All over the world people awake and let a sense of obligation override their sense of physical, mental, and spiritual self-awareness.
They focus on what they have to do, instead of centering on what they need to do for reasonable healthy self care or setting an upbeat vibe for an excellent day.
Upon waking it only takes a few moments to pinpoint things for which we are grateful or that will help us grow our humanity, or urge us forward in being the best version of ourselves. You only need to ponder on one, maybe two, things to feed your soul and nourish your well-being. You can ground yourself with a few minutes of meditation, prayer or ruminating on a meaningful question. Benjamin Franklin asked himself this question every morning: What good shall I do today? To connect with what matters, take inspiration from any of these questions.
At first, it might feel selfish to seize a few minutes for yourself. In the the full scope of everything you want to realize for yourself - maintaining health and phyicality, flourishing as a human being, living with purpose, enjoying real happiness, or achieving your dreams, these moments are not an indulgence. They are as necessary to your well-being as breathing or nourishing your body.
Throught the day there are several things that transpire that can either boost your well-being or push it to decline. You may not be aware of just how impactful these influences can be on your overall wellness. You do not have to implement massive changes. There are clear-cut and easy things you can do to tweak your choices and activities and these simple things will enhance your well-being physically, emotionally and spiritually. Even if your mind, body and spirit are even a little out of sync, maybe its time to stop doing things you’ve been doing, and start
doing new things. Let's delve into some of the key influences that could be a factor for you. If so, use one or more of the ideas to help you fine-tune your day and achieve better balance.
1. Pledge to be extra kind to yourself
2.
Recognize that the best version of yourself should be your vision, not
anybody else’s
3. Ground yourself with a morning routine
4. Save and restore energy with breath
5. Fit in activity and relaxation breaks
6. Stroll in nature; scope out new scenery
7. Do things you love
8. Fitness does not need to be painful
9. Foster positive coping
10. Learn to say ‘No’
11. Accept help from other people
12. Set and honor boundaries
13. Make a clean break
between work and home life
One of the best things you can do is be kind to yourself. In other words “cut yourself some slack”. This does not mean you give yourself permission to lounge all day on the sofa eating fudge or spend endless hours shopping online. Quite, the contrary! Like drinking when thirsty or eating when hungry you should boost your well-being by consciously treating yourself with respect and compassion, out of the kindness of your heart.
Discomfort, stress, making mistakes, disappointment, loss and pain are all genuine parts of the human journey. In fact, in order to feel fully alive and grow as an individuals, you do have to experience them. You should not have to hide or compensate for for feeling these things or grappling with them. You should be kind to yourself instead of letting your internal monologue get into an emotional tug-of-war alternating between judging yourself too harshly and knowing you should be self compassionate.
Being kind to yourself means:
Try to think of your difficult emotions and thoughts as data, valuable information about who you are and what really matters. Self-compassion allows you to acknowledge and accept all of your feelings, even when they are negative. Self-compassion can lead to greater emotional resilience helping you to not exaggerate your distress or become engulfed by it.
You can waste a lot of energy trying to live up to what somebody else wants you to be or or trying to imitate some celebrity on TV. It can also be tempting to think about the best version of yourself as some intangible point in the future. Wouldn't it be much more interesting and fun and a whole lot easier to be just you?
To make immediate progress, launch the best version of you when you wake up!
Make a list of the three most important things you have to do today that will make the largest impact on you being your best self. Do that every morning and be conscious of doing them. You can also make progress by:
You are capable of daily greatness, a greatness, prized only by you, in realizing your awareness, acceptance, engagement, and satisfaction. In that greatness, whatever that version of yourself happens to be, you can nourish your well-being and flourish which is what happiness is all about.
Establish a morning routine that does not center on work. Starting your day with a routine that is intentional will set the tone for the entire day – it grounds you. Your routine might include a shower, putting on clothes that are not pajamas, eating a healthy breakfast. One thing that is critical is that you do something you love!
