My Wellness Warriors

Learn the Benefits of Dry Brushing

Have you heard about dry brushing?  Take a moment and learn the benefits of dry brushing.

Want to give it a try?  This is a great video of how to do it.  Give it a try and comment on how you feel after trying it for a week or so.

 

Sleep Tight!

Do you get enough sleep?  It's so important to your overall health - physical, mental, and emotional - to get enough sleep.  You need it to repair and rest every system in your body.

 

 

When you don't get enough sleep, your cortisol levels shoot up and you spend the entire day in "fight or flight" mode. That can easily translate into craving caffeine and sugar. That makes sense. If you think you're about to be attacked by a bear, you need all the energy you can. But there's no bear threatening us in our work from home lifestyle.  It's generally just stress, worry, deadlines, anxiety, or loneliness.

 

The "AutoSleep" app connects my AppleWatch to my iPhone.  It's a great way to track daily sleep habits. It requires charging your watch before bed and wearing it to bed each night, but that also provides some great data you can use to discover what helps you get your best night's sleep.  For me I get my best sleep when: a) the dogs don't bother me; b) I stop drinking fluids about 3-4 hours before bedtime so I'm not up all night peeing; c) no caffeine after lunch; d) no sugar; e) most important of all - a good workout.  

 

Are you getting enough sleep?  What can you do to change that?  Please let me know your best tips!

 

 

What I'm Doing for Lent This Year

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Pandemic's still going

We're on to year two!

 

 

Pandemic fatigue is a real thing and people are really suffering. So for Lent this year, instead of asking people to give something up, whether you follow Lent or not, I'm going to recommend that for the next 40 days you add something, do something, some very small step or action that is beneficial to you.

 

Here are some suggestions:

 

• Keep a gratitude journal
• Do a mindfulness practice
• Focus on your breathing
• Take a nap
• Don't do the dishes. Give yourself permission to not do the dishes
• Pet your dog
• Pet your cat
• Go for a walk
• Get some sunshine
• Get your crayons or pencils out and color
• Do something creative
• Do something that brings you joy - 10-15 minutes a day
• Just find some time for you.

Because we've already sacrificed enough this past year. I don't think we really need to give up anything else. I think we need to start giving back to ourselves and filling our own fuel tank.

 

That's my message for today. Hang in there. Have a good day. Make it a good one and don't forget to do your daily dance.

Don't Keep It All Bottled Up

 

Wednesday Words of Wisdom

Feel all the feels. It’s been an interesting few months, to say the least. How are you doing emotionally?

Who do you talk to?
How are you reacting?
How are you over reacting?
How are you not reacting?
Are you in a funk?
Are you depressed?
Are you doing OK?
What is your release?
What are you doing to get by?
What are you doing to thrive?
What are you doing to survive?
What are you doing to show yourself some love?

Remember to let it all out somehow. Speak to that special person. Speak to a professional. Please don’t keep it all bottled up.

Focus on the Things You Can Control

Most fear is about things we cannot control.  Let those things go!

Work on the things you can control.  

Shifting your focus can have a dramatic effect on your peace and serenity!  

Six Relaxation Techniques to Reduce Stress

These are stressful times.  We need to work on reducing stress and anxiety brought on by the coronavirus.

Fortunately, the experts at Harvard Medical School published this article with six relaxation techniques you can use  to reduce stress. Practicing even a few minutes per day can provide a reserve of inner calm.

So read this article and try to find at least one item you can incorporate into your day to help relieve stress.

Sitting All Day = Tight Hips

The office chair.  Seems pretty innocuous, right?  But sitting all day could be the top reason your hips and hamstrings are so tight.

Of course, most of us sit at a desk all day, and don't really have much of a choice.  But there are things you can do to break up all that sitting.  Get up at least once an hour and go to the break room or the bathroom.  Walk for a few minutes.

Take time to stretch your hips and hamstrings.
Exercise.
Stand while working if you can.
Break it up.
Don't slouch.
Use one of the big ball chairs.
Practice yoga for greater flexibility.

Here's a great article from Self magazine with 12 Hip Stretches Your Body Really Needs.  These simple stretches can help you feel better now.  If you do them regularly, you will definitely feel a difference.

Work Office Fun and Games

Work can be rewarding, but it can also be stressful. There are so many great ideas to keep things fun and lighthearted at work.

Vetter offers Nine 1-minute games to cut stress and raise morale for employees.

Check them out.  They look like fun distractions to keep people laughing, loosened up, light hearted and filled with camaraderie and team building.

OK. Who is going to bring the dried beans and chickpeas to work?

8 Areas of Self Care

 

Have you heard about self care?  It's a very important part of wellness.  We often give so much to everyone else around us, that we have nothing left to give ourselves.  It's not only important, it's critical, that we take time for ourselves. My mother saying "You can't love anyone else, if you don't love yourself."  This same rule applies with care.  "You can't take care of anyone else, if you don't take care of yourself."

Here's a great article from Habits for Well Being that explains fully the 8 Areas of Self-Care.  Please read it (or listen to it) and think about at least one area where you could improve your self care today.

Reduce Eye Strain with the 20-20-20 Rule

In today's world, we all stare at screens 24-7 (or nearly all day long).  Eye strain is becoming a huge issue.  Have you heard of the 20-20-20 Rule?

20-20-20 Rule:

Every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away (or more) for 20 seconds

You can read more about it here.

What are your favorite ways to reduce eye strain?