June 2016 - Chasing Sunrise

June 22, 2016June 22, 2016

More Time For Me

We all need ‘me time’ no matter how busy we are. In fact the busier we are, the more conscious we need to be about the space we are creating for ourselves. We lead full-on, busy lives and the one thing we never seem to have is time for ourselves. Finding as little as 10-20 minutes a day of uninterrupted ‘me time’ can seem like an impossible task right?

Our lives are so over scheduled that sometimes life can feel like one long to-do list. Let’s face it once you’ve raced off to work, dropped kids to childcare or sport or music and then made a meal and everything else that goes along with running a house, there doesn’t seem to be much time left over for anything else – least of all you! Lack of time for ourselves often leads to us feeling tired, frustrated, overwhelmed and off balance.

When we take time for ourselves to do the things that we enjoy, we end up happier, healthier and feeling much better. ‘Me time’ allows us to de-stress, unwind and rejuvenate. Taking time for ourselves allows us to renew, heal, and create reserves of energy and peace. So it’s about time we get okay with taking some time out. We need to be a bit kinder to ourselves for the sake of our sanity.

Whilst wearing the many hats of mother, wife, daughter, aunt, sister, coach, colleague and friend, I have learnt that I need to really value my own needs. This for me may take the form of meditation, a run or a relaxing bath. By practising this self-care as a ritual in my day it ensures that I have what is required to give my best to the people in my life.

What is ‘me time’?

So what is ‘me time’? Well it’s NOT doing chores or clearing emails! It means different things to different people. It could be reading a book, having a cup of tea in the sunshine, a dinner out with friends, trying a new recipe, a yoga class, a walk, a massage or even some quiet, still breathing – anything that makes you feel good and that you enjoy.

Prioritise yourself.

If you are used to putting others first it’s hard to prioritise yourself, and not feel guilty about it. Consider an aeroplane when we are told to put on our oxygen masks first before attending to others. The idea clashes with our instinct right? What does it really mean? Simply put: If you don’t put your mask on first, you won’t be there for all those other people when they need you. You will be unconscious.

The same applies to us. Our natural tendency is to do for others, because we are caring, loving, nurturing, responsible, supportive and competent people. However, just like the oxygen mask, we need to take care of ourselves so we can effectively take care of the people we love.

It’s good for you.

Taking some ‘me time’ is vital in protecting our physical, mental and emotional health. Taking a little time refreshes and reenergizes us. It allows us to think more clearly and make better decisions. Other benefits can include sleeping better and reduced irritability, anxiety, fatigue, stress and sickness. And when we do this, we come back to our responsibilities with greater focus, commitment and enjoyment.

How to make ‘me-time’ actually happen.

It can be quite a challenge to find time for ourselves. Unless you plan it – ‘me time’ can easily fall off the to-do list.

Commitment to self.
Getting over that ‘me time’ is selfish and that in fact it’s a necessary dimension of self-care is the first step. When we are tired, stressed and pulled in too many directions, it is impossible to give our best to all that we must accomplish.
Discover what is wasting time.
Do you check your emails constantly? Answer personal calls in the middle of a work-day? Spend time mindlessly scrolling through social media? If this sounds like you, perhaps it’s time to prioritise your responsibilities and gain more time that way.
Learn to say “no”.
Practise makes perfect but it is okay to say no to things that you don’t really want to do, need to do and don’t value.
Plan for it.
Unless you plan for it, in our very busy, over committed lives it is likely to fall of the ‘to do’ list. We have to be pro-active about fitting it in. Schedule it like you would an appointment or a meeting.
Commit to a minimum of 10 – 20 minutes a day.
Do something (or nothing) that you enjoy and that allows you to let go of responsibility.
Create a daily ritual.
This might be a bath, going for an evening walk or getting up early to meditate or have a quiet cup of tea alone. Build it into your day and make it something you look forward to.

No matter what ‘me time’ means for you, it shouldn’t be at the bottom of your to-do list. Creating room for down time is something we should be doing to stay healthy and happy. Exercise, nutritious food and plenty of sleep are vital for good health, but ‘me-time’ is another essential.