Four things about a morning routine are worthy of your attention.
Did you know that your breathing acts like a barometer for how well you are feeling? You can use it like a tool to shift gears or change your mood. When you feel under pressure, deep-breathing while paying attention to thoughts and sensations in a non-judgmental way can be helpful.
It can be very challenging to talk yourself out of a state of mind. However, if you calm your nervous system, which is what you do with breath, then your mind will start to calm as well. Explore “Intentional Breathing Exercises”.
Do you let work consume you? Short activity breaks can improve your energy, mood, sleep, and health, which in turn reduce anxiety, stress, and depression. When you return back to your work after a break, you will be full of new ideas and fresh energy to move forward.
Ideally, you should take a 1-5 minute rest or relaxation break after ninety minutes of intense work.
Learn more One-Minute Pauses to Recharge your Brain.
You will feel less stressed and can focus more on wellness when you purposefully detach from work and your workspace to enjoy a 15-minute break at least twice per day.
When you can, fit in longer breaks, you might want to engage in a side project, something you always wanted to pursue. Maybe it is doing something productive outside of work that makes you happy and helps you become a better version of yourself.
True, a stroll in nature could be included as a relaxation break but this activity deserves special attention. Nature is one of the best antidotes to shift attention away from work-related or stress-induced issues. There is no better way to recover from cognitive overload than to get outside and focus on your body and engage with warm sunshine or a cooling snowfall. Leave your phone at home. Take your lunch outside. Noticing the varying colors of nature, listen to songbirds or a drizzling rain. Walking barefoot on cool grass is much better than a regular lunch break.
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This is another thing that deserves special attention. Some things like grocery shopping or washing a floor you may do out of necessity. When you are bored you might do something productive: water plants, clean out drawers or make plans for a week-end excursion or Netflix party. You may congratulate yourself for another productive day at home and then sit back to relax with a glass of wine or fun cocktail as you watch a movie.
Are you so absorbed in your long to-do list, productivity and other responsibilities that you are forgetting to give yourself time to do something you enjoy outside of responsibility. It is crucially important for remote workers to make time to do things they love, whether that be reading, catching up with more friends or indulging in hobbies, sports or leisure activities.
Even in an ergonomic space, prolonged sitting and working at a computer places excessive stress on muscles making your back, shoulders, neck, wrists and hands stiff and sore. One trick to encourage moving is to take a phone call while walking around the house or leaving your phone in another room so you are forced to get up to check messages.
You could set a reminder to remind your body it is meant to move. Frequent stretching can help keep you comfortable while you work. Still, stretching is not enough. Your health will falter if you do not make an effort to engage in some kind of physical activity. If you’ve been experiencing nagging aches and pains, this is the perfect time to put in the work necessary to build the foundational strength and stability required to resolve these issues before they accelerate into something more seriously debilitating.
Fitness does not need to be painful. You do not have to spend hours in a gym or force yourself into monotonous or painful activities to experience the physical and emotional benefits of exercise. You can get fit in the confines of your home. If you have difficulty establishing an exercise routine or going to the gym, start by ditching the “all-or-nothing attitude”. Even adding modest amounts of physical activity to your weekly routine can have a profound effect on your mental and emotional health. Try short five, ten, or fifteen minute bursts of activity.
Start your day with a stretch. In the middle of the day, if you are not inclined to skip rope or do squats, you could establish a routine that includes one or more of the following:
Physical activity helps increase delivery of oxygen to your brain and helps you build and maintain a healthy immune system by promoting good circulation. Remember to do some deep breathing exercises, too. Everything you do for your physical health overflows into benefits for your mental health.
Self-isolation and curtailed social activities can escalate your stress levels which can lead to fear or anxiety. Our research shows that people use a wide variety of coping strategies in new and stressful situations. Some, such as increased alcohol consumption or overeating are not very healthy. What do you do when the fitness center is closed and sharing a dinner with friends in a favorite restaurant is not feasible?
