Top 5 Self-Care Techniques to Embrace

For a host of different professions—retail, marketing, service employees, and many others—the coming few months will contain a whole bunch of stress. The holiday sales season is upon us, and that means deadlines have to be met, orders have to shipped, customers have to be served, and they all have to be done now, or, better yet, ten minutes ago. To help cope, I thought I’d post out a few tips on how to continue being yourself, on how to maintain composure as work or whatever else gets weird.

1. Cheat on your diet every once in a while. You may have just finished running the Boston or Chicago Marathon, or you may have just finished your six-month-long cut so you could look great at the beach. Now that all those reasons for excess vanity are gone, go ahead and order a cheeseburger instead of a salad, a pizza instead of hummus and chips. This one dish is not going to go directly to your hips, but it might do a lot to care for your soul. And when they ask, “Fries with that?” Shout “HELL YES!” Just because you can.
2. Call in sick as a mental health day. You give all of what you have when you are at work. You take calls and orders, answer emails, execute projects, lead meetings, greet and fete clients, stock shelves, and whatever else. Every once in a while—and I’m only advocating this once a year or so—take a sick day to care for your mental health. Take that day just get under a blanket to watch Judge Judy or to play Call of Duty. It will do a ton to ensure that you feel better about work.
3. Meditate. This one is hard for me to advocate for, because I’ve only recently started doing it myself, but any form of concentrated centering of yourself and your energy will do wonders. Girls might find that they do this during yoga sessions. I, myself, engaged in a meditation class in Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood. Whatever form it finds, take time out to simply listen your body and your mind. You’ll be amazed at what you hear when there is no other white noise.
4. Engage in physical activity often. This one is clear cut for me. On days I don’t work out, I feel lethargic, grumpy, and unsuccessful. On days I do work out, I feel accomplished, energetic, and ambitious. Get outside or to a gym and move around a bit, it’s a great way to feel like you got something done regardless of how work is going.
5. Create, just because. This one might be tough because you may not yet have found the way you like to create. Personally, I find myself feeling great when I take the time to paint or write these articles. There’s nothing like starting with nothing and using your hands to create an object of value. Some people might find comfort in gardening, preparing an elaborate dish, woodwork, playing a musical instrument, or many other activities.

That’s all I have for today. Make sure you take time to think of yourself during this holiday season. It can be your gift to yourself!

Photo Credit