How to take care of yourself while making massive life changes
First of all, if you’re here and you’re doin’ the work — fuckin cheers to you!! SERIOUSLY!!
The fact that you’ve started taking the steps to make a difference in your life is fucking amazing and you deserve a round of applause. This shit is HARD. If you’re serious about changing your life, no matter how drastically, it can be a massive undertaking and is NO JOKE.
So before you do anything, take a moment to thank yourself and show yourself some genuine appreciation. You deserve it.
Ok, now that we’ve done that, how are you feeling??
There’s a good chance you’re probably at least a little bit tired, maybe feeling overwhelmed or frazzled. Like I said, this shit is no joke.
Any time you make changes in your life it takes a lot more bandwidth than I think people realize. You’re changing a behavior, literally rewiring your brain to learn a new habit or skill — it takes work. And with as much mental energy as you’re expending, it takes a toll physically as well.
It’s super important that part of your self care is taking care of your physical health!
I’m not even gonna lie, if you’re not someone who is already taking care of your physical health some of these might seem like really difficult changes. And they are. But I promise you, they’re going to make such a positive impact it will be worth the initial discomfort.
So how the fuck do you add physical self care on top of what you’re already doing?
Just like with everything else — start small.
What is going to be “easy” for one person is totally subjective, so we’re not going to pretend there’s an “easiest” route to healthy habits.
BUT… generally speaking starting small tends to be easier than trying to start with the hardest things…. just sayin.
So… here are some small habits you can start adding to your daily routines to improve your physical well being.
- Stay Hydrated: There’s actually surprising amounts of debate about how much a person is supposed to drink in a day. Popular consensus is 8 glasses or one ounce of water for every 2lbs of body weight (half your body weight in ounces.) It really does depend on how much you weigh and your activity level.
To make things easy, just take how much you weigh and divide that in half — try to drink that much water in ounces. - Engage in some kind of physical activity: Literally any physical activity. Take a short walk on a break, do jumping jacks, dance, yoga, go to the gym — whatever is easy for you and something you know you’re going to do.
Maintaining regular physical activity is incredibly important, not just for your physical health but your mental health as well. Physical activity has a number of benefits, including improved mood, increased energy, improved cognitive function, and improved mental health as well as all of the obvious physical benefits.
Staying active can help you regulate your emotional responses to things as well, helping with any feelings of overwhelm or stress you may be feeling. - Shocker — EAT. And EAT WELL.
How many times have you heard this ? I know. Such a revelation. But with as many times as you’ve heard it …. are you doing it?
I’m super guilty of not eating for most of the day and then cramming it all in when I get home. Problem with that, aside of just being unhealthy, it makes me feel like SHIT. But it’s so easy to get caught up in what I’m doing that it feels like I don’t have time to eat. There’s also the financial aspect that gets in the way — do I bring food from home or do I eat out ?
Honestly, the most important thing is that you EAT. Just eat food. Of course, you’re going to feel a lot better if you eat whole, unprocessed foods, but anything is better than nothing. Maybe that’s not the best advice, but honestly, the amount of people I know who just don’t eat because they’re too busy is INSANE. Just eat food. - Last and most important (in my opinion) SLEEP.
Good sleep hygiene can actually be life changing on its own. I don’t care how busy you are, how much shit you have to do or how many deadlines you have to meet, you need to fucking SLEEP.
Like… GOOD sleep. Doesn’t even matter if it’s a full 8 hours as long as it’s good, deep sleep. Plus, the whole 8 hours thing is more of a guideline anyways. How much sleep is needed actually varies from person to person, so while one person might do well with 8 hours, another person may do best with only 6 or may need 10. Figure out what’s optimal for you. When do you feel most rested??
We could dive into so many other kinds of physical self care, but start here. Eat, sleep, exercise, and drink water. If you’re not already doing these things, pick one to start with. Work it into your daily routine, make it a non negotiable and stick to it.
Doing all of these things is going to make you feel so much better. And I know that it can be really hard to feel like you have the time or bandwidth for them, but they are basic necessities everyone needs. You’ll feel better, and therefore will be able to work better and ultimately be more successful in everything you are working on,
What other physical healthcare things do you prioritize??