When I get stressed or am too busy with marketing my books, editing, or doing one of the many authorly things I have to do, I can neglect myself by not drinking much water, skipping breakfast, and even forgetting to eat my lunch until two or three hours past lunchtime. This is not healthy. Take it from me.
Years ago, I was so overcome with the release of my first eBook, Hurricane Crimes, that I ate, drank, and slept promo. Not an adequate form of nutrition, that’s for sure. I lost a bit of weight. One evening, I started to feel lightheaded and weak. I knew instantly it was probably because I hadn’t drunk enough water that day. Immediately, I got a bottle of water, and, while sitting in front of a fan, drank until I felt better. This was a big lesson learned for me.
Here are tips for taking care of yourself:
1. Hydrate
To maintain your brain power, you need water. Our brains are, after all, made up of about 70% water, and our bodies are 60% water. Experts say to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily to help your metabolism and stay on top of your performance. Dehydration is not good. If you suffer from dehydration, you can become very sick. Keep up your intake of water. This doesn’t have to be straight water, though. Coffee, tea, and juice count.
I like to keep a bottle of water on my desk if I need it. I also have a coaster for my cup of green tea I drink in the morning, and for my cup of decaf coffee I enjoy in the afternoon with a sweet goodie.
Which brings me to…
2. Eat
On days that I know I have a lot of work to do, shortly after I wake up, I head over to my desk and get down to it. No breakfast whatsoever. As I mentioned before, I can even work through lunch. Bringing snacks to your desk to sustain you during the day can keep you fueled while you write. Healthy snacks, though, not junk food. Just as our brains and bodies need water, they also require fuel in the terms of food, because food becomes energy, and we need energy to stay on top of our writing game.
Some snacks that are easy to have at your desk:
- Granola or protein bars
- Can of peanuts (Even the honey glazed ones count. Pour them in a dish for easy access.)
- An apple
- Baby carrots
- Trail mix
- Snack-sized bags of chips or pretzels
TIP: Shake out your keyboard and wipe it down with anti-bacterial wipes to keep it clean between your snacking periods.
Whatever you eat at your desk and however much water you consume, just make sure to hydrate plenty and get nutrition through food to keep yourself strong—physically and mentally.
When you’re experiencing depression, this is even more critical. Taking care of yourself is key to getting back to a good, healthy place. You may not feel like doing much of anything, or even getting out of bed, but you need to hydrate and eat. If you do nothing else, at least do that.
But there is something else you should do that I highly recommend…
3. Bathe
Oh, baths are my favorite. At the end of stressful or busy days, especially on your bad days, take a bath. Turn off the lights, light a few candles, drop lavender or orange essential oils into the water, and then lay back and relax. When I do this, I sometimes listen to music, such as 90’s music or meditation music. You can let silence surround you or listen to your favorite tunes.
Let your stresses melt off you as you take a good, long bath. Your muscles won’t ache as much and you’ll feel relaxed, which is a gift after a hard day.
Eat.
Drink (water).
Bathe.
Take care!
BONUS A TO Z
THEME: AVRIANNA HEAVENBORN
T - Thank You, Sparklers
- Bow Prancer (Bow a contribution from Juneta Key, Prancer a contribution from Toi Thomas)
- Soren (named by Elizabeth)
- Axel Sherman ( Axel a contribution from Sarah Rush, Sherman a contribution from Sherry Fundin)
- Ashton O'Riely (Ashton a contribution from Kelly, O'Riely a contribution from Juneta Key)
- Diago Wilson (Diago a contribution from Tiff)
- Mila Kinley (named by Kathy Weiland)
- Samantha Ryan (named by Cindy Schmidt Mongomery)
It sounds so simply and yet it's true! Forgetting to drink water and skipping meals are things I always do when I'm focus on writing or promotion. Having a bottle of water practically glued to me helps quite a bit :p
ReplyDeleteI do the same with a bottle of water. Wherever I do, it goes, especially if I'm out of the house. I end up feeling faint if I don't have water to sip on outside of the house.
DeleteIn the past when I saw people write about self-care, I didn't know what they meant. Then one day when I was hungry and finally realized I needed to stop what I was doing to eat, it occurred to me, This is it. This is self-care. I need to eat when I'm hungry and rest when I'm tired and stop trying to do something when it's not working and I'm frustrated.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Yes, that's it. Taking care of ourselves like how we'd take care of a child or how our parents took care of us...making sure we ate, napped, bathed, etc.
DeleteYes, eat, sleep, hydrate, and take exercise. Just a five minute walk outdoors is essential. Remind me I said, that, will you?
ReplyDeleteLOL Sometimes I have to remind myself, too. I forget a lot that exercise is important. In fact, my hips have been bothering me because I've neglected physical therapy, so even walking hurts.
DeleteI was told that water intake is based on weight, too. The 8 glasses of water is based "ideal" weight. So, if you weigh more, you should drink more. (There was a formula. I don't remember the formula.)
ReplyDeleteThat makes sense.
Delete