Life can become overwhelming. We've found ourselves exhausted and running low on energy some days and it'll barely be HUMP day. Can you relate? Time will get away from you if you're not careful. We noticed that although we're working hard, we weren't working smarter, but more importantly, we weren't taking care of ourselves like we should. We've learned that if we don't take care of ourself first then nothing else will flow or go right. Your body will shut down if you're not careful from fatigue and being tired. So what did we both do you ask? We started taking care of ourself first and then everything got better and less overwhelming. Everyday won't be perfect, but here are 5 tips that helped us get through each day and week.
1. Pray & Meditate when you wake up.
When I wake up, one of the first things I do when my alarm goes off (after hitting snooze) is just thank God. I just thank him continually and pray over my day. During this time, I just talk to him. Sometimes it's talking, sometimes it's venting and sometimes it's wining, I'm not gonna lie. But I find that when I get it all off my chest and just sit in his presence, I have a better day. Also meditating helps me. My form of meditating is just making sure that I have no distractions such TV, music, phone, etc while mentally preparing for the day. When I pray and meditate, I find that I have a better attitude through the day.
2. Plan out your week ahead of time.
If you're like me, you're a busy bee. I have so much going on throughout the day and week that sometimes it's hard to keep up. I work 40 hours a week, and travel every chance I get. Let's not even get into LIFE happening. I know that somethings are inevitable but I've found that when I plan out my week as much as possible that I have a much smoother week.
One thing that helps me is my calendar and planner. I have a calendar in my room, one on my phone and physical calendar I take pretty much everywhere with me. I write down appointments,class assignments, trips, me time,and everything that I want to do. I even go as far as picking out my outfits ahead of time to save time. Every minute in the day counts. So taking time out on Sunday to just go over my planner and pre plan makes the week a lot more manageable.
3. Plan some "me time."
Make sure to carve out some "me time." Me time is when you do something that relaxes you and makes you happy. It can be anything really such as sleeping (my favorite), shopping, reading, the spa, or just anything that allows you to unwind. It's important to plan time into your week for yourself. Be sure to treat yourself once a week, even if it's just something small.
One thing I've learned is that you're continually pouring into others during the week whether it's family, work, school, or a relationship. But you can't be of any real help if you don't pour into yourself first. You are your first priority. If you're not happy and whole, you can't help or be what you need to be for someone else. So take some time each week for you.
4. Make sure to do something fun during the week.
Each and every week do something fun. Call up some friends, head to happy hour, have a girls night or do something you've never done. Just take some time to laugh and enjoy life. Life goes by at lightening speed so be sure to enjoy it. You're not always going to get everything done you need to, so don't stress or worry about it. Taking some time to have fun will make the week more bearable and enjoyable.
5. Unwind and let everything go each night before bed.
At night, this is where I find myself so stressed out or wound up from the day. So each night I try to shut it down by 10 o'clock every night. At this point no more stressing,
worrying, planning or studying. I take a good soothing shower and just unwind. During this time, I'll reflect on the day, pray, and meditate and just let it go. Whether I need to vent, scream or whatever, I just get every negative and mean thought out of my head that affected me that day. I pray it away and try to make sure I'm at peace before I go to bed.
We found that if you have a lot on your mind before you go to sleep, you're restless and the next day isn't as great. So unwinding and finding peace with that day is the key to having a good next day and a great week. Don't let what happened the day before affect tomorrow. You don't get any do overs or second chances.
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As we all know, life is hard and hectic. Things happen inevitably and some days and weeks are better than others. That's just how life works. However, we believe that we get out of life what we put in and believe. These 5 tips will help you conquer any work week and make the most of it.