Slump busting

Many of us experience an afternoon slump.  We can choose to get through it with coffee or sugar, but here are some other ideas that might work better.

• A quick walk.  Even ten minutes can get our heart rate up and our mood boosted.  And yes, we can get away from our desks that long; it isn’t really longer than going to get that coffee.

• Some water.  Often we are cranky because we are dehydrated.  We can add a slice of lemon or a sprig of mint if we also want a mini-vacation.

• A stretch.  Sitting still can really hurt our bodies.  Standing up and stretching for a minute or two can make all the difference.

• A healthy snack.  This is not the time to raid the candy jar.  Maybe a little hummus and veggies or an apple and nut butter sound good.  A handful of nuts or a piece of string cheese can also be good.  We want to give ourselves a little energy and some staying power, not just a burst of simple carbohydrates that raise and then drop our blood sugar.

• A few deep breaths.  We can re-center ourselves and give our brains a chance to focus. 

None of this stuff is a substitute for general healthy living with real exercise, real rest, real food, real relationships, and meaningful work.  It is offered as an adjunct to all that.  We can do this.

Coming back...

We all get injured sometimes.  It may be as simple as getting our fingers confused with the veggies we’re chopping while making dinner or as complicated as a car crash.  No matter what, we have to figure out how to deal with the results.

Things like cuts and bruises are not that hard to work around.  We throw on a bandage and try not to put pressure on the boo-boo.

When we have overwork injuries like tendonitis, it gets harder.  We have to rest.  Time off actually does wonders for most folks in this regard, but since we get these injuries doing what we like to do, time off can be somewhat purgatorial.  When we do return to our beloved activities, we may need to go slower, refine our form, and/or add support.

Catastrophic injuries like broken bones require all of that and more.  Physical therapy can make the difference between an injury that lingers and one that really goes away.  Many health plans minimize or eliminate physical therapy; we need to kick up a ruckus if necessary to get this important treatment.  And then the hard part:  we have to DO the exercises our physical therapists assign.  Only after we’ve completed that course of therapy should we return to our normal activities.

When we do get back to our workouts, we may have to start more slowly than we’d like.  We need to take baby steps, mastering each increment before progressing to avoid setbacks.  Excellent form is our friend, even if it is not always fun to achieve.

(I am not a doctor or a physical therapist.  I will not diagnose or treat injuries.  I will strongly suggest talking to those professionals when clients experience beyond-normal discomfort.)

Injuries happen, but we can bounce back.

Real self-care

Self-care is a popular topic in our world.  We are often advised to take a bath or meditate or otherwise chill out.  I am not opposed to any of those things.

However, real self-care does not always feel warm and fuzzy.  Real self-care might mean cutting out the junk food.  It might mean hitting the gym.  It might mean extracting ourselves from a toxic relationship or job.  It can be messy and uncomfortable in the moment.

Other people or entities may not want us to do real self-care.  They’d rather sell us some bubble bath or wine.  They like when we assume that we have to keep doing things the way we always have, no matter what it costs us in health and happiness because they are benefitting from it.

We have value.  We deserve to be strong and powerful and happy.  Let’s take the time to think about what we really want and need to be our best selves and do that first.  We can take a spa day later if we still think it will do us good.