So what can you do today to improve your self-care?

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like to learn more about how I can help you find more ‘me-time’. I work with clients just like you to improve their wellness with simple strategies and routines to regain clarity and control, find balance in their day and develop healthy habits towards experiencing a more fulfilling life.

Contact Me

June 15, 2016

Switch Off Your Phone And Connect. Life Is Happening Now.

Checking our phones constantly is becoming like an obsession.

I’m sure some, including myself, can say they are guilty of the daily and senseless swiping and clicking and ‘liking.’ The need to post and share our lives, along with reading the updates of others, is a bizarre attachment we have and it is gaining momentum at a serious rate. Most importantly it is hurting our relationships and is devaluing what it means to be in the here and now. It’s time to switch off our phones and look up!

True stories.

I met a girlfriend for coffee recently and as soon as she sat down she put her phone on the table – I had guessed she was expecting an important call…apparently not! She proceeded to ‘check’ it at every beep or ring. Just me or is that rude? She’d glance at the screen, read the text, text back a response and then attempt to recommence our fragmented conversation. I left feeling deflated and disappointed at our lack of connection.

This morning at my daughters swimming lesson, I sat bemused as I watched the majority of parents spend the entire class with their heads in their phones. Their little persons face would look up expectantly for praise from time to time – nope, no, nothing…too busy!

My husband and I were out at dinner last week and I noticed a gaggle of laughter and delight as a group of young women gathered for a ladies night. Anyhow, about an hour into the evening one of them asked the waiter to take a photo of the group. Every single one of them, from then on had their face in their phone. I am guessing they were filtering, framing and making the shot look perfect before uploading to social. To sit and watch the demise of this exchange was pretty sad.

We are not connecting.

See the thing is as we move in and out of paying attention, our conversations become light, losing much of its authentic possibility. Even as we claim to ‘connect’ more than ever before via text, e-mail and social media, we don’t really listen intently any more amid the constant interruption. Whether we’re texting with others who are not present, scanning the Internet or enjoying the instant gratification of Facebook likes, many of us now routinely interrupt face time with loved ones to scratch the itch of online distraction.

Of course, mobile technology does play an incredibly important role in all modern jobs (and life). Whether it’s checking in via email in the evening, while you’re on the move, or connecting with someone far away, smartphones enable us to plug in conveniently and efficiently. However there is a very real flipside. Our preoccupation with our phones encroaches on our time spent deepening relationships, connecting, seeing, listening reflecting and actually being in the moment.

Facts.

A Nielsen study in 2013 found that 82 percent of Australians spend an average of 23.3 hours online each week – up from 2003 study where 73 percent of people spent an average of 6.7 hours online. That is an enormous chunk of time we have our face in a phone or device.

So how badly do you depend on your phone?

Do you sleep with your phone beside your bed and check it as soon as you wake up?
Are you likely to post something on social media and check for ‘likes’ 5 minutes later?
Do you check emails or text in traffic?
Do you review and respond to each incoming message, alert or beep?
Do you have distracted conversations with family members?

Here are a few basic ideas around doing a digital detox.

Turn off all your devices at a defined time each day say 9pm and have one day each week without access.
Keep your phone in a glove box when you are driving or on silent or in your bag if you are socialising with friends.
Get off line at least 1 hour prior to going to bed. Looking at your screen can reduce melatonin levels affecting your quality of sleep.
Don’t have your phone in the bedroom or with you during meal times.
When you are with your family and friends, as much as possible avoid accessing your technology – it’s not good manners.

So it turns out life is happening right now!

Without our phones to distract, we can experience moments. When we are freed up to take notice…there is a real beauty in noticing life. The benefits of real-time, face-to-face conversation – phones off the table – can’t be understated. The shortlist of what it fosters includes empathy, trust and respect, discovery, patience, gratitude, mindfulness and connection.

Am I willing to step back from technology and social media, and engage fully with the life in front of me instead? Well, let me just upload this blog to the internet, update my Facebook, check my Instagram, and I’ll get right back to you! Ha…you know what, I’m going to manage ‘it’ and not let ‘it’ manage me.

