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In our crazy-hectic busy lives, we can find ourselves in a pattern of “go, go, go”, without every really giving ourselves a break. Often, there’s no plan for Rest & Relaxation, no down time, no time for recovery, no balance, and no “margins” around our list of things-to-do.
Guilty.
Ahhhh... give yourself a break!
Ultra-productive or not, when we get swept away by a tidal wave of busyness like this, it takes a toll on our bodies… and our minds, as well.
Here are 21 Healthy Strategies for Giving Yourself a Break.
Some are just occasional, while others we’d be better off adopting as a regular part of our new, healthier, more balanced routine.
1. Get enough sleep! This is a biggie. Chronic sleep deprivation is nothing to ignore. It leads to the risk factors of all chronic illness, since it’s a form of ‘toxicity’ and ‘deficiency’ to the body. Make the effort to go to bed half and hour earlier, or even more, if you’ve been a real night owl. These earlier minutes of sleep are considered the “golden minutes” by many health authorities.
2. Hey, you exercise junkies, take a day off from “official” exercise once in awhile! No, really… you will survive! I didn’t say you have to give up movement for the entire day, if you just can’t take it, but give your body a break, for cryin’ out loud! Lighten up with your exercise… otherwise, what’s the point?!
3. Along a similar train of thought, on occasion, replace your strenuous or “pounding” exercise with something less intense (and abusive!), like “flow” yoga, or walking, or stand-up paddling, or body weight exercises… not that some of these can’t be “intense”, they’re just less abusive to our joints overall.
4. Take a stroll where your goal is simply to go for a walk… nothing heart rate related or fitness goal-oriented, necessarily. Just enjoy being outside in the fresh air. Take the kids, take the dog… just enjoy. Go barefoot, if you can.
5. Relax in a sauna, if you have access to one… preferably a far infrared sauna. Not only is the down time good for you, but this is a fabulous way to detoxify by sweating out the toxins that build up in our bodies on a regular basis. Be sure to scrub ‘em off thoroughly after you’re done… and re-hydrate with pure fluids.
6. Commit to regular detoxification cleansing to reduce your toxic load and give your body a break. There are so many cleanses and detoxification programs to choose from nowadays… you can do short and simple, or longer and more comprehensive. Of course, over the long haul, I’d recommend you do a combination of both.
This 3-day cellular detoxification cleanse is the most popular & successful one we use with our practice members. (If you’ve got some chronic health challenges going on, you might choose to do an even more focused cellular detoxification protocol. Contact me if you need help figuring out what would be best for you at this time.) Even drinking more pure water, eating more veggies, and adding a quality source of fiber to a daily drink will help with ongoing detoxification.
7. If a ‘formal’ cleanse or detox protocol is more than you can commit to right now, there are simple things you can add, and simple things you can reduce, that will help in the overall detoxification process, as well. Add more pure water throughout your day, more veggies, and a quality source of fiber to a daily drink, for example. Reduce or (temporarily?) eliminate sugar, processed & toxic foods, and alcohol. Some will do well to decrease or temporarily eliminate animal products as well.
8. Instead of coffee, coffee, coffee, substitute with some green tea or a greens drink for a boost of nutritious energy. If you’re not budging from your coffee habit, keep it a morning habit rather than throughout the day. Add some healthy, brain-building fats to your coffee, like pure coconut oil (or MCT oil), and/or unsalted grass-fed butter. Skip all the artificial, toxic junk that you can add to coffee. There are less toxic options available (e.g. real cream, coconut ‘creamer’, etc.).
9. Get regular massages or some type of “body work”. Sure, massages can be relaxing, but they accomplish much more than that. They help our bodies release accumulated toxins, therefore contributing to our overall health in a significant way. Also, we cannot underestimate the power of physical touch. Massages can reduce anxiety and depression, contribute to better immune function, and, of course, reduce chronic pain.
What? You’re not a rock star… and can’t get a massage every day?! Excellent tools to work with on your own are foam rollers for overall soft tissue work, and one or more lacrosse balls (or tennis balls, etc.) that you can use to do more specific soft tissue work. Rock star, schmock star. We’ve got this thing covered!
10. Take a soak in a hot bath. Just the heat alone will relax your muscles and soft tissues. Add some extra goodies, like essential oils or magnesium salts, for bonus points… and massive benefits. By the way, topical magnesium is close to magical… especially if you have some chronic pain issues. The majority of us are significantly deficient in magnesium, and topical application of it is superior.
11. Pay attention to your posture at your desk or work station. Sitting at a computer is evidently unnatural for us human folk. It has become one of the most common causes of the chronic neck and back pain we see in our practice. Whether you work at a computer station, or just play on one in your free time, be aware of your posture.
Sit toward the front of your chair, both feet on the floor, with the curve of your lower back accentuated (it kinda’ makes it look like you’re sticking your bum out… but it’s saving your spine!). This might be uncomfortable until you restore strength in the postural muscles of your posterior chain. Keep your head back over your spine rather than hunching forward to see the screen. The same postural rules apply in the car, on the couch, at the dinner table… anytime you sit, protect your spine. Take regular breaks to lengthen and stretch your spine and surrounding muscles.
12. OK, while we’re at it… the less you sit the better! If you can do your work at a stand-up work station, even better. These are becoming more and more common. Sitting (and collapsing the spine) robs us of energy and healthy, happy neurological output from the brain… it sends skewed signals to the brain, therefore, we get skewed messages back from the brain. We end up feeling tired, sore, anxious, depressed, grumpy… yikes!
