4 Daily Self-Care Priorities

Most days I run 100 miles per hour from morning till bedtime. I’m passionate about a lot of things and trying to add value wherever I go. I would be at the edge of burnout every week if I didn’t do 4 self-care priorities every single day. These habits keep me sane, centered, and growing. You might have your own top 4, but you still need them. Forsaking self-care is putting yourself in jeopardy of burnout, especially if you are in the people-business: pouring out on others without refilling your tank. Here are mine:

1. I get 8 hours of sleep every night. That way I work out of abundance of rest. If I don’t get 8 hours, I often get a headache or get a very slow start into my day and aren’t as productive as normal. I put myself to sleep by thinking back through my day and expressing gratitude to God for how He helped me make it an awesome day. And I don’t hit the snooze button when I arise because 8 hours is all I need.
2. I read/journal my leadership Bible. The Bible is my handbook for living; so I want to connect to it every day, usually first thing after I shower. This year I’m going through a Bible that has leadership tips sprinkled throughout it, and leadership is my favorite topic to study (so it’s a double-win!). I journal one takeaway from my reading, as well as a summary of yesterday: gratefulness, highs/lows, and what I learned, along with what I’m looking forward to today.
3. I read professionally. Whether it’s one of my favorite magazines (Success or Entrepreneur), a book, an audio book in the car, or a podcast while I’m exercising, I must have new input every day to stay sharp in my profession. I rip quotes and articles out of magazines to be filed later, and I highlight in the books I read to re-read later.
4. I exercise every day. Usually it’s one hour at the gym: 5 minutes to warm-up, 25 minutes of weights, and 30 minutes of cardio. I’m listening to a podcast (one of 12 I grow from) for a while and then some up-tempo favorites on my ipod to push me a little harder. I try to mix up my exercises for variety. In the summer, biking/hiking/golfing get inserted for variety (my 3 hobbies). Exercise is the only thing that shuts my brain entirely off, and helps me burn off stress.

There you have it. If I miss one of those 4 things, I feel like something’s missing in my life. Of course, there is family time and typical household chores that also happen daily, but these 4 are about my wellness to stave off bad stress. Let me know your top 4, or brainstorm with me what they might be!

To schedule a complimentary 45-minute Good Habits strategy session, contact me at pcgrowingforward@gmail.com. This is a great month to get set up for the new year!