My Personal Lifestyle Shifts
Happy Monday !!!!!
This has been a great (and FULL) weekend- I’m reminded once again as we round out the LAST week of October at how fast this season of life seems to be going… For the past 5 years I’ve really made a conscious choice to step back as I notice these emotions (HOW did my kids get so big so fast!!!) and sense the pace of our lives speeding up (party after party after fieldtrip after work shift and ??Christmas???) to take note of what I’m needing to invest in for my self care. I have learned through my experience of being a mother and my experience of being a doctor the following:
#1- I can NOT take care of others without FIRST taking care of myself…
#2-My Energy Runs The Show… my kids pick up on my energy and their attitudes and actions reflect back to me what I’m feeling on the inside, and my interactions with others is effected (more than I ever gave credence to) by the energy I bring to the field.
SO… with these two self care truths in mind- here is how my self care is changing as we bound into holiday season:
Walking desk for work- I practice Tele-Neurology in hospitals all across the US- these are 12 hour shifts and I love my job. Tele-Medicine however has some downsides that need to be addressed by each who practices in this growing field and one BIG one for me involves my physical activity- I can tell a huge difference in my energy levels, physical endurance, and overall body composition since taking on 12 hour sedentary shifts- the work itself can be intense, but it is in a very different way than running around in clinic or the hospital in person. This has been an evolving process for me to figure out how to remedy this part of the job and I have opted for the under desk treadmill- My goal is to use it as much as I can and to help with a physical outlet for all the mental stimulation that the shift can bring. All of that energy has to go SOMEWHERE!!! Sitting in one place for more than a few hours is associated with ill impacts on your health regardless of getting your weekly workouts in… being active throughout the day has MANY benefits. I will update you on how this goes… with 3 kids all very active, I have plenty of opportunity to see how my endurance for day to day life changes with this move. Join me in my goal for 100 miles in November!!! (catch up and join on Facebook!!)
Cutting down on fat and truly eating Whole Food, Plant Based- I have been on/off vegan for the past 12-13 years. I initially went vegan after my sister showed me a film she was exposed to in law school in her ethics class on factory farming…this is a journal post all on its own. Over the years I have done a lot of research into the health of our blood vessels for my patients and then top that off with my own father passing away from his FIRST heart attack at age 58…. and yes, the health of my blood vessels is very important to me. I consider myself blessed in that my skin is my “alarm” for how I’m doing on the nutrition side of things… when my skin starts acting up and breaking out, I need to change something… for me, I’ve noticed that added oils (EVEN IN VEGAN PRODUCTS!!!) is a big culprit that I am focusing on these months. There is incredible data on reversal of damaged blood vessels with a whole foods, plant based diet and reduction in overall inflammation. I’m sharpening in on this goal and following sites like Nutritionfacts.org, Forksoverknives.com, and PCRM.org- I stick to the basics and being a foodie at heart, I love the challenge of getting in the kitchen and cooking up a storm!
Using Social Media, Not letting Social Media Use ME!!! - This is huge in this day and age!!! How many times have you caught yourself just checking instagram or facebook for what you think will be 30 seconds to find yourself 20 minutes later scrolling mindlessly through your feed…. its addicting. Lets face it. There are studies showing even 90 seconds of social media scrolling affects your self-image negatively and increases symptoms of depression. I’m including myself in this data- whether its looking at other businesses, other doctors, women not in my field but seem to have their “whole lives together” with perfect pictures of their kids and spouse and families… I’m so happy for others living their best lives, but the way our egos work is from a space of comparison, and constant exposure to the media in general and lives of others takes us out of the moment and sets off fires of ego-driven self critique that is not serving anyone well. Combine with that fact the holiday season coming up as well as less sun exposure and you’ve got a perfect recipe for “blah” moods all around. My aim is to USE social media to spread my message, educate & inspire others to engage in self care and remember their worth, and to document my kids’ childhood so I can print off my feed for a cute “chat book” every 90 days or so :-) (PLEASE tell me you’ve heard of chat books… lets be real, I had 2 kids in residency and there is not a traditional baby-book in sight) I am a huge fan of taking a 100% BREAK from my phone once a week ideally to really tune in and bring myself into the moment…. you will be amazed at how often you get the “urge” to scroll when you do this…. use these urges to remind yourself of things you’ve neglected; ie: walking outside, reading a real, actual paper book on your couch, having a cup of tea, drawing, etc.
SQUAT WHEN I CAN- Let me let you in on a little secret… I’m a perfectionist in many ways… even down to what type of work out I do, if its not “complete,” if I am not drenched and out of breath by the end, I have this nagging feeling that I “didn’t do enough”…. This is something I’m working on and I’m urged to do this by the sheer fact that my life at this stage is just plain chaotic… kids, school, unreliable sleep schedule, building a business, work schedule, etc.. you know what I mean I’m sure. So I’m aiming to drop it down into some air squats or jump squats or lunges or kettlebell swings or whatever sounds good at the time for short bursts throughout the day! (maybe drop it down into a squat when you get the urge to scroll social media?)
“Catch This Moment” - They all seem to be flying by, right? My kids are now 8, 6, and 4 years old… after the holidays comes our “Birthday Season” and I get this incredible visceral feeling as soon as January hits that “wow… my babies are no longer babies”… It takes EFFORT to stay in the moment in our culture. I love hearing Kate Northrup talking about “Chronos” & “Kairos” time… this makes so much sense to me, especially when you think of Einstein’s theory of relativity and the concept of “vibrating higher” when we are in the present moment… When you consciously bring yourself to be aware of THIS present moment, you are stepping into “Kairos” time… which is “the moment, the event, the suspension of the normal”… as opposed to “chronos” time which is your every day, day to day activities and “clock time” as Ekhart Tolle calls it… I am aiming to engage in as much Kairos time as I can. I literally say out loud to myself throughout the day… “catch this moment”… and it has helped me to drop my attitude, look my husband in the eyes, stoop down and get face to face with my child, stop ordering them around and actually listen to the story they want to tell me at that moment. When we lay our heads down at night, I drift off to sleep thankful for the conscious moments I’ve spent that day with each of my children and my husband- doing this allows me to breathe a bit deeper and it resets my nervous system (yours as well!!!)… It allows me to turn down the panicked voice of “its going too fast!!” that I often have running in the back of my head and lets me enjoy the ride.
Other than the walking desk… these goals require zero money and really only require me to switch my mindset and value my time. Simple as that. Life changing, body changing. Thats enough for me- I’ll write an update in a month and let you know how these are going- Let me know what shifts you’re working on as we head into this holiday season- what’s on your plate and how do you want to respond?
Namaste friends-
