How many times have you finally started taking good care of yourself – eating healthy, exercising, getting more sleep – when all of a sudden, chaos hits?
- Your travel schedule kicks into high gear.
- Your best friend from college – and her two kids – drop in for an unexpected long weekend visit.
- That big project at work is down to the wire and the buck stops with YOU.
Life has other plans sometimes, just as we settle into an amazing self-care routine. (And with fall just around the corner, life is more likely than ever to get in the way of our best intentions.)
Staying consistent with healthy habits can be a pain in the a** when everything around you is anything but consistent.
But it doesn’t have to be an endless source of stress and an excuse for beating yourself up for “never being able to keep it up.” (Tell that nasty, little voice in your head to SHUT UP…or it will have to deal with me.)
Here’s what works for me.
When life gets crazy, go back to basics.
I think of self-care as “triage” during busy times. What do I absolutely have to do to keep myself together, and what can I let slide for a little while. If I let everything slide at once, I’m in trouble; but if I pick two or three things to focus on, I can usually manage until life settles down again.
For me, those things are sleep, nourishing food, and lots of water. (Not coincidentally, these are also the things that keep me from getting mad sugar cravings that I can’t resist.) I can scale back on exercise for a week or so without feeling too, too awful. Last week, when I was in NYC for a business retreat that required 120% of my energy, I opted for sleep instead of a run in the mornings…and still managed to slip in about 10 minutes of yoga each day to at least give my body something. (Oh yeah, and the pole dancing one morning. 😉 Your top two or three things might be different from mine, but you get the idea.
When you make food choices, focus on efficiency.
Choosing foods that give you the most nutritional bang per serving allows you to get the maximum benefit from every bite. And since remembering to eat during particularly busy times can be a challenge, choosing nutrient-dense foods like whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, and beans – things that give your body what it needs on less – is especially important.
Think of each meal as an opportunity to choose the most efficient form of energy…instead of wasting time on options that leave you tired an hour later and searching for more food.
Tune in and listen to your body.
Learn your body’s signals for “the point of no return” so you can course correct when necessary. For example, I can always tell when I’m about to tumble into a sugar binge cycle (usually when I get a little too relaxed about eating foods made from refined flour, like bread, baked goods, and pasta). If I’m tuned into my body, I stop just before the bite that will trigger the downslide. It takes practice to figure out what your tipping point is, so try to tune in before life throws you a curveball.
Give yourself permission to do what you need to do.
It’s tempting to put ourselves at the bottom of the priority list, especially when other people or things demand our attention. Remember to ASK for what you need! You might be surprised how supportive people are, especially if you’re in a better mood when you take care of yourself. 😉
Embrace the unknown.
Your body is more resilient than you think, especially if you’ve been in a steady routine for a while. I’m a big believer in cultivating a strong base whenever you can so you’re prepared when life takes unexpected turns. It’s sort of like preparing for a race: Trust that your training was enough and that it will see you through to the finish line.
Make a list of times that you kept up with your routine
…(or got back on track quickly afterwards), despite big changes or disruptions. Keep that list in your wallet or on your phone so you can look at it when you start to feel anxious. It’s the next best thing to having me on your shoulder, reminding you that you’ll be fine…because you’ve been fine before.
If there’s a theme here, it’s give yourself a freakin’ break! You’re doing the best you can…and that will always be enough. Keeping these six things in mind will make it just a little easier.
Now I want to hear from you! Tell me in the comments what you do to stay on top of self-care when life gets chaotic. The best conversations always happen when you jump in.
Consistently yours, 😉
