I can’t believe that it is already November! I am pretty sure that I am not the only one that feels like 2018 just flew by!
The last few weeks have been crazy for me. Renaud and I launched our new online shop Natural Company and we also adopted a puppy named Chelsea. And while everything is going great -I am so happy to spend my days working on a project that means so much to me and Chelsea is an incredible pup- I’ve been feeling overwhelmed and slightly burned out lately. So I decided to take a step back and find out what makes me feel better whenever I feel a bit overworked and stressed out.
Hopefully, these tips will help you to finish the year on a high note and feeling better about things. Self-care is so important yet we often neglect taking time off for ourselves. These 4 things are easy to do but they will help you end the year on a positive note.
Detox your space
You can usually tell how busy I am by looking at my home. With 2 dogs and 3 cats, my house can become a disaster zone faster than you’ll imagine and whenever I am working a lot and feel overwhelmed, it really shows all around. The few days around the launch of our new company, everything was plain awful. Dishes were piled up near the sink, clothes and shoes scattered the floor of my closet and laundry was piling up and started to look like Mount Everest. Whenever that happens, it makes me feel even more stressed out. For me, a clean and tidy space means a relaxed mind.
And while I know that it’s often tricky to find the time (or the motivation) to clean up around your home, trust me, it will have the biggest effect on your mindset. To make the whole process more enjoyable, I start by brewing a cup of tea. I’ll usually make green tea if I want a bit more energy but lately, I’ve been loving the Women’s Delight tea from YOGI. It’s organic and rich in flavors and it feels like a treat all while being healthy! It contains hibiscus, one of my favorite ingredients in tea, but also basil and licorice.
Next, I’ll start room by room. I usually have a basket with me for things to move to another room or floor. This is a great tip to avoid losing time going from room to room with random stuff!
This past weekend, I took a bit of extra time to declutter and reorganize my closet a little bit. I added a new shelf to put on all my shoes but I also edited as I cleaned up. I have a huge bag ready for a closet sale and I already dropped a few bags at a charity place in town. This took me maybe an hour or so, but I immediately felt better. It’s crazy how such a small task can make a difference in your whole well being!
To make the whole process even more rewarding, I usually listen to an audiobook or a podcast. That way, I can learn something new while making my space feel inviting and inspiring again!
Do a brain dump
If you’re like me, you might remember important things to do at the worst possible time: queuing at the supermarket, driving to an appointment or during lunch with your friends. This happens to me all the time but when it comes down to actually writing my to do list, my mind just goes blank.
So to make my life easier and take things off my mind, I started doing brain dumps. I’ll usually take 15 to 30 minutes each week, make myself a cup of tea (I love the Immune strength blend during Autumn. It is great to recharge your batteries and reinforce your immunity) and sit down by myself at my desk. I usually think about all the different areas of my life -work, pets, home, medical, etc- that might need attention and I write down everything. And by everything, I mean everything. On my brain dump pages in my bullet journal, you’ll find random appointments & calls that I need to make, grocery lists, books I want to read or even activities I’d like to do soon. If this sounds a bit overwhelming, I highly suggest using this list. It’s made of a series of triggering questions that will help you to transfer what’s on your mind onto paper.
This really helps me to be more positive on a daily basis. I am a naturally stressed out person but whenever I get my thoughts and to do on paper, it really allows me to focus on positive things since I am not constently thinking about things that I have to do!
Be intentional with your time
Sometimes, at the end of the day, I feel like I’ve done nothing that truly matters to me. Sure, I love what I do and I feel satisfied and proud when I did great work, but I don’t want to spend my whole day working or scrolling social media. So I’ve decided to make a conscious effort for things that matter to me. I make sure to spend some alone time with Chelsea to train her but I also take her and Fendi on walks around the neighborhood with Renaud. I also stop working around 6 PM so that I have time to cook a healthy meal and tidy up around the house. These small changes have had the biggest impact on my mind! I know see things in a more positive light and I don’t feel like I’ve missed out on good times!
I’ve also learned that multitasking doesn’t always work for me. Sure, listening to an audiobook while I am cooking is great, but being constantly interrupted by phone calls, messages or notifications isn’t. So I’ve turned on the ‘Do not disturb’ mode to go on automatically from 8 PM to 8 AM (don’t worry, you can select a few persons that will still get through!) but I also turn it on when I really need to focus on something. I used to feel guilty about not being available all the time but, at the end of the day, it’s pretty rare that there is a real emergency (and again, a few people aren’t silenced with this option). Ever since I started doing that, I’ve found myself being more productive in less time, which means that I can get more time out of my day for things that truly matter!
Implement a better sleep regime
For the longest time, I’ve struggled with insomnia. I would fall asleep rather quickly but I would wake up around 2 and 4 AM and couldn’t go back to sleep. Last year was particularly tough as I was living on just over 2 and a half hours of sleep every night. I’ve seen many doctors and even went to a sleep clinic for two days but I finally found the issue by myself. Earlier this year, I completely changed my diet and followed the Whole 30, a diet plan that focuses on just whole foods for 30 days. It means no sugar, no alcohol, no milk or dairy and no refined anything at all. While it was a struggle at first, I started sleeping almost perfectly within 3 days. I would fall asleep easily and wake up at around 8 AM, without waking up at all during the night. While I couldn’t believe it at first -after all, quite a few doctors had told me that there wasn’t anything that they could do- I had tears of happiness in my eyes when, after a full week, I realized that I had found what was causing my insomnia. Long story short, whenever I consume sugars in any form (pasta, wine, candy) around dinner time, my sugar level acts up during the night and make me wake up.
Since then, I’ve been sleeping much better but I also made some real changes in my life. I eat fewer carbs on a daily basis and focus on fresh, healthy foods. I try to go to bed at the same time every day and I wake up a bit earlier to have plenty of time to eat breakfast and get ready. I also cut back my coffee consumption (as I told you in this post) and I now sip tea all day long. I always make sure to select teas that are organic to get the maximum benefits of the ingredients so that why I love YOGI much! While I love a stronger tea in the morning, I switch to infusions in the afternoon and I drink one or two cups of the Sweet Dreams blend before going to bed. The whole ritual of sipping tea in bed with a good book is very soothing and relaxing in itself but the ingredients themselves (Valerian root & lavender) really help me to relax and unwind after a long day.
I hope that this post will inspire you to make some little changes in your routine to end the year on a positive note!
And if you have any questions, feel free to send them in the comments down below!
