Back to basics
Whether you work in a school or another setting, September always feels like the start of a new year. It’s a great time to reset your routines and find habits and activities that will help you thrive.
Sometimes simple tweaks can make a big difference in how you feel throughout the day. Here are some suggestions that can help you start the year strong and sustain your energy throughout the seasons to come.
Embrace the power of movement. Our bodies need movement, which supports our energy levels throughout the day. If your work is sedentary, make sure to get up every hour, even if it’s just to get yourself a beverage. A brief morning walk can also set the stage for the day ahead and help with sleep at night. If you’re working from home, put on a song you love and dance for a few minutes. If you are able, a brief walk after each meal will help keep your blood sugar levels stable.
Get enough sleep. Yes, we all know this is necessary, but it can be tempting to stay up just an hour more… which can easily become two or three hours more! If you fall into this trap, you’ll find yourself fighting off sleepiness the next day or perhaps drinking more coffee late in the day, which can then negatively impact your next night’s sleep. Voila! A vicious cycle has begun.
Resist the urge to scroll. While it is especially damaging at night when the blue light from our cellphones can interfere with melatonin and make it harder to sleep, scrolling can be a massive time suck any time of day. Avoid the phone during your first and last hours of the day and give yourself some strict limits. Curate your feed, deleting whatever makes you feel anxious or bad about yourself, and keep phones out of the bedroom. Replace time spent on social media with an analog activity — reading a book, talking to a friend, drawing or getting outside.
Declutter, starting with just one small space. It can be overwhelming to tackle an entire home or work environment. But with just 15 minutes devoted to one small area, you can reap a big reward. Build on that success by organizing another small area within the next few days. Doing this just a couple of times each week can make your home or work life feel more manageable and set you up for greater productivity.
Build in time for creativity. Is personal creativity the first thing to fall off your to-do list? Or has it not even made it onto the list? Remedy that with quick bursts of creativity — even just 20 minutes of doing what you love. Whether it’s gardening or journaling, painting or photography, doing something you enjoy will bring huge rewards. Try not to focus on a perfect product — enjoy being in the moment and reaching a flow state of relaxation. It is a healthy tool for de-stressing and cultivating inner happiness and meaning.
Once you’ve adopted these healthy habits, you can always add new ones: Find ways to engage with your community, try meditation or deep breathing to counter anxiety, and encourage yourself to try new things. It can all enrich your world.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
— Historian Will Durant, paraphrasing Aristotle