13. To help with some of that gnarly-ness mentioned above, start your day with “spinal hygiene exercises”, like gentle twisting, rotating, bending, and reaching, where your objective is to move each of your 24 vertebrae through a nice range of motion. This sends healthy neurological input to your brain, and your brain in turn will send different (more desirable) output – chemical/neurological messages that result in more relaxation, less pain, less stress, etc. Over half of the body’s neurological input to the brain comes from the area of the spine. It pays to take care of your spine!
14. Get regular Chiropractic adjustments. This isn’t in the “body work” or “spinal hygiene” sections because I consider Chiropractic adjustments to be much more – they stand alone. They’re body work AND brain work that we just can’t always accomplish on our own! Adjustments provide healthy neurological input into the spinal area (proprioception) that results in the positive and healthy neurological output from the brain that we desire. Massages, spinal hygiene exercises, and various forms of body work are all fabulous… but when the spine is subluxated (malfunctioning, fixated, misaligned, imbalanced, degenerated) a Chiropractic adjustment is top of the food chain! The healthiest, most intelligent choice is to combine regular Chiropractic along with spinal hygiene and body work.
15. Since we’re talking about your brain, reduce all screen time as much as you realistically can… especially late at night. Oh, and first thing in the morning, too! Reserve these times for more “sacred” things… like reflection, gratitude, and prayer. It’s fuel for the spirit. Why would you want to muck up the start of a brand new day, or the end of a day, with more stressful input to your brain? Silly. You will survive without a screen. There’s more to life! Think bigger.
16. What to replace your screen time with in the morning or evening? Try meditation or “quieting your busy mind”. Just be still… be calm… just… be.
17. Breathe. Practice deep, relaxing, restorative breath work. Most of us are shallow breathers… especially if we’re chronically stressed, busy, or in a hurry. (That leaves 14 people in North America who are not shallow breathers!) Try this during your “quieting the mind” time, or as you’re relaxing before bed: when you inhale, try to breathe in such a way that your belly expands as well, not just your chest. Hold it. Then slowly release.
18. Go barefoot. Let those little piggies connect with the earth more often… set them free! Countless studies reveal the many health benefits of going barefoot – it helps relax and ground us, as well as reduce overall chronic pain and improve posture. Try it! Go stand in the grass, wiggle your toes and relax. Smile. Life is good.
19. In addition to your cute little piggies being set free, connect with nature on a regular basis. One easy way is to observe (and appreciate) nature. Slow down and watch the sunrise, the sunset, the cloud patterns, the leaves rustling, the waves, the birds… whatever. There’s so much going on out there that’s far bigger than us. Connecting with nature is relaxing and stress-reducing, and tends to remind us of what’s most important.
20. Laugh. We’ve all heard that “laughter is the best medicine”. Not that I’m a fan of “medicine”… but it sounds better than “laughter is the best source of input for our brains that will result in optimal chemical, hormonal, and neurological changes”. Right? How often do you have a good, deep, belly laugh? Ah, they’re awesome! A good laugh changes everything… physically, mentally, and emotionally. We should go out of our way to find or create things to make us laugh. (Unless, of course, it involves investing countless additional hours in screen time! You sneaky little bugger, you! You thought you had me there, didn’t you?!) I do love a good comedy, though!
21. Play. We can be oh-so-serious, can’t we? We’re very busy people, don’t you know? Chill. Play! Act more childlike when you can. In a positive way, of course… not when you’re giving a presentation at work, or having an important conversation with your spouse about your relationship! Being childlike and being childish should not be confused! One is about lightning up and seeing the wonder in things again. The other might tend to make you feel like the universe should revolve around you… and when it doesn’t, your whiny pants never seem too far away!
Play games, play catch, play tag, use your imagination more, do something creative, create artwork and do crafts, jump on a trampoline, play in the water, play in the sand, play in the mud, play a sport… Play! Just have more fun with life and the people you’re sharing it with. Enjoy the ride… we never know when it’s going to stop.
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How about YOU? How do YOU unwind and break the cycle of busyness in your wacky life? Please share!
Oh, and thanks for taking a few minutes to read… now make sure to stand up and stretch!
Dr. Colleen Trombley-VanHoogstraat (“Dr Mom Online”) is a leading authority figure in Natural Health & Wellness. She is a Doctor of Chiropractic with 18 years of hands-on clinical experience in the Wellness Practice she shares with her husband, Dr. Marc VanHoogstraat, in Michigan. She is also the proud (home schooling) mom of two rather fabulous youngsters.
Her unique perspective of the science of Wellness provides predictable solutions and transformational results for those struggling with chronic health issues, as well as those seeking lifelong health. To discover her simple strategies for creating better health through nutrition, movement and mindset, regularly visit http://DrMomOnline.com, http://Facebook.com/DrMomOnline and http://Twitter.com/DrMomOnline.
Also, check out her available books at http://amazon.com/author/drcolleen .
For more information about working privately with Dr. Colleen and Dr. Marc in an Investigative & Functional Health Recovery Program for any number of metabolic and health issues, such as thyroid imbalance, weight loss resistance, hormonal imbalance, food sensitivity & gut permeability, cellular detoxification, autoimmune conditions, Integrative Cancer Care, and more, please contact Dr. Colleen directly at trombley68@gmail.com or http://Facebook.com/DrMomOnline. Highly successful, personalized distance programs are available.
21 Healthy Ways To Give Yourself A Break