Healthy Living in a Busy World
We live in a world that places value on productivity. Hustle Culture. The Grind. Much of our passive entertainment contains messages about becoming more, becoming better, about how to turn your hobby into a profitable venture. Our workplaces are the same, and many of us struggle with overwhelming to-do lists and not enough hours in the day. Our health is paying the price. So today, I’m sharing some of the strategies that I use as a therapist in my own life to foster healthy living in a busy world.
Back to Basics
Finding ways to incorporate self-care into your daily life is crucial. I know this is where I lose some of you, because you’re probably thinking “But the whole point is I don’t have time!” My days consist of therapy, case management and administrative work, staying on top of social media and marketing, all while caregiving for multiple family members and being a spouse and fur baby momma. Trust me, time is a precious commodity that I often don’t get enough of. So, on the days where there is just aren’t enough hours on the day, my self-care looks a little different than what we often hear described as “self-care.”
I go back to basics and make sure that I’m at least caring for my basic needs.
These are some areas I ask myself if I’ve done each and every day whenever I check in with myself:
The answer to each of these questions is an act of self-care. We don’t always have time to call a friend, go for a walk, take a bath, or meditate. But we all need to make time to ensure our basic needs are being met. It’s not an easy adjustment to make if you’re like me and tend to put everyone else’s needs before your own, but I promise you it isn’t one you can negotiate on. Not if you want to avoid illness, injury, or burnout.
More important - it’s the bare minimum of what you deserve.
Honour Your Body
Our bodies are fascinating and complex. Your body knows what it needs to function at its minimum and at its optimum. It is constantly making adjustments and performing a hundred tasks without being told to ensure that you stay healthy and functioning. It also is usually very good at asking for what it needs.
The problem? Some of us struggle to listen to these requests and honour what our body needs.
We hold a lot of stress in our bodies.
Even practicing these 3 steps can reduce our feeling of tension, stress, and help us relax.
It’s important to practise tuning into our body. If your feet hurt so much that it’s like they have a heartbeat of their own, sit down. If you’re shaky and lightheaded, sit down and eat something. Headache? You might be dehydrated or hungry or need a break. The more you fight against your body, the closer you are to hitting its limits.
Be nice to it. It’s trying to take care of you and keep you alive.
Moments of Stillness
Sometimes the best form of simple self-care is to practice mindfulness or gratitude. It doesn’t have to be complicated or involve setting aside a specific amount of time. You don’t have to listen to a guided meditation or find a dark, quiet spot somewhere. While I do encourage you to take breaks and there are many benefits to a meditation practice, sometimes that just isn’t feasible or realistic to your current schedule.
What you can do instead is try to find moments of stillness throughout your day. This is simply a chance to slow down for a moment and take at least a few deep breaths. I like to practice this in between tasks, and below are some examples:
Between therapy sessions or meetings, I close my computer screen, take a few deep breaths, and make sure I drink some water
For at least a few bites of my breakfast or lunch, I don’t engage in conversation or pick up my phone/computer. I just try to enjoy the feeling and flavour of whatever I’m eating.
Whenever I get in my car, I take a moment before starting the engine and driving
While driving, I spend at least a few minutes without listening to anything or speaking to anyone. Cars are a great opportunity for enforced time alone!
In the shower - just take a moment and notice how good that water feels, and remember that there is nothing else for you to do in that exact moment
Create Supportive Systems to Promote Balance
I saw a minimalist quote online once that read something like “I don’t have organization because I have time. I have time because I’m organized.” It’s always stuck with me and is something that has heavily influenced how I am living my life today. I used to be a sentimental keeper of things that, truly, weren’t actually ever serving me in any way. I had way too many clothes (although if you asked my husband, he’d probably tell you that I still do), mugs, movies - everything.
For a long time, it felt like I was constantly playing a game of catch up. It was exhausting. So, I made some changes and tried to focus on how to minimize the amount of work I was making for myself. I re-evaluated what I needed, what I was committing to, and began removing the things that weren’t on those lists. Doing the dishes becomes a lot easier of a task when you don’t have a hundred options before you run out and have to do them.
I also set up some routines in my home that actually made sense for our lifestyle. Instead of waiting for things to become “full” or “too bad”, I tackle small tasks each day on specific days. It takes the pressure off of me to get everything done all at once, without waiting so long that that task eventually becomes overwhelming. For work, I have certain times that are client-focused, and others that are admin-focused, which has helped me balance my days to spread out my responsibilities and commitments.
Boundaries
Last but not least, in fact probably the most important, are boundaries. If you are feeling overwhelmed by your life, chances are you have taken on more than you can reasonably handle. Sometimes life throws us curveballs and we find ourselves in situations outside of our control, but oftentimes this is due to the small choices we make each and everyday that eventually add up to more than we can handle.
In order to protect your health, you need to protect yourself. Your energy. Your time. Your wellbeing. Your resources. That means being honest with ourselves about our abilities and interests, and having to make some tough choices about how to live authentically to those wants and needs. It also means implementing and enforcing some boundaries.
Before you agree to do something, ask yourself this question: “By saying yes to this, what am I saying no to?” Saying no to yourself (whether that be time to do a hobby, rest, spend time with loved ones, etc) is something that I know I’m not alone in needing to work on.
Remember, you are more than your productivity. Protect your health! You are worth it.