I am a Health and Wellness Consultant. I provide health and lifestyle solutions for busy women. Please contact me if you’d like to understand more about how I can empower you to gain more time, achieve greater balance, form healthy habits and feel like you are more aligned with your true self.

http://www.chasingsunrise.com.au/work-with-me/

June 7, 2016June 7, 2016

Tired All The Time? Sort Yourself With Sleep.

So how was your sleep last night? What about the night before that? Did you go to bed before 10pm in a cool, darkened room and sleep without waking for 8 gorgeous hours? Did you wake naturally, refreshed, energised, feeling calm and positive? No? Really? Well this sadly is the reality for a very large number of women, who in fact rarely experience this. Unfortunately the complaint of “I’m exhausted all the time” has become a perfectly acceptable state of norm. We are tired all the time. How wrong is that!

Too busy to sleep.
When Ironically the more tired we are, combined with the sleep we are too busy to have, the more we come unravelled…big time!

Burning out.
I can speak from personal experience when I recall a time where anything over 5 hours felt like a bonus. Waking with adrenalin pumping fiercely through my body after only minimal sleep and then heading out in the dark to get my exercise in was a perfectly acceptable existence. I was totally knackered. Wired and tired! I am here to tell you that if you are getting by on minimal sleep and feel like you are coping okay then it is time to take stock. Burning out is not the necessary price for accomplishment and success.

Just getting by.
Sleep is often the first thing to go when we are busy. You think you can just ‘get by’ with five hours sleep and you’ll be fine, right? WRONG! We need sleep to function well. It is absolutely vital for our mental, physical and emotional well-being. Getting good-quality sleep (and enough of it) should be as high on your priority list as regular exercise and a healthy diet.

Why lack of sleep is bad for our health – really bad.
There is a wealth of evidence showing that too few zzzzs can have significant and a very negative impact on our health and wellbeing. Sleep is absolutely key to amazing health. Sleep affects our physical and mental health enormously. A bad night’s sleep massively impacts alertness, concentration, memory, mood and productivity. It can also lower our immunity, contribute to weight gain and increase our risk of serious disease. Without enough sleep, we may well continue to function but we certainly do not continue to function well. Sleep is the key to feeling great and functioning at your personal best.

Today we know more about the science of sleep than ever before and how important it is to every aspect of our wellbeing. However, getting enough sleep seems harder and harder. It’s also the delusion that overwork, stress and burnout are the inevitable prices we must pay in order to succeed.

Tired all the time. Here are some suggestions for getting a great night’s sleep:

Sleep in a darkened room. This supports the body’s natural hormonal patterns to send you off to sleep and keep you that way.

Get to sleep by 10pm. Most of the body’s repair work is done prior to 3am so the more sleep you can get before this time, the fresher and more vital you will feel on waking
Switch Off! Computers, televisions and phones interfere with your natural sleep hormones and affect your beauty sleep big time. Ideally have technology free time for an hour before bed.
Avoid doing work for 2 hours before bed and engaging your brain in this way.
Avoid stimulants in the afternoon. Eliminating caffeine after 3pm is a good idea.
Avoid excessive alcohol before bed. Although alcohol is a sedative, it disrupts quality of sleep by causing us to wake when our blood-alcohol levels start to fall.
Keep the temperature in the bedroom at a comfortable level. Don’t overheat with piles of blankets and keep some fresh air coming into the room during the night.
Find a way to relax before bed. Often a bath, a cup of herbal tea, a book, some light stretching or even some slow deep breaths can help to clear your mind and enable you to fall into a deeper sleep.

So how much sleep do we need?
Seven to eight hours. Most experts consider this the optimal level of sleep and it should lead you to wake feeling rested and ready for the day ahead.

So it’s about time you got some serious shut eye.
It is so important to schedule maximum (quality) sleep time for yourself if you want to start feeling amazing from the inside out. Rather than trudging through your day, wake up feeling calm, clear, joyful, focused, productive and happy. There is a new kind of normal – just go to bed!

Contact me if you are interested in learning how you can fit more sleep and self-care into your busy life. http://www.chasingsunrise.com.au/contact/