Whenever they’re going through a super-busy or stressful time, I’ll a client who’s frustrated by all the things out of their control is to focus on what they can do to feel more grounded and to stay on track with their healthy-living efforts. I’ve had plenty of practice with this in my own life, so iI know that balancing act very well. This summer I’ve had to a lot of practicing what I preach in that respect.
When the timing is right, I’ll share more about my decision to resign from my clinical job to focus on my corporate wellness and writing work, but suffice it to say the past three months have been an incredible learning experience. While of course I had a lot of fears going in, I’ve been blown away by the abundance of opportunities and fulfilling projects so far. Letting go of one thing opened up so much space in my work life I didn’t even know was there. When I get to spend my days in that sweet spot of doing things I enjoy that also help make other people’s lives better, that’s a big win. There’s so much big stuff I can’t fix, that solving the smaller, everyday problems and focusing on those positive small changes helps me deal.
Of course, not having my old predictable work hours has meant I’ve had to build my own structure (and change said structure to make space for things that come up) and get in tune with my own cycles of productivity so I can figure out how to plan my days to optimize on my energy. Oh, and did I mention my sister just got married??! So yeah, big wrench thrown in. Big, beautiful, wonderful, happy wrench, but still something to plan around so I could get all my work done and still be supportive and emotionally present for all those milestone moments.
Lots of meal-prepping, not surprisingly. I’ve also been making sure to prioritize self-care like yoga and social time with friends, even if it has to be in small doses because of limited time. For this week’s What I Ate Wednesday post, I’m sharing what I ate the weekend before my sister’s wedding, where I spent time out in NJ with family and friends prepping favors, so I squeezed all my self-care, work, and life catch-up into that Saturday.
Breakfast: I’d prepped this summer squash frittata and roasted sweet potatoes the day before so all I had to do after my walk was heat and eat. I’ve been making them with all egg whites lately so I can be lazy and just dump the whole pint in rather than crack and beat eggs. Sometimes I have one piece before a workout or class and the other slice later in the morning, but on this day, I opted instead to have both pieces at the same time (topped with Trader Joe’s Eggplant Garlic Spread) because I was in the mood for some sweaty cardio and then weights to shake off some nervous energy. Totally made the right call—I was super-hangry but also had a project to dive into.
Lunch: After a late-morning yoga class I came home and made a big salad with zoodles, leftover roasted veggies, and sardines in olive oil plus some balsamic. For a little dessert, I had some strawberries. I forgot to take a picture but that salad looked a lot like this:
Afternoon snack: Plain Greek yogurt with coconut flour and cocoa powder. I’ve been digging this combo a lot lately ever since I found out peanuts and peanut butter are now on my “can’t eat” list thanks to adult onset cross-reactivity allergies. Fun stuff.
Dinner: It was hot so I made another salad. This turkey burger salad to be exact. I’ve been also trying to give myself an actual break to eat meals rather than eat at my computer, so I read some of Jenny Blake’s Pivot
Bedtime snack: plain Siggi’s with a teaspoon of maple syrup
How do you fit in self-care when life is crazy?
To see more WIAW, check out founder Jenn’s blog Peas & Crayons or visit host Laura‘s blog.
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