What self-care practices can you use to stay focused and motivated?

Negative stress comes from overwhelm. Your nervous system is telling you: "Till here and no further." Listening to the cues is crucial. Your body tells you: — You're irritable. — Easily angered. — You feel drained. — You can't concentrate. Sometimes stressors are people. Sometimes, there are too many responsibilities.

Identifying stressors is crucial. Regular self-care practices are vital for focus and motivation. This includes setting boundaries, engaging in physical activities to relieve stress, and making time for hobbies and relaxation. Prioritize sleep, nutrition, and hydration for cognitive function and emotional regulation. Cultivate mindfulness practices like meditation or journaling to enhance self-awareness and manage stress. Connect with friends, family, or a support group for comfort and perspective. By incorporating these self-care strategies, you can build resilience, maintain focus, and enhance well-being and performance.

If you’re really passionate about what you’re doing, you shouldn’t feel the stress. But if you do feel any stress, start identifying the reasons behind that. What’s exactly causing that stress? Is that something to do with your job or workplace? The first step can be to take some measures by yourself such as taking out time for practising mindfulness, gratitude, and physical exercise or focusing on a hobby that relaxes your mind. If you aren’t able to come up with a solution, the 2nd step is to have a 1-on-1 conversation with your manager and explain them what you’re going through. A great manager would always suggest you with ways to come out of it. Or maybe just talk to your best friend and share what you are feeling.

Once you've identified your stressors, it's crucial to find out why they stress you in the first place. Stress is an internal response to an external situation. So once you figure out why an event is so stressful for you, it's much easier to dampen its impact. Possible reasons include: - Fear of failure - Fear of rejection - Fear of losing your work and going broke - Perfectionism - Making your self-worth dependent on your work Asking yourself "why" you're stressed a few times and what you're actually worried about will help you deal with it in a much healthier way. Always remember - it's not the external, but your internal response that stresses you out. This is good news because it gives you the power to change.

One reason personal development can become stressful is overcommitting to too many tasks or activities. Mentors should track the progress of their mentees and set realistic goals and expectations for them.

Setting boundaries, when done properly, can be incredibly freeing and will ultimately strengthen your personal and professional relationships. A good way to think of the boundaries we are talking about is that of a chainlink fence rather than an impenetrable cement wall. Before you begin setting your boundaries, you must first decide what those boundaries are. Set aside a time to understand your physical, emotional, and mental boundaries. It doesn’t have to be a treatise. Just know what you will and will not allow in your personal and professional life. Understand that these boundaries are not carved in stone and you have every right to change as you see fit.

Let's consider an example from LinkedIn: every day, we receive more than 10 direct messages (DMs) about onboarding as a TEDx speaker, mentor, or panelist. Sometimes, we lack the expertise required, or the requests don't align with our expectations. However, things can go wrong when we say "Yes" to every request in our DMs.

Setting healthy boundaries is crucial for maintaining focus and motivation. By clearly defining limits on work hours, tasks, and commitments, you prevent overwhelm and burnout. For example, if you establish a rule not to check emails after a certain time in the evening, it allows for dedicated relaxation and family time. This structured approach ensures that work-related stress doesn't spill into personal life, promoting mental well-being and sustaining motivation in both professional and personal endeavors.

I would like to offer the perspective of replacing "boundaries" with "standards" because the former could be excluding people. I believe in "how you do anything is how you do anything" because we humans are creatures of habits and patterns. If you use "boundaries" for yourself with your own tasks, you most likely use it with people. "Standards", however, signals what behavior you tolerate and dont tolerate. If someone changes behavior, or the conditions for a task changes, you can be open to the possibility and outcomes of the opportunity, instead of excluding it from your life

Setting healthy boundaries is important. For myself I set aside one hour everyday to ensure I take a full break from my desk and screen and listen to music, meditate, work out or go swimming. Do something active to engage something other than my work head. Also setting boundaries around picking up emails after work hours is important. So switching off your work phone after a certain time to prevent you reading emails or 'Oh I quickly need to respond to this' and next minute you know you're 30 minutes later. Set healthy routines and use that downtime to pursue other passions.

Self-care is all about nurturing the body, mind, and soul. All three are connected and equally important. When we neglect one, the others are influenced too. Practice the 20/20/20 rule to ensure you pay attention to your overall well-being. Exercise for 20 minutes, learn something new for 20 minutes, and meditate for 20. This is an easy way to nourish your body, mind, and soul.

I recommend everything that builds resilience. If you apply artificial and structured stress to the body and brain, they adapt and build greater capacity. Here are a few ways how to do that: 1) Progressive strength training 2) Extended Breathholds 3) Cold exposure 4) Heat exposure Ditch sugar. It depletes your energy rather than filling your batteries.

