Self-Care Start: Weekly Guide For Beginners in Self-Care Vol. 1

You're drowning in work.  You're burnout.  You're exhausted.  And instead of taking a moment to yourself, instead of taking care of yourself, you continue to grind on E.  People need you.  This assignment HAS to get done.  You always deliver.  But this system leaves you vulnerable to breakdowns, careless mistakes, and to fatigue.  Self-care sounds trendy and even times expensive, but here are this week's ways to make sure you're preserving your magic, without breaking the bank.

1. Stop! Lotion Your Hands

Don't underestimate the power of massage.  When my day is chaotic, and I feel like all the "priority" assignments are coming to me from every angle, I often take a moment, inhale-exhale, then grab my ( Ultra Moisturizing Hand Cream from Trader Joe's or my Stress Relief Eucalyptus Mint) lotion and rub my hands.  In this moment, I close my eyes, I ask God to help me in this moment, and I rebuke and refuse to accept any anxiety.  While seemingly trifle, sitting for 30 seconds and massaging your hands can send relaxing signals to your psyche, it can center your spirit, and can also keep your hands young and moisturized.  After all, #WinterIsComing.

2. Keep your phone away from your bed at night.

Ariana Huffington, an advocate for sound sleep, mandates that the bed is no place for your phone.  If you're anything like me you spend your last few waking moments scrolling through Instagram, judging people's snapchat stories, and answering texts that you've ignored all day.  You then fall asleep with your phone in hand or near your face.  NOT COOL.  You're not letting your body and mind fall peacefully into the REM cycle.  You're not giving yourself time to reflect on your day, your needs, or your subconscious.  Instead, you're still tempted to communicate with other people, or worse, you're invested in what everyone else is doing. Take your phone, place your ringer on "high" so you can hear your alarm in the morning, and plug it into the wall on the other side of the room.  Then lay in bed and count sheep :).

3. Set alarms to eat.

You're working.  Meeting to meeting.  Sending emails. On the phone.  Putting out fires. Suddenly you look up and it's 4:35 p.m.  You haven't eaten.  You've barely finished you're morning coffee.  And you cannot recall how many cups of water you've had. But your work is done.  At the end of the day you go home exhausted and your body fatigued.  Sound familiar? You aren't getting nutrients.  You're not contributing to make yourself, your best self.  When you don't eat regularly or provide your body with necessary nutrition, you're prone to weight-gain and sickness.  Most professional women find themselves eating once a day if they don't make time for meals. Dangerous.  My suggestion? Set alarms in your phone to eat! Eat Breakfast (granola + fruit). Eat a mid-morning snack (almonds). Lunch (fish + kale). Afternoon snack. (apple or veggie chips). Dinner (Soup + Spinach Salad). You only get one body!