What did our remote workers say on the subject of coping?
Not surprisingly, meditation, yoga and mindfulness exercises were included on their list of copy strategies. Topping the list was a daily walk and walking in nature followed by daily human contact such as phoning or face-timing with friends and family.
Which individuals can you connect with? Even if you are introvert you need to have a sense of social connection to support your sense of self-worth, security and happiness. Asking this question helps you avoid unintended isolation through work and can get you not only to strengthen existing bonds, but to explore new ones. You might see opportunities to help others and do good that you'd otherwise miss. If isolation is an issue for you try to connect to someone different every day or to have deeper conversations with those you know.
Their other suggestions centered on healthy habits which are linked to how you feel while working:
You can be very accommodating to people, saying ‘yes’ to whatever they need, even when it is not in your best emotional interests. Sometimes that little word no is the hardest to say. “I don’t think I can” or “I’m not certain” do not mean the same as saying a flat out “no”. It is OK to say it!
Think about the anguish, stress, and resentment that saying yes has caused you. Would it have been much easier and straightforward to just say no in the first place?
The word “no” should be something that you decide on your own, based on your own judgment. It is important to manage people’s expectations, so if you can’t take something on and give it 100 percent, then you know it is better to not do it at all. Besides, saying “no” honors your existing commitments to colleagues and clients.a
Here are 8 ways for you to say 'NO' in a polite manner:
Don’t let your pride get in the way. Whenever necessary, do not hesitate to reach out to senior management or health workers to ask questions or seek assistance. Most successful people needed help along the way, too. You can also help other people become the best version of themselves through helping others. You’ll find it helps you stay motivated and the lasting connections you build from being helpful to others will benefit you moving forward.
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Communicate expectations with anyone who will be home with you. Make sure any roommates, siblings, parents, children and spouses respect your time and space during work hours. Establish boundaries and rules for friends and neighbors. Plan to schedule frequent short periods of time for your young family during your work day; it may be easier for them to reciprocate with less intrusive behavior.
Be conscious and respectful that others may work at different times than you do. For some it might be a child’s nap, for others it might be when their partner is cooking dinner. If they have not communicated their preferences or their availability schedule, ask for it. Keep it as reference for future contact. If you slide into your desk chair on a Sunday afternoon and you wind up checking work emails and answering clients, remember that you’re also putting yourself in a place where people may reasonable assume you are happy to respond to a message outside your traditional office hours.
In five studies, a Harvard Research project revealed: “Senders of after-hours work emails underestimate how compelled the receiver of that email feels to respond right away, even when such emails are not urgent.” Be conscious of sending work emails during office hours, so that you do not make it difficult for your supervisors, colleagues, and employees to maintain boundaries.
You remember that grounding yourself with a morning routine that is intentional will set the tone for the entire day? When your day ends, make sure it ends. Do things that are intentional to establish a clear break between work and home.
Let your coworkers know that you are not available until XYZ time tomorrow. Sign out of your email and apps. Close down your computer. Hide it away if you have to. Stride confidently out of your work space and reward yourself for a fulfilling productive day (enjoy a walk in nature, tea on the patio, a couple spoonfuls of ice cream, or face-time with mom and dad).
Spend the rest of your day enjoying your life and doing things you love. By mentally and physically removing yourself from work and getting a good night’s rest you will be re-energized and inclined to hit the ground running again the next day.
Swings are fascinating inventions that thrill us. We gravitate to them at playgrounds and at cirque du soleil. We find many Snapchat worthy moments whether we experience the childlike joy of playing on a swing, the laid-back serenity of a hammock, or the adrenaline rush of the carnival's flying swings. Swings are amazing and we do talk about them.
In fact, a swing might be the perfect metaphor for connecting to the fundamental truths in life and staying focused for remote work.
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