Here are a few tips to help you incorporate self-care into your hectic schedules. Firstly, try to set aside a certain amount of time each day for some form of exercise or physical activity – such as a brisk walk in your lunch break or yoga before bedtime. Secondly, strive to create work/life balance; include leisure activities such as hobbies and socializing with friends to give your brain some downtime from the long hours at work. Finally, don’t forget to eat well; there are plenty of recipes available online offering healthy and nutritious meals which can fit into anyone’s daily routine.

Assim como fazemos uma faxina em nossa casa quando ela está suja, em nosa mente e emo??es precisamos agir de igual forma. A correria do cotiniano, em sua maioria das vezes, nos coloca no piloto automático, o que nos leva a acumular algum tipo de lixo mental e emocional. Paradas estratégicas de refazimento e para rever nosso eu s?o extremamente salutares.

Ter saúde física e mental s?o alicerces para tudo na vida. Todos sabemos o que se deve comer e beber... Exercícios regulares e sono suficiente tambem s?o fundamentais. Qualquer desequilíbrio nessa parte é a porta de entrada para problemas mais sérios em todas as áreas da nossa vida. O que funciona para mim s?o as práticas de aten??o plena e medita??o. Sinto que aumentam a "resiliência mental". Eu gosto de correr e pedalar. Recomendo.

We feel (and convince ourselves) that we are far to busy for a hobby. The reality is we habitually waste time creating the illusion that we are far busier than we really are. In fact, being busy has become a “badge of honor” that identifies ourselves as being important and needed. A hobby needs to serve 3 purposes: -A distraction or diversion from your daily work-life -An activity that you enjoy doing -An activity that enriches and challenges the mind or body

While dedication and hard work are important, it's equally crucial to take care of our mental and emotional well-being. Better way to do that than by indulging in your passions and hobbies. ?? Personally, I have found writing to be a form of self-care that brings me peace, improves my thinking process, and enhances my productivity. Whether it's through journaling, creative writing, or even writing LinkedIn posts . The act of putting my thoughts onto paper allows me to reflect, recharge, and refocus.

A hobby needs to serve 3 purposes: -A distraction or diversion from your daily work-life -An activity that you enjoy doing -An activity that enriches and challenges the mind or body Choosing a hobby shouldn’t be difficult or stressful. Look into your past. Was there something you enjoyed as a child that you might still enjoy as an adult? Are there projects around your home that you gave up?

Face it, life is not just about work. A balanced life means ensuring you have enough time every day and every week to do something that you love. To start, think through what are your top Priority Pillars? In other words, what are the things that if taken away, would devastate you? Most people would list 'family' at the top, yet how much focused, quality time each day are you actually investing in your family? Similarly, you might list some of your passions on this list, and again, audit your time to see how much you're actually spending on your passions. Your time needs to be balanced among your priorities, otherwise you'll be on the road to an unfulfilling, stressful, burned-out life.

Como mencionei antes adoro correr e pedalar. S?o formas de extravasar. Tente se engajar em atividades que você ama. é importante para manter a saúde mental e emocional. Essas atividades fornecem uma saída para o estresse, incentivam a criatividade e promovem um sentimento de satisfa??o. Arrume tempo regular para paix?es e hobbies pode atuar como uma forma de terapia ocupacional, reduzindo a ansiedade e melhorando o humor. é uma maneira de se reconectar com o que traz alegria e significado à vida.

From experience, I have realised that connecting with the right people is essential for growth and development. You ought to connect with people who are not only supportive but those who challenge you to stay focused on your path to success. Personally, I got a bit distracted in my pursuit because at a point, it seemed I was a bit comfortable within my cycle. Almost all my friends thought I was doing well. However, after a while, I felt stagnant. I had to push myself to connect with others who were doing better than I was to gain more inspiration, stay focused and achieve more. Also, I have a mentor who reminds me on not only the good things about me but those I could get better at as well. This has proven to be key in my growth.

You naturally gravitate towards people who are similar to you. This is a subconscious thing. For growth, consciously choose to surround yourself with people who embody who you want to become. Just being in their energy field, interacting with them and seeing their worldview is enough to change the trajectory of your life. Same goes for people who you don't want to become. Spend enough time with them and you will begin to behave similarly. Be careful who you spend time/energy on.

Connecting with supportive individuals in your niche can open many doors for you. LinkedIn can help identify these individuals, allowing you to send them connection requests. In today's world, many things are prioritized based on quantity rather than quality. Overdoing things can become a cycle without a solution.

