do this one thing to change your life...
sleep.
I've spoken a few times about falling sick this past summer, and in evaluating what happened, I realized I wasn't taking care of myself the way I knew I could. Yes, even yoga teachers and health coaches need to practice what they teach and preach!
I was doing wrong life wrong momentarily by saying yes to everything, not setting boundaries, AND working too much! Allowing stress and anxiety to take hold. Not getting enough or any down time - I believe was and is something that women disproportionally experience.
Since then--and it's still a work in progress--I've been working REALLY hard to get things back on track. One of the first things I did was take hold of my sleep. I started to use the health app on my phone to set boundaries for when messages would be able to come in, and to essentially turn my phone "off" from 10pm until 6:25am.
This simple act has been so much more helpful than I realized it would be, as it reminds me 45 minutes before it turns off that I have that amount of time to shut things down to make it into bed by 10pm. So I let my phone control me 😭 and I start to close things up: put things away, prep for the morning, shower, turn off lights, and power down computer. Essentially, my phone became a hot potato that would be out of my hands by 10pm no matter what.
This is literally changing my life as I no longer send that "last email” and don't spend any time on social media right before bed (this may mean reallocating the time when I wake - but remember that this is a work in progress me - for us!!!). Now I'm in the habit of just going to bed at a set time, which is one of the best things I (and you!) can do for your sleep (and your sanity!)
Any other habits that I’ve incrementally incorporated into my daily routine to promote healthy sleep? Yes! I take a few tablets of valerian root, stop tea intake by 2pm, set boundaries with clients/friends/partners, make sure I get my exercise in, and get my work done sooner.
More time in bed getting those zzz's will help you, me, and all of us to become so much better at being human. Personally, getting more sleep has crystalized for me what is important in life - making sure I can do the good work and to enjoy life at the same time. I love Tricia Hershey and what she has done with Nap Ministry in reminding folks to become useless and rest today!