Keep it simple...
Miriam Briskin
?? Helping Government Contractors learn more about Growth, Efficiency, and Compliance to better serve their Clients???
I wrote this article in 2020 and wanted to share with my LinkedIn network. As I'm engaging more with my LinkedIn community, I'd love to give back!
Wellness is known in our society as a luxury and something we strive for to take care of ourselves, but this shouldn’t be the case.?Our wellness should be a priority! It seems so simple and attainable, yet so many of us are forgetting the basics.
“The?Global Wellness Institute ?defines wellness as?the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.
Before beginning anything new, I needed to fully center myself again to maximize my efficiency and productivity level and, most importantly, to be happy and get the most out of the next chapter in my life.?I needed to get back to the basics of exercising and eating healthy in order to begin this “health journey”.?One silver-lining of the Pandemic is that it has enabled us to hit the pause button and fully get acquainted with ourselves.
As I was searching and creating opportunities to start a new career, it was clear to me that being a?“stay-at-home-mom”?is the most demanding career there is! I often put pressure on myself thinking that if I wanted to be the best mom I could be I needed to be with my daughter 24 hours out of the day. We know this isn’t possible and I learned to get rid of the “mom guilt” associated wih putting my daughter in daycare. There can be positives and negatives for every choice we make. Every child is different and every family dynamic is different. I’ve learned to accept what is best for our family at this time and not compare to others.
If you are home with kids right now, it is the most difficult job and you must make time for yourself and not feel guilty about it. If you’re doing both right now in the middle of a pandemic – I see you! This is a hard time. Children are such a blessing and I am more than lucky to be a mom, but the months I spent full-time with one child I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for other amazing moms out there. You are doing an amazing job and deserve any moment you have alone without any feelings of guilt.
Before I start talking about self-care and wellness and what has been working for me, please know I am not a doctor or medical professional and things that work for me might not work for you! We are all different and have different lives and bodies.?The purpose of this post is to motivate and inspire you to think about what resources you might want to have in your life to help you each day.
Okay, let’s jump right it! The beginning of July of 2020 I knew we needed to make some changes so we started by having some conversations. I didn’t want a quick fix, but something that would fit into our lives and make it better for the long run. I’ve done Whole 30 before and that’s a great way to start and understand clean eating. We began two major things that have been monumental in bettering our physical and mental health. We started something called?Intermittent Fasting?mixed with daily?exercising. We knew we needed to make a better life for ourselves if we wanted to keep up with our fast-paced 2-year-old. This change has helped us in so many more ways that I would have every imagined. It stopped becoming a “goal to lose weight” and became a “health journey”. It’s so much more than what you look like, but about how you feel inside.
I wanted to learn more about Intermittent Fasting and started by watching?Cynthia Thurlow ’s Ted Talk. I immediately wanted more information and found her podcast, which I’m so into!
There are many different versions of it, but we do the 16:8 method. We fast for 16 hours and have an 8 hour eating window. There are several health benefits to fasting and it helps decrease calories. It’s not a way to lose weight necessarily because you can still eat a high amount of calories during your 8 hour window, but it’s less likely. We have breakfast at 10am, workout at noon and have a protein shake, eat healthy snacks if needed and then have dinner around 5:30pm. After 6pm we don’t snack or eat anything! During the fasting window you can have water, black coffee or tea. There’s tons of great resources on the internet if you google “intermittent fasting”, but I particularly thought that Cynthia and her Facebook group were very helpful.
The next piece of the puzzle is exercise. I needed something easy on my joints and muscles that would enable me to get back into movement. I got my amazing hubby on board to try YouTube workout videos with me. We made a goal that we would squeeze in one 15/20 minute workout to start every day. In the first week we found?Team Body Project ?and we’ve been hooked ever since! We love Daniel and Alex and the community Team Body Project has on Facebook. They are incredible and have such amazing videos. While it was a struggle to begin, now we look forward to our daily workouts. Their main message is?“Progress, Not Perfection”?and it works in all areas. We started with something like this:
After I covered the basics of finding a way to eat more healthy and having an exercise routine that worked for me I knew it was time to?slow down?and think about connecting my body and soul.