Someone has rightly said: “You become an average of the top 5 people you are surrounded by.” And so connect with people who can help you become a better version of yourself and not the ones who make you even more toxic than yesterday. Those are the people who would always want you to grow in life. They would try to go out of the way to make time for you and help you wherever they can. You can start building a strong community of people in different ways: - Having a great mentor/coach in life - Becoming a part of like-minded communities - Connecting yourself with purposeful and impactful individuals around you. - Having friends and family who can back you up in tough times - Finding a life partner who can make you a better person

The people you surround yourself with have a huge impact on your life, even if you aren't aware of it. You as a human are a creature of habits and patterns, and you pick up and model behaviors, thoughts and beliefs from others. Thuse, consciously choose to be with the people who lift you up, who can hold you to a higher standard so that you get to live the life you want

Many times, in our pursuit of improvement, we inadvertently overlook our starting point and the distance we've covered. We often dwell more on our failures and missteps than on our successes. Redirect your focus to the positives—take a moment to celebrate the small victories. It could be as simple as jotting down your achievements for the day, sharing your success with a friend, or even as simple as acknowledging a win. Cultivating a habit of recognising these small wins fuels motivation and contributes significantly to long-term success.

Often ignored, but one of the most important things to do is to take breaks and recognize what you have achieved. The year-end is the best time to acknowledge the efforts and milestones you have reached. Enjoy your time off!

Small wins can also lead to more significant successes because they create a positive feedback loop. When you achieve a small win, you feel good, which motivates you to keep going. As you build momentum, you become more focused and productive, which can lead to even more significant successes.

Give your brain a break! When getting exhausted and disfocused, do this little trick for 2-3 minutes: - go away from your laptop - choose an activity, e.g. open the window for some fresh air, make a coffe/tea, stand up and strech - while doing this activity focus on what you hear/smell/see/taste/inner breathing/sensation with your skin - if your focus wonders, bring it back to your sensation - if it help switch every 20 minutes (e.g. focus on your tasting for 20 minutes then choose something to examine with your eyes for another 20) Whenever you focus on these, your brain rests. Staying in the present moment is most refreshing activity you can do.

Being too busy - chasing the next big thing - forgetting our achievements & focusing on what is missing - comes from a place of LACK. We are great at celebrating other - but not ourselves! The shadow side of this mindset is that you always look at what is missing. ? What is wrong ? Where there is a gap & ? Miss how far you have come. It may be inbuilt or due to a critical parent, partner, boss or friend. [Yes, I've experienced them all] Unlock your potential by celebrating every win. It's proven to boost motivation. You're fueling your future success. Success isn't an end, it's a launchpad.

Research by DeskTime found that the 10% most productive people take “defocus” breaks about every 90 mins for a total of 90 mins per day. Here’s how: 1) Get into panoramic vision: Look at something 20 feet away for 20-60 secs. It’s one of the best ways to replenish your focus & motivation. 2) Get into optic flow: Take a walk around the office or block for 5-20 mins. This puts you into self-generated forward motion and optic flow, recharging your focus & motivation. 3) Have proper lunch breaks: Research shows that the best lunch breaks allow you to detach from work physically and mentally. To detach physically, get away from your desk. To detach mentally, don’t talk about work throughout lunch. Pro tip: leave your phone at your desk.

Presence is power ?? Here's what I recommend: 1) Build your mindfulness muscle by spending at least 15 mins doing something you truly enjoy. 2) Start your day with a morning routine. It can be anything that helps you connect with yourself. For eg - Yoga, meditation, journaling, chanting, drawing etc 3) Build a connect with your body. Use your body to move from your head to heart. 4) Cultivate Breathwork in your daily life to center yourself 5) Feed your joy. When you take time out to nurture your joy, you are less likely to distract yourself.

People like the feeling of winning. You can use this to your advantage whether you are leading a team or it's your own work. The best way to beat stress is from action. We tend to get stressed and overwhelmed when our workload feels unmanageable. When that happens, simply write out what you have to do. Circle ONE small action from that list and complete that task. By completing that task, you get a get a quick win and a dopamine release that feels good. Keep repeating that and you can get back on track. Works every time.

Answer the questions: Why it is really important for you? What additional value would this action/activity/result/etc. create for you? Work on your vision, values and value - you'll find your real motivation and the answer why it is important for you to stay focused.

Attention is your currency. Focus and motivation aren't activated by the flick of a switch. You have to dig deep and overcome your old patterns, beliefs and habits. Self-care is about devotion to becoming the greatest version of yourself. That isn't an easy feat. Comfort is cheap and it will reel you back in with temptation. Prioritise who you are becoming over who you've been.