Finding time for self-care during workday busyness

Go Green | Healthy Living | Natural Self Wellbeing

We’re 3 months into the year and two days into the new week and while the hours keep rolling by the to-do list seems to grow in numbers and the minutes to breathe in the beauty of the African air becomes the dream of our 2020 goals: to have more time for self-care, more time for family, to find balance, a sense of calm and to live in the moment. If you are feeling that your days are filled with running to and from commitments at a lightening pace without enough time to enjoy those moments for the fleeting and precious seconds that they are, then you are not alone and we have three ideas to regain that sense of calm in your working week.

Green up your space

It’s no secret that at Boody we love the power of bamboo, and so we felt it would only be natural to include the calming qualities of plants in your day. Find a plant you love, create a space for it at work and plan a ritual to nurture it daily. There is something unique about the ability of a plant to encourage mindfulness and grounding. The act of wiping the leaves clean of any dust, of consistently watering and carefully pruning your plant can become a ritual you can turn to whenever you need to regain perspective and care for something outside of your own world. Just like waking up early can become a self-care habit, creating small routines that take you out of the rush of tasks confronting you and help refocus your attention onto something intrinsically connected to the bigger picture is a perfect way to maintain peace of mind at work.

Break up your day

Even if it means escaping to the toilet to find a moment of quiet or to meditate for a few moments, it’s surprising how well you can recharge and refocus your mind during your working day. Revive your senses with aromatherapy, a soothing hand cream or by listening to a song you love over short, regular breaks.

Use your lunch breaks to get fresh perspective, soak up some rays or invest some time in yourself. Popping out of your workspace for a bit can clear your mind and help press the reset button when things get busy. When you return to the office after a relaxing lunch break remember to turn your thoughts towards those positive experiences that made you feel centred and calm when you feel stress rise up.

Get up a bit earlier

If you dread going to work or the stress of the day ahead, it’s human nature to lay in bed and put off getting up until the last minute. Starting your day rushed feeds a feeling of stress and being on the back foot before it even starts. Beginning your day half an hour earlier and getting started with intention can make all the difference for maintaining calm in your workday.

Run with us a bit on this first point: imagine waking up, opening the curtains, popping the kettle on and laying back in bed for a couple extra minutes while you let your eyes adjust to the day ahead. Maybe you cook a hot breakfast (or rustle up some cereal if that’s your preference) have time to eat while sitting down, read a chapter of a book, take a walk or go to gym. If you have kids, picture a morning with a few moments to share between just you and your coffee mug before the busyness begins. Later in the day when the to-do list grows and your tension rises, try recall these moments of calm to reground you. Do you feel better about heading out to work after a morning for yourself? With a little intention it can be yours, every day.

There’s a lot of unknown going on in our world right now and, for many people, it is a time of learning how to balance new stresses of uncertainty with existing pressures of work, social dynamics and family life. So, while you navigate each day and each new stress that arises, help yourself to maintain a balanced perspective lined with hope and positivity by consciously creating space for yourself to regather, re-energise, reframe your mindset. Finding little routines that can slip easily into your day can help remind you of what is important, what brings you value, and how to live in a place of calm, even in the midst of workday busyness.

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