5 Simple Ways To Be Kind To Yourself This Week

1. Practice a breathing square

   Breath in for a count of 4. Hold the breath for a count of 4. Breath out for a count of 4. Hold for a count of 4. This is a breathing square. If you are feeling anxious or overwhelmed, try a breathing square to calm your mind and relax your body.

2. Practice walking away from the screen

   The beauty of email and other text communication is that you don’t have to respond right away. In moments of stress or busyness, it is easier to overreact or say something you just don’t mean. Practice walking away for a moment and getting some perspective before you respond to that next customer complaint.

3. Move your body and engage your senses

   If you spend most of your day seated at a desk looking at a screen it’s important to find ways to move your body and engage all of your senses. Maybe that’s a workout or maybe it’s just walking outside and breathing in some fresh air. Perhaps you want to engage your senses at mealtime by breathing in the smells of the cooking food, arranging the food on the plate in a pleasing manner, and eating without distractions from work or tv.

4. Learn something new

   This is not a suggestion to do more professional development, it’s a suggestion to learn about something you are just interested in! Below are a few podcast ideas to engage your mind and help you discover something brand new!

   • “Don’t Underestimate The Flamingo” by Every Little Thing

   • “The Case of the Missing Hit” by Reply All

   • “Pockets: Articles of Interest #3” by 99 Percent Invisible

5. Finish something

   What’s something that you know you can finish in an hour? Do it. Celebrate the little win and help it encourage you to keep plugging away on the projects without a finish line in sight.

Whatever your week looks like, I hope you remember to be kind to yourself!