back to basics

May 7, 2011

on-call retreat
after two weekends away from home, a quiet weekend at home [well, quiet-ISH, depending on the pager] is exactly what the doctor ordered. i’ve gotten to the point where sometimes i actually relish having the excuse to stay home, relax, get things done, and throw a little work into the mix when needed.


sure, i’ve got stuff to do. but none of these items is terribly unpleasant [i can even tolerate bathroom cleaning if i have a great podcast on!]. in addition to the above, i am taking today to refocus on self-care, which has been sorely lacking ever since my trip to boston 2 weekends ago. i’d even go so far as to call it a self-care slump.

what does self-care mean to me?
balanced and moderate workouts: due to post-travel jetlag/fatigue, my total activity for the week thus far has consisted of 2 short runs — that’s it! no yoga, no strength training, not even a long walk through the neighborhood. now, i don’t regret taking this time off — there is nothing like a little hiatus to get me really excited about resuming the activities that i love [and that really add to my general sense of well-being].

eating things that are not this:


i don’t know if it was rebound from sunbutter withdrawal or what, but i am pretty certain that half of my caloric intake came out of this jar yesterday:

sweet, crunchy SSB
delicious, but i think my body probably needs a few supplemental nutrients. today marks my return to regular cooking + consumption of vegetables! i’m even thinking about a new cook-through challenge to spice things up . . .


getting enough sleep: for REAL this time! i did not get enough sleep while traveling, and it really caught up with me after returning home [particularly with the time difference to complicate things].

just slowing down. travel is frenetic, and this week was a schizophrenic mix of lab/clinic/catch-up. i am ready to move a bit slower and more thoughtfully. to me, this includes:

minimizing multitasking
keeping to purposeful use of media
consciously enjoying downtime [intentional relaxation!]
taking time to meditate + think

interestingly, these post-travel intentions are very much the same as the ones i set out to do while away!

T-2 weeks
part of my de-slumping motivation is that i am just 2 weeks away from vacation [and my birthday!], and 3 weeks from our big move across town. in these sorts of situations, i often find myself entering some sort of countdown mindset, where efforts are half-assed and all of my energies are focused on JUST GETTING TO THE GOOD PART ALREADY. since i established that the good part is at least in some ways already here, i’d really like to stay away from that [rather toxic, almost tragic] mode of being.

and with that, on with the day!

what helps you refocus on self-care? any and all tips are welcome!

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