The 5 Minute Escape and other tips to recharge and rejuvenate yourself right now.
Spring has sprung and with it our schedules are starting to fill as well.I personally have found that I am very busy between Ironman training, work, obtaining my personal training certification as well as my CHHC, that I am starting to feel cumulative exhaustion.
You do not need to be in training for an Ironman to feel cumulative exhaustion, in fact I have felt this way before back when I was a student for my undergrad, then again for my MBA. It popped back up when I was buying a house with my husband, and again when we adopted our first dog. Life events mean stress even if they are positive.
When we allow our daily stressors to build up, bit by bit, without recovery or taking time for SELF CARE we becoming tired and slowly start to teeter into that dark hole of exhaustion.
Prevention is the best medicine in this case, however even if you are finding yourself at exhaustion's doorstep here are some quick and easy self care tips to get you out of the hole, and to keep you from it to begin with.
GROUND YOURSELF
Walk outside barefoot - palms up to the sun, and soak it all in for a few minutes. This helps restore Vitamin D as well as cleanse the mind. Grounding, or Earthing, is a method by which you touch yourself against the Earth in order to restore electron balance in your body. Interested in finding out more? Here is an article explaining why grounding is a good for you thing to do.
5-MINUTE ESCAPE
Take a 5-Minute Meditation/Breathing break. The options are endless with the new applications for all types of devices. Currently there are apps with guided meditations, guided yoga sequences, and useful breathing tools all focused on re-centering and allowing you to find your breath. Taking even just 5 minutes to escape what is going on can have a huge return on investment. Here is some information on what happens to the brain when you meditate.
My favorite application right now is the GPS for your Soul app for iPhone and Android.
SMELL THE ROSES
See the above chart larger here.
Be careful to use therapeutic grade oils, and to always use a carrier oil if being used on the skin. Unless working with a trained practitioner, it is best NOT to ingest the oils - and NEVER ingest non-therapeutic grade oils no matter what.
I personally have lavender oil on my nightstand for bedtime, as well as peppermint oil at my desk to help with headaches and as a mid-day pep me up. I keep a lavender decorative pillow at work also to keep me calm when I start to stress out. I use a type of "thieves" oil for germ fighting. I prefer Plant Therapy brand oils. They are a fraction of the price of other brands out there (such as the direct service oil company Young Naturals) but they are of the same quality! I have used both and see no difference between them outside of price. You can find them online at Amazon here.
Some of my favorite pep me ups are to add a few drops of peppermint oil to my hair in the shower in the morning or to an unscented lotion for a mid-day pick up. Mix a few drops of peppermint oil into a carrier such as coconut oil, unscented lotion, etc and rub on tired feet to re-awaken and refresh after a long day or workout. Also peppermint oil on tired legs is amazing!
UNPLUG AND RECHARGE
While not the best long-term solution, a quick nap can help dig you out of a sleep deficit short term.
Try picking one or two things and making them a apart of your daily ritual. It takes 21 days to make something true habit, so do not feel bad if making even small changes seem difficult to stick with short term. One day it will seem like second nature and you will be ready to SHINE!
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