When we think of health and wellbeing, we might envision an idealized body—but I believe it’s so much more than that. Health for me is a feeling. Health should be about your energy and vitality. I’ve been on my health journey since I started my first company at 24, and then found myself on the brink of burnout at 26. Because of that, I learned there’s no quick fix or shortcut. It’s about staying consistent and showing up each and every day.
And here’s the thing. I think we glorify hustle way too much today, don’t you? Please, let’s not glorify busy. Don’t call burnout hustle. Again, don’t call burnout hustle. This “team no sleep,” wearing our burnout like a badge? Girl, you don’t have to be stressed or busy to be important. Let’s stop glorifying being busy!! I’m grateful that my mom raised me to learn and then respect my own limits, to know what I need, and then to give myself what I need at most times. And this means, what I need. Not what my friends, or neighbor, or society tells me I need. I eat when I’m hungry (and yes, that means a healthy lunch on most days at 10:45am cuz I’m an early riser and by then, I’m starved for lunch). I sleep when I’m tired. Often exercise is 30 solid minutes and that’s it, it’s not 90 minutes at a gym. I give myself what my body needs, and it has made all the difference. We have to squash the glorification of busy right here today.
Are you in?
It’s spring, let’s spring clean our energy, time and mindset! if you’re feeling tired or burned out, here are 5 things you can do now.
1. YOGA
So, what can yoga do for us as women? Well, yoga improves strength, flexibility, coordination and our range of motion. Yoga also promotes relaxation which helps with sleep and digestion, improves circulation and reduces stress and anxiety, it enhances our cardiovascular health and benefits our respiratory and nervous systems.
If you’re feeling sluggish, I’d like you to see how 10 minutes can change your entire aura. Please stop what you’re doing after reading this article, and TRY THIS NOW.
10-Minute Flow for Less Stress and More Energy
2. CREATING YOUR BOUNDARIES CHART
Learning to set boundaries helps you feel less burned out. Let’s say that again for the people in the back. Learning to set boundaries helps you feel less burned out. You want to pay close attention to the lines you draw and boundaries you protect– to the situations when your energy is getting zapped, or you overcommit, or feel like you’re being taken advantage of. Self-awareness is important.
I’d like you to create you own boundary chart by filling in the blanks on 3 things:
1. People may not ___________.
(Examples: make racist jokes in front of me, go through my things at the office)
2. I have a right to ask for ____________.
(Examples: privacy or alone time, help around the house from my family members)
3. To protect my time and energy, it’s okay to ________________
(Examples: turn the ringer off on the phone, not work through lunch, change my mind if…)
Oprah.com
It’s an eye-opening exercise. And then see if/when/how you can present it to those people who are currently invading your boundaries, therefore draining your energy.
Remember, you’re the driver of the ship. What you allow and what you resist, is in your hands. That’s really empowering.
3. UNITASKING OVER MULTITASKING
To multitask or to unitask? That is the question!
We women sure are good at multitasking huh? We can just do it all, and do it all well! Well, despite the fact that many of us can do it, doesn’t mean we should. Kinda like some people text and drive, but shouldn’t! Catch my drift?
The research shows that multitasking actually negatively affects our performance and decreases our productivity by up to 40%. Focusing on one thing at a time is really your best way to do things. Don’t believe the hype about multitasking. Sure, it works for a few people (about 3 percent of the population), but for most of us, trying to do too many things at once actually slows us down and makes us feel tired. Multitasking hurts our brain’s ability to focus. Multitaskers are actually shown to be less efficient at juggling problems. Why? We just don’t do well on fragmenting attention.
Friends, I can multitask with the best of them, but when I do, I only end up exhausted. I work on focusing all my time and energy on one task at a time, and the quality of my output in all the areas of my life, are far more enhanced.
See if you can try it.
4. BREATHING EXERCISES
Ever since COVID reared its ugly head in March 2020, four long years ago, I upped my breathing exercises and meditation game to include 7 nights a week RELIGIOUSLY before bed, with the exception of maybe a handful missed. Well, I have never experienced this kind of deep and restorative sleep in my life, and consistently night after night ever since. True story.
If you’re feeling tired or burned out (as sooo many women are feeling globally), this is your reminder to stop and breathe.
How about trying this with me now?
A simple ONE MINUTE breathing exercise.
5. END PROCRASTINATION
“I don’t know where to start.”
“I’m too busy to do it.”
“I just don’t feel like doing it.”
“I’ll do it later.”
Raise your hand if this sounds familiar? You know what procrastination and constantly putting things off causes many people? Stress and anxiety. Whatever your reason for putting things off, or procrastinating, the good news is this: procrastination is not a disease. It’s a habit. And like every habit, you can break it or change it.
There are lots of tips and strategies on beating procrastination and in Busy To Bliss, (going to waitlist in a few weeks beginning of May, 2024), I give you a full toolbox to beating procrastination.
But, if I can share a big one here, it’s to to recognize your body’s natural rhythm and make sure to play to your strengths when it comes to procrastination – do your hardest tasks when your body is most alert. I’m going to say it again – do your hardest tasks when your body is most alert.
Meaning, you identify when you are the most and the least productive, and your tasks should go into the calendar according to those optimal times.
Alright friends, we’re into spring now- let’s leave the winter behind us, embrace a new spring mindset, with new vitality and spring energy. I’m here to guide you.
And since we’re on the topic of stress, if you are wondering just how stressed you might be, go ahead and take my STRESS QUIZ for more insight.
Happy Monday,
