In my last post I explained why it can be so difficult to allow yourself to relax. In this post I want to dive a bit deeper and give you a number of things you can try and see if they recharge you.

There is no right or wrong answer here! Some of the strategies below might work for you, some won’t. Some might work for a certain level of tiredness, and some might only work when you have time to give to them. Approach this process from a place of curiosity not perfection!

• Habit stack deep breathing. One of the fastest ways to calm your nervous system is to take a few slow, deep breaths into your belly. But as you go about your day, running from one thing to the next, you might never be taking full breaths past your chest. So, identify some times when you can integrate this into something you’re already doing: your coffee is brewing, you’re taking a bathroom break, as you start your commute, before you eat a meal.
• Empty your thoughts in your journal or a voice note. Often our brains g
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Ever have a free moment and think, “now I’ll let myself relax” only to find it nearly impossible? Your mind gets loud about all the things you should be doing or starts to allow in feelings you’ve been avoiding. Sometimes even just the expectation that right now is the only window you have to recharge can put you on edge!

Here are three of the most common challenges I hear from clients when they are looking for some peace. And I’ve included what to do to manage them!

The “one more thing” trap

We are all busy and have things we need to get done, but these mental or literal lists can create a lot of clutter as you jump from one thing to the next. You might even believe that you aren’t allowed to rest until you’ve crossed everything off your list. But it is unrealistic to set everything up perfectly before you can relax. Instead, try meeting yourself in the middle: identify one to two things you want to get done before you allow yourself to relax. This creates a clear expectation—what ...

Do you ever feel relief when your work day is done? Maybe it’s when the clock hits a specific time or when that last thing on your to do list is crossed off. It is when you can transition from work life to personal time, but that isn’t always an easy transition.

No matter how you commute, work from home or do shift work, here are five strategies you can use to train your brain and body to know it is time to shift out of work mode.

Inventory. One great way to stop thinking about your day is to reflect on how you felt the day went. Identify what you liked, didn’t like, what went well, or didn’t. This can be a clear time for you to shift through all of these thoughts, evaluations, and worries before you get to your front door. If you find these thoughts spiral, try picturing placing them in a cabinet or chest and mentally locking them up. Sometimes it can even be helpful to remind yourself you’re not being paid for your worry time!

Snack. The time from lunch to dinner can be long and t...

No matter what you do for work, chances are it is a stressor in your life. Even if you enjoy your job, there might be tasks or colleagues you’d rather not deal with. Work is a necessity not just for income, but also purpose, goal setting, community, and future planning.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t stressful.

Below are a number of ways you can support your mental health as a worker.

Basic Maintenance Goes a Long Way

You might already know that routines, rituals, and structure can support your well-being, so focusing on identifying working hours (and rest or play hours), practicing good sleep hygiene, and implementing boundaries around your work phone or logging in can be incredibly helpful for supporting your mental health. It can also be helpful to create a transition ritual where you let your nervous system know that you are changing from work you to home you. Listen to a meditation app on your commute or change clothes as soon as you are home. These can signal to your body that it...

Routines don’t have to be boring! One of the best ways to create certainty and predictability in your life is to have routines, structure, and rituals. These can be big or little things: taking the same route to work or buying the same shampoo so you’ll know how it will smell. It can be having Taco Tuesday’s or reading 30 minutes before you turn the light off for sleep.

Here are three key ways routines can support you:

Helps support your sleep. This is probably one you’ve heard of, but a good routine or ritual before bed can help you get a better night’s sleep because it keeps your body on the same wake-and-sleep ‘clock’. Try lowering the lights (even lighting a candle), putting your phone on silent, or watching your favourite comfort show.

Creates a sense of safety and reduces stress. The predictability of knowing what comes next is a great way to calm your nervous system. Consider the times you worry or are anxious about a situation, chances are you can’t predict how it will turn ...

There are many reasons people emotionally eat: to distract themselves, to feel numb, to have something to control. But one of the common reasons I hear from clients is that food brings them a sense of happiness that they feel doesn’t compare to any other experience currently in their life. This makes emotional eating incredibly difficult to stop relying on when you don’t have others ways of accessing this feel-good emotion. Does any of this sound familiar?

• A snack feels like an only acceptable break from grinding away at work or your to do list. Your brain makes the connection that not working = food.
• You only feel your body relax once the kids are in bed and you can eat alone in the evening. The connection your brain makes here is alone time = food time.
• You only allow yourself to have foods like cake or popcorn at events like parties or at the movie theatre. Here your brain connects special events (happy times) and specific foods.Our brains love to work on auto-pilot because it
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You might have heard of, or experienced, seasonal affective disorder (also known as SAD) during the colder months of the year. Common symptoms of SAD are irritability, changes to your sleep patterns or the way you eat, and worsening of anxiety or depression. If you’re reading that and thinking “that sounds familiar” but it is the Summer and you dismiss your symptoms, we’re here to tell you that SAD can also happen during the sunnier, warmer months.

Our brains and bodies like routine: it makes things feel in control and predictable. So, any time there are changes introduced—like hotter weather, later sunsets, or change to homelife—it is understandable that our system would react in a certain way, no matter if it is Winter or Summer. There are a number of reasons why Summer SAD can happen, but here are two big ones:

Day-to-Day Disruptions

You might be planning vacations (hello travel stress!) which can add to your mental load or are having to navigate having kids home on school break....

Checklists can be a helpful tool: they can organize your day and make you feel motivated. But when it feels like you’ve got a never ending to do list, you can feel defeated and constantly drained.

You might even find yourself unable to relax or feel like you haven’t ‘earned’ rest because of all the lingering things you need to get done. With this mentality it is easy to fall into emotional eating patterns to avoid your to do list.

Food becomes the only ‘acceptable’ way to take a break, so you go grab an afternoon pastry to get away from your desk or find yourself in the pantry looking for a snack to focus on something other than your tasks. This pattern of eating also packs a one-two punch of helping you disassociate from your to do list and all the feelings around it: stress, overwhelm, anxiety, fear. 

It is unavoidable that life will get busy, but that doesn’t mean you have to live in a constant state of stress eating. Here are four key strategies to bring you some peace of mind, ...

Today’s blog is a guest post from Marisa over at Le Salon Literary Discussions. She runs a bookish business that offers reading recommendations, monthly online book discussions, and more!

Reading can be such a great way to relax. It can also be educational and help you learn new ideas and see yourself in new ways, which can be invigorating! No matter which you choose, both of these can support a sense of self-care. 

I know it can be challenging to find time to read these days between work, life, TV, and scrolling. If you need a few tips on how to make some time to pick up your book or e-reader, I’ve got some advice that might help. My biggest tip is to make sure you are enjoying what you are reading—and that will look different for everyone. From romance to graphic novels, thrilling mysteries to classic novels. Here are some book recommendations to get you started.

Non-fiction books to support your body and mind:

• Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson
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Now that you’ve settle a little into the fall routine—kids are back in school, summer getaways have ended—you may find yourself refreshed and feeling ready to tackle whatever it is that’s coming up at work. That is a sign of a summer well spent!

Feeling so good might have you taking on more projects at work or overscheduling your time. In order to try and keep a balance (at least most of the time), it is important to notice any signs of burnout early on. While that term can feel scary and so serious that you think “nah, I’d notice if anything was off”, burnout can creep in in ways that you might think are normal. Unfortunately, many workplaces have made these symptoms acceptable and even encourage competition around the water cooler.

Here are five signs to watch out for:

1. Poor performance. Usually, you find you can start and finish projects to your own set of standards, but lately you feel like you can’t keep up or give the level you want at work.
2. Reduced creativity. This is a sne
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