July 24, 2024
This morning, I attended a networking meeting where everyone had a chance to do a 30-second introduction. When introducing yourself, you were supposed to answer:
“What is/was your summer vacation?”
One member, a Trust and Estates attorney, said she was sick a few weeks ago. She was stuck in bed for two days. And she said, “It was the best vacation I ever had.”
Sound familiar? It’s sad but true. But it doesn’t have to be.
A Will and A Way to Prioritizing Self-Care
For many of us, getting sick is the only thing that forces us to pause, slow down, and take care of ourselves. One of the priorities in my coaching business is to help you prioritize YOU, and that starts today.
Take a moment right now to:
Take a deep breath in and out.
Close your eyes and think through today or the past week.
Can you identify how many activities today or this week were selfish in a self-care way?
How many did you come up with? Five? Two? None?
For most of you, it is probably closer to zero.
Photo: One of my "selfish" activities is uJam Fitness. This is my group and most weeks, I prioritize dancing with these amazing people! If you live close to Walnut Creek, ask me about the group. We are awesome and it is free!
You likely work in a client service industry, and you prioritize your clients and the work over your own needs, which is often necessary during our nine-to-five. One of the many reasons I love the work I do is that when I am prioritizing my clients, I am helping to ensure they are prioritizing themselves. You have to Value Your Time! I am helping them work more efficiently so that they have time in the evenings or on weekends to be a little selfish. Or I am helping them find the time during the day to take a break, stop for lunch, or get a workout in.
I frequently say to my clients, “I am selfishly thinking about YOU.”
[Oh, if this were a video message, you would have just seen me pause sending a text to a client to see if she did the selfish thing we discussed on Monday. I see you, Erin.]
And I want to help you prioritize doing selfish things too.
If you’re someone who feels as though it will take an illness or an injury to get you to slow down, then I invite you to design a healthier option for your weekly workcation. (I made that word up, workcation, and I’m trying to make it a thing. Like Fetch, I’m not sure it is working, but I also welcome your opinion.)
So, what can you do today or this week to get on board designing a weekly workcation?
Research has shown that you need A Will and A Way.
First, identify an activity or two that you would enjoy doing. I’ve offered some ideas below or come up with something that resonates with you.
Spa visits, hiking, reading, swimming, meditating, sitting outside in the sun for 10 minutes, pickleball, listening to a podcast, journaling, going to a coffee shop one morning a week, going to bed an hour earlier, learning a new language, dancing.
Next, get to the core reason you want to do this activity. This is Your Why and leads to The Will.
Why do you want to start journaling? Because studies show it has a lot of value.
Why does the value of journaling interest you? Because I feel like my head is spinning with thoughts all of the time.
Why would journaling help you with those spinning thoughts? ….keep answering until your WHY is apparent.
Finally, look at your calendar and decide when you will be able to do this activity. This is The Way.
If it is a daily activity, then when will you do it? Upon waking up? At lunch? After work? Visualize yourself doing the activity at that time. This is called mental simulation. I’ll cover that more in a future Productivity Hack.
If it is a weekly activity, what day and time will you do this activity?
If it involves scheduling with someone else, reach out to that company or person now and schedule the activity.
I’m so proud of you. You’re taking the first step to prioritizing you and I’m happy to be a part of this improvement. No more vacations that occur because your body said that it finally had enough. It’s time to prioritize your workcation and create a healthy and selfish you.
Photos: Going out to lunch with girlfriends and playing with puppies are some of my selfish activities.
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