This is going to look different for everyone, but for me I started by sitting down and thinking about what I really needed. For me, I wanted to incorporate mindfulness daily. I knew I needed to train my brain to be more kind to myself. My husband and I had a look at our relationship and how we were affecting one another.
I took the course on?LinkedIn Learning?called The Six Morning Habits of High Performers . Here is a brief overview for some ideas:
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1.????Set a Timer and Meditate?– set an intention for days quiet time – what do you want to happen at the end of 10 mins
2.????Affirmations?– written statement that directs value
3.????Visualization?– Visualize yourself performing optimally – visualize the activity, not just the end result, see yourself doing it with a smile on your face
4.????Exercise?– 7 min workout (app)
5.????Reading?– Read every day – 5 pages a day
6.????Scribing?– Goal setting, journaling, 5 min journal
7.????Be at peace with where you are everyday?along that journey. Healthy sense of urgency. Embrace where you are. “If you’re alive, you’re perfect!”
I started using the?Calm.com ?app each morning. They have something called the “Daily Calm”. Before I start I make a list of my affirmations for the day (jot a quick note on my phone). Then I was able to focus and concentrate better. I was able to take my worries and anxieties and control them. I love sharing the Daily Calm Quotes on my Instagram Stories.
To incorporate reading (5 pages a day) I started with an?audible ?subscription and began?Burnout by Emily and Emelia Nagoski . So many parts of this book resonated with me and I kept thinking how much I need to share this book with other women (especially my teacher friends!). It surpassed my expectations and uses scientific research to talk about the physiological effects of stress and trauma. They have this phrase that we need to “complete the stress cycle” to fully move forward with our emotions. Your body must do something to know that it’s not stressed anymore – like exercise, taking a warm bath, etc. I like that they talk about how Wellness should not be something that we strive for, but a necessity of life.
One of my absolute favorite gems I found recently is someone named?Mel Robbins. Her?“Start Here” podcast series ?has completed so many of my stressors. It’s meant to be little pep talks that you can listen to over and over again and gives you strategies to deal with everyday issues.?Episode 3: Career?is so amazing!
Right now I’m really interested in Learning more from?Dr. Brene Brown?and her gift of understanding Vulnerability. I am currently listening to?The Power of Vulnerability?and it is incredible. It’s what I needed in order to open up and take the next steps in my life without hesitation or fear. She talks about how as a society we are disengaged and not connecting with one other because our shame has taken over. We are closed off and afraid to look weak. I can’t wait to continue listening to this! She also has a podcast.
I have learned over the past few months that this is such important work for yourself before you do anything. When we are bettering ourselves and taking time to love ourselves, we can fully appreciate life and spread love and kindness. During this process I have been able to help myself slowdown, which has been the greatest gift I could ever give to myself. Remember, even thought things have slowed down, it doesn’t mean your mind has slowed down. Take time for yourself to truly look inwards and listen to your thoughts and feelings.
Please take time for yourself and know that?you are worthy of love and being loved, especially from within.?Embrace your flaws and lean into vulnerability. Be fully present and engaged with those around you and know how precious life is. Difficult things happen to us all and we are not alone. Reaching out and asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Tears are strength.
What do you like to read or listen to? What books or podcasts have you completed lately? Comment or share with me!
Learning and Development/Performance Management/eDiscovery/Instructional Design/Career Coach
1 年As you know, I think teachers are GOLD too! I think teachers that have left the classroom make great team mates and have so much to offer- they just need a bit of help marketing themselves. Awesome you are helping other teachers transition. Sad to see teachers leaving the classroom, but hopefully it will help spark a wake up call. Educators have choices and should be treated well! So glad you are doing well and congratulations on the 2nd baby! :)