but your mind was already off on something else. Like that grocery list, what you haven't done… the list can go on and on. Being fully present can give you an appreciation for what you're doing and what you have. That's all.
Some people call this mindfulness. You leave multi-tasking behind and focus on one thing at a time - one conversation, one meal, one project, etc. It helps you maximize your effort and achieve better results than if you kept your brain cycling on a million other random thoughts and tasks.
When its time to shutdown stay committed to stopping
Stop Working When It's Time to Stop
Remember that your life is a series of seconds, minutes, and hours each day. Keeping your goals up close and personal is essential because this contributes to your happiness and success. When you can cross that goal off your task list, it brings a feeling of accomplishment snuggled with confidence. Who wants to turn down a dose of being sure?
But if you're working so many hours and have such big projects on your shoulders that the line between work and your free time is blurred, it's time to take a step back. When you can't remember the last time that you took some time to recalibrate, then burnout can be on the horizon. So…my friend…
There's a reason that taking time off work is essential. This helps you recharge your batteries and relax and not lose sight of the big picture of your life. Work is only a part of your life, and there are other aspects to it. When you allow work to take over, it throws everything else out of balance. This is one reason people start eating unhealthy meals when they're working too hard.
They get too tired or too stressed to take the time to prepare a healthy meal, and it's easier to grab whatever is convenient. If burned-out people took the time to de-stress, they would make healthier decisions that would serve their overall life better.
You'll be happier if you set work boundaries. People with a definitive line between work and off time are far more successful. When you take time off, you can improve your work performance.
Not doing this will lead to unhappiness, poor health, and stress and can negatively affect relationships with the people you deem the most important in your life. Besides, you need to enjoy the fruits of your labor, and having a predetermined quitting time will enable you to make plans for that!
Here are a few tips to help you shut down for the day…
- Listen to your body. If you're feeling tired, it's probably time to stop.
- Pay attention to the clock. If it's late in the day, you may be unable to finish your work.
- Think about what you need to add. If you're not going to be able to finish the task at hand, it's better to stop and pick up where you left off tomorrow.
- Shut down your computer; this can signal your mind that it is time to stop.
- Clean your area off and prep it for the next work day.
- Pull out your journal and write down what you are grateful for accomplishing, regardless of the small task.
Protect Your Sleep Time
Striving to find personal satisfaction - especially if you're trying to build a business - can impact your sleep. You might already know the importance of getting your body's rest.
But you might not know that when you skip out on getting enough sleep, you can sabotage yourself. Losing sleep leads to feelings of unhappiness, anxiety, and irritability.
You'll find articles and advice telling you that you must get at least eight hours of sleep every night for it to be enough for your body. But the truth is that eight hours can be too much for some people and not enough for others. So be sure to research and find your "sleep sweet spot."
One way to tell if you're getting the right amount of sleep for your body can be determined by how you feel in the mornings. If you wake up and feel refreshed, that's a sign that you're getting enough sleep.
Feeling sluggish means that you're not getting the right amount. Getting enough sleep replaces the energy stores you drained during the day, and if you fail to refill that, you're running on a deficit the next day.
Sometimes the unhappiness in our personal lives or the work stress will prevent a good night's sleep, and it's a vicious loop because a lack of sleep contributes to the same issues.
If your sleep hygiene is good, but you're still tired, you might see your doctor. He may prescribe melatonin to see if that helps you get (and stay) asleep. Or he might have you participate in a sleep study. What I use is called Sleep Protocol which is a mixture of essential oils applied to different areas of the body, and I sleep soundly and wake up refreshed.
Make sure you get to the root of the issue because sleep is one health habit that will interfere in every part of your life, making you miserable - and possibly taking out your frustrations on others.
Do Make Exercise and Eating Right a Priority
Having a daily habit of exercising can create happiness. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins or feel-good hormones that can lift your mood. When you exercise every day - even if it's just going for a walk around the block at work or home - you help improve your organs' ability to do their jobs.
You make it easier for them to function. You also create more mental alertness in your brain when you exercise because you increase how your organs can get the oxygen they need.
Not getting enough oxygen can negatively affect your organs, including your brain. Without the right amount of oxygen, it can impair your ability to think and work through ideas, attain goals, and get what you want to be done daily.
But when you exercise, you create a way for your whole body to benefit, producing a sense of happiness. Making sure that you eat right can go a long way toward creating happiness and success in your life, too.
When you eat the wrong kinds of food, it can have an impact on how you feel physically and how you feel mentally. For example, certain foods zap your energy.
When you eat them, you feel sluggish after your energy levels crash. If you consume many foods high in glycemic index, you'll experience fatigue, which will affect your performance because tiredness will make it harder for you to concentrate.
Fatty, sugary, and high-carb foods should be eaten in moderation. Think of food as your body's fuel to propel you through the day to get the most done on your task list.
Where what makes you feel like you are winning the day
Dress Every Day
You can even feel anxious or depressed. The clothing you wear presents an image to the world - but the most important image is the one you see. If you battle self-esteem and confidence issues, wearing clothes that feed into that will subtract from your happiness.
You can try to experiment. Wear a pair of worn-out sweatpants and a baggy shirt out in public. Don't take the time to style your hair. Then go out wearing a nice outfit with your hair attractively styled.
You'll notice a difference in the way that you walk and in the way that you act. When you dress like it doesn't matter, it will change how you see yourself. But more than that, it changes how you'll handle what you have to do that day.
You won't feel your sharpest because the clothes affect you mentally. You don't have to spend much money to dress for success. Many people don't realize that dressing for success isn't just referring to looking the part.
It's referring to internal feelings, too. When you dress for success, you feel happier and like a success, and your actions will follow those feelings. Make it a daily habit to dress in clothes that make you feel good about yourself.
If you're working online and having to present yourself to an audience via video or meeting people in person, dressing for success can help give you a more professional persona, boosting your sales and confidence and making you happier!
Don't try to implement new daily habits all at once. Build slowly. It takes a while for a new pattern to take root, so don't beat yourself up if you're slow to add them on a routine basis.
It takes a few weeks to get with the program, but you'll start noticing positive changes, motivating you to continue every day.
In closing... it really is business as usual but remember to add time in for yourself in the end. December 31st is just another day, keep going and finish the quarter off relaxed and feeling good about what you did accomplish. Comment below and let me know what you will implement to ride this quarter on out.
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