3 Ways to clear your mind for a better work-life balance
Here at Everyday Sunday, we believe focusing on mental and physical wellbeing is an essential part of a well-lived life, not only for ourselves, but also the people around us.
To help you get your mind off work during play time and feel refreshed during work time, here are three habits you can start implementing today to break up your routine.
Tip #1 - Mother nature is your healer
Detaching from your everyday routine by immersing yourself in a completely different environment can tremendously help uplift your mood and lower stress hormones, in return increasing your motivation and energy levels when getting back to work.
Venturing out into nature, either in an urban setting or out in the countryside, is the perfect self-care activity to clear your mind from your daily stresses. Here are a few activity ideas if you’re in need of inspiration. Go on a hike for a therapeutic session of forest bathing or sunset viewing. Spend an afternoon on the water with a friend (think paddle boarding or kayaking), which has been proven to lower anxiety and induce a sensation of happiness. Make your way to the nearest park for a boost of vitamin D and a healthy session of people watching, shown to be helpful for mindfulness and becoming more present.
If you’re in the Montréal area, we are particularly fond of these places when in need of a little unwinding!
- Parc La Fontaine
- Mount Royal Park
- Square Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier
- Westmount Park
- Oka National Park
A bit further away, these breathtaking spots are worth the drive!
Tip # 2 - Start unplugging
Most of us already spend the majority of our day in front of a screen for work, and turn to our televisions or cellphones for leisure. This can be both mentally and physically exhausting and can have an impact on our health on many different levels such as posture, sleep, confidence, and overall sense of wellbeing.
To help you detox from this digital weight, here are a few boundaries you can set. The first one is to reduce the number of apps on your phone you get notifications from. Whether visual or auditory, each time we receive a notification, our attention goes right to our phone. This can be a distraction from our tasks or can take us away from the present moment when spending time with loved ones. By deactivating as many notifications as possible, you’ll reduce the number of times your attention is directed towards your phone, making it easier to reduce overall screen time.
Another great ritual is to set a “no screen” day once a month. Scrolling through our phones has become a reflex for many of us, keeping us from asking ourselves : How do I really want to be spending my spare time? When using your phone, TV or laptop is no longer an option, you’ll have to get creative to find another way to entertain yourself, whether that’s reading, baking, crafting, decluttering your closet—you may find yourself taking this habit from once a month to once a week!
To learn more about the benefits of reducing your screen time, the two podcasts below cover this topic while providing tangible tips.
- JOMOcast with Christina Crook - The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week, with Tiffany Shlain (in English)
- Génération Sidechick with Julie-Anne Ho and Kathy Marquis - La techno sur mon cerveau (in French)
Tip #3 - Trust your inner compass
With wellness being a huge topic at the moment, it can be overwhelming to absorb all the information on fitness, nutrition, mindfulness and much more we always hear about. All these different opinions can be confusing, making it difficult to know where to start when it comes to our wellbeing. Also, it can make us fall into the trap of comparison and we may feel like we aren’t doing enough or that our lifestyle choices aren’t good enough.
If you’ve been overwhelmed with the wellness culture and think focusing on yourself means adding ten new “chores” to your daily to-do list—we don’t blame you! And if you don’t know where to begin, it’s time to get back to basics. Start by meditating (this can be in the form of going out for a walk or taking a bath if the idea of sitting in silence makes you uncomfortable!) and taking 5 minutes daily to journal—you’ll be amazed by how much clarity simply tuning in with your feelings can bring you! When you stop listening to the noise of the world and start paying attention to your needs, desires and intuition, you can truly begin to develop a health plan tailored for YOUR very own wellbeing!