Guest Article Submitted by Jason, one of our intelligent and compassionate readers!
You wake up to the grating tone of the alarm. You stumble towards coffee or juice, shower, get dressed, and commute to work. 8 to 10 hours later, you stagger home, open the pantry or refrigerator, talk yourself into believing you are too exhausted to prepare anything, and grab a single serving of applesauce and a bag of popcorn. (Hey, at least it’s not completely unhealthy, right?) You watch a few hours of streaming television, then either fall asleep on the sofa or hurl yourself into bed. Next morning, repeat!
This admittedly fictitious but all-too-realistic scenario plays out for women everywhere. It’s even worse for those with family to care for. The thing is, many of them really do enjoy their jobs. They love their families. But they are completely — what is the word? — uninspired. Almost absent-mindedly, they find themselves treading along in a daily grind. You know you need a change, but what? Job? Spouse?
Whoa, there! Before casting guilt outward, look inward! You can only change and improve yourself. This is often the start of others reacting differently toward you. Control what you can, like your self-care and health habits — both can be great grind-busters. Anytime you need inspiration and “real talk,” you can find it at Candid Cassie.
Get out!
If you had lived back in the pioneer days, you likely would have witnessed at least one or more Traveling Medicine Shows. These “visiting variety shows” were actually fronts for hawking “magic tonics,” miracle elixirs that often contained alcohol and dangerous drugs. With medicine still in its crude and infant phase, it’s no wonder people were looking for something more. They didn’t realize they had as close to a magic tonic as civilization would ever see, and one we could never recreate: nature.
It’s true! Being outdoors lifts our spirits, which positively impacts our entire being. It creates a domino effect — as we feel less stressed, our heart rate lowers. We can then mitigate or even eliminate negative health conditions, like high blood pressure. These benefits are compounded by our motivation to move when outdoors — walking, running, bike riding, or an outdoor sport like golf or tennis. But don’t think you have to be some athlete to earn nature’s healthy bounty — you don’t! You just need to get out!
Create your own healthy environment
One of the best ways to exorcise the daily grind from your life is to create an environment where it can’t flourish. We’re not talking about the “environment” that is out your front door, but the environment that surrounds you, regardless of where you are — at home, at work, with family, and others you associate with, whether by choice or out of necessity.
At home, create the type of environment that is conducive to healthy habits, like exercise and healthy eating. In addition to your outdoor activities, find a quiet space indoors where you can meditate, do yoga, or engage in something more rigorous like weight-lifting. Use it as a quiet reading space, as well. While you may not believe you have the time to do any of this right now, as you slowly disengage yourself from your life-sucking habits, you will find yourself making the time, even if it means getting up just 15 minutes earlier to read a chapter of a good book.
Pack your pantry and refrigerator with healthy snacks. Online grocery shopping and delivery is something many of us got used to during the pandemic, and it’s a blessing for those now trying to create a healthy work-life balance in a still-confusing post-pandemic climate. If you still struggle with making a decent meal after work, browse for quick meal ideas, do your week’s meal prep on the weekends, or make extra to use leftovers later.
Ah, but what about work? Yes, you can create a healthy environment for yourself there, as well. Refuse to get caught up in office gossip or politics. If you manage other employees, take steps to minimize your stress, as much for their benefit as for yours. Use your lunch hour to eat outside. And for goodness’ sake, use your vacation days! Even one or two “mental health” days can help you reboot so that you’re operating on a full emotional tank when you return. And set healthy boundaries — make it clear that, unless it’s an emergency, you won’t respond to emails and texts at 10:30 at night. Then stick to it.
Hire daily inspiration
You will still have days of routine, and that’s a good thing! Routine gives us comfort, and it can help us stick to our goals. What’s important is that you make a commitment to “hire” inspiration to help you “fire” the daily grind and keep you out of its rut. These changes can help you do that.
Photo by Lukasz Szmigiel on Unsplash
*Note from Cassie: Thank you to Jason for reaching out! He is an advocate for exercise and mental health management; I am honored that he asked to write for the blog and introduce himself to the community!
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