With the holiday season upon us, many school nutrition professionals are counting down the days to our holiday breaks. We are tired, potentially burnt out, and are ready to take a well deserved breather. However, what does that look like? Just because work slows down, doesn’t mean life necessarily does. For many people, the holiday season can actually be a season of stress in many other ways. Additionally, the thought of truly resting and recharging can feel like a to-do list in itself and who has time to add more to their to-do list? I’ve recently had a change in mindset when it comes to addressing burnout and needing to relax. I found that the calendar holidays, the planned vacations, and the mental health days weren’t really doing much to solve the bigger issue of having a body and mind that were both in overdrive. I found I would come back from these short-term breaks either feeling just as anxious (if not more) or feeling guilty that I didn’t use the time away to my full advantage. Using the time off to do absolutely nothing made me feel like I wasted valuable time, but packing my days with too much made me feel like I was running on fumes. There really was no inbetween! Everything changed for me when I decided to do a wellness challenge that incorporated a daily routine of eating healthy, drinking water, moving my body, and reading. What this challenge taught me was the power of combining small changes and consistency when trying to improve your overall wellness. For example, one of the changes I incorporated into my daily routine is walking outside for 45 minutes every morning when I wake up. Waking up was definitely challenging at first, but soon I found myself looking forward to this time! The cold morning air would wake up all my senses, and walking without touching my phone for 45 minutes forced me to notice nature around me while sorting through any thoughts I had. And the best part? It set my day up for success! A month into these new habits, I found myself physically calmer. I found that my brain didn’t always run 1,000 miles per hour and that I was fighting off anxious thoughts
less frequently. I found that I was actually more productive, more focused, and not relying on other coping mechanisms to deal with my stress. I found myself feeling mentally strong and at a place where I handled life’s challenges better and let things roll off my back. Now, if you think I’m going to tell you to do a challenge like this, I promise I’m not! However, I am here to encourage you to NOT make improving your wellness, exhaustion, and burnout a single event. Life is too busy and too chaotic to rely on a certain day, week, or month to help us manage our demanding jobs and busy personal lives. I am here to encourage you to focus on the small moments in the day-to-day and to create daily routines that make you feel great inside. What does that look like? Well, I can’t tell you exactly what you need but I can recommend what you should focus on. Identify What Brings You Joy: What brings you joy and makes you wish you had more time to do? Do you like to read? Do you like to cook? Do you like to workout? Do you like to complete certain crafts or projects? These are just a few examples, but the list is infinite. We always say we don’t have time for these things, but the reality for many of us is we don’t identify these things nor make time for these things. Start Small and Build Slowly: The biggest mistake many of us make when incorporating new habits is going from 0-100, which isn’t sustainable! Not everything has to be a full- time commitment. Start small! For example, if you want to read more, then start by just reading 5-10 minutes a day and see if you can add an additional 5 minutes each week. If you want to workout more, start with two days a week and after you get comfortable, add days where you can. Don’t discredit a small start; you may feel like you’re not doing much in the beginning, but it will be easier to build upon these habits than going full throttle from the start. Prioritize Progress Over Perfection: As the old saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. The same goes for improving your wellness and recharging! You will have to learn what KEEP READING
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