When we are busy, the first thing we throw out of the window is our well-being. Why? We don’t have the time! However, ignoring or neglecting our well-being does not save our time. It negatively affects our physical, mental and emotional fitness, which overwhelms us and makes things harder to achieve. I know this is the busiest time of the year for a lot of you: wrapping up 2018, planning for the new year, budgeting, performance evaluation, holiday shopping, etc. Therefore I want to share some quick and easy well-being tips for you to consider. They have done wonders for me, and, hopefully, it can bring more light and power into your daily life.

Get your Zzz in

I cannot emphasize enough how important sleep is. It wards off cold and flu, enhances our memory, and improves our creativity. If you want to be more productive during day, get your Z in at night! Prepare yourself for rest half an hour before your bedtime. Put your device away – you can read a book or listen to light music instead. If you’ve had too much going on during the day and your brain is still active, meditate for a few minutes to let those thoughts settle down. Lastly, sleep in a dark and relaxing environment to enhance the quality of your sleep.

Eat intuitively

Respect your hunger, respect your fullness, respect your body! Your body knows what you need at the moment, so listen to it and respect what it tells you. We tend to overeat when we are over-hungry. Likewise, when we are starving, we are less likely to pay attention to what we actually put into our mouth. Give yourself permission to slow down and eat a variety of food, to really taste them and enjoy the eating experience.

Every move counts

We are born to move, but you don’t need to run or go to gym every day. If you don’t find joy in exercising, it becomes a burden, another thing on the to-do list. Instead, build movement opportunities into your day: have a call outside while walking around the block, park your car a bit farther, take stairs instead of the elevator (if you happen to live on the 25th floor, take the elevator to the 20th floor), go to a different floor in the office building to use coffee machine, etc. Small movement builds up quickly and allows you to take mini breaks during the day.

Breatheeeeee

When you are stressed, overwhelmed or triggered, stop what you are doing, close your eyes, take three deep breath and tell yourself, “it will be okay”. Seriously, do it! We tend to be more reactive under stressful situations, which sometimes leads to action we later regret. If breathing is not helpful enough, maybe go out for a walk, vent to a friend, or even scream! Find your way of letting the emotion out instead of bottling it up.

Have some fun

What is the one thing that lights up your mood and makes you laugh? What is the one thing that challenges you and makes you feel accomplished at the same time? What is the one thing that brings you joy and makes you feel centered and grounded? Whatever that is, do it! Maybe it is watching a 20 minute comedy show, building a complicated Lego castle, or connecting with an old friend. Give yourself time and space to do it and magic will happen.

Honor your needs

We have various needs for our well-being: the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, etc. Sometimes those needs are all intertwined and we can’t readily grasp how to get them untangled. A lot of people, myself included, tend to eat more when we are sad or angry, but what we actually need is a hug or a cry. Ask yourself: what do I need? Giving yourself the gift of asking and answering that question allows you to check in and distinguish what is ACTUALLY going on at the moment. It might not be clear at the beginning, and that is completely normal. Keep asking and practicing to honor your needs.

Make it stick

Maybe, after reading this far, you are eager to try a new workout routine or set up a rigorous bedtime. I’d say go for it, but don’t forget to create a structure that makes it stick. You can hook the new thing to an existing habit; for example: meditate every day after your usual cup of coffee. You can also block off your calendar or set up an alarm for yourself. Or maybe you can buddy up with another person who wants to do something new as well. Creating a structure that serves you will make it last!