This adult thing is sort of exhausting, right? There are the family responsibilities, household responsibilities, work responsibilities and let’s not even talk about doing taxes…
Last week I had the opportunity to give three presentations, which is one of my favorite parts of Well Balanced Nutrition. I love an audience and I also enjoy the community atmosphere; however, they demand a lot of my energy.
After presenting at North Carolina Central University on Wednesday, I had a few hours before my next appointment and treated myself to a stroll around campus including a 20-minute stop in their lovely art museum.
I went home and was able to get 3-4 items off my to-do list before the afternoon meeting. I realized without taking the time for myself I probably would have accomplished the same amount of work, but with less concentration, peace and clarity.
How are you pressing the reset button during your workday? Below are a handful of suggestions pulled from my own experience and what I’ve learned from others.
Take a mid-day walk – My personal favorite! I always used my lunch break in the clinic for a 25 minute walk, which my staff knew was mandatory or else nobody wanted to be around me that afternoon.
Chitchat breaks – Allow yourself 10 to 15 minutes of gabbing with your coworkers about something completely unrelated to work.
Mindful breathing, meditation or stretching – Take a few minutes to close the door, dim or turn off the lights, bring the attention inward to the breath… Start with 10 slow inhales and exhales – filling up the lungs as far as possible and slowly exhaling it all out.
Bring a book – Grab something entertaining, delightful or fascinating for you to enjoy on a lunch break or for mid afternoon pick-me-up.
Music! – My personal favorite is the instrumental Disney station on YouTube, but you pick whatever works best for you :-).
Tea time – Instead of the usual afternoon hunt for sugar, try a hot (or cold) cup of tea and spend a few minutes savoring the flavor before turning back to the emails, IM bings, and projects.
Food for thought:
Today I give you permission to take 20 minutes to do what ever you want during the work day.
I don’t know your boss, but I imagine if they knew how much more productive you will be at the end of these 20 minutes they will totally agree with me.
In case they don’t – just blame it on Lucy (I can take it!).
