I’m on a ‘Brain Sabbatical’… How About You?

Feeling overwhelmed? Here’s how to cope.

On the heels of a deadly pandemic – now entering its third year – we’ve been dealing with a lot. As I’ve mentioned over the past few weeks, I’m also struggling with a few personal issues, including watching over my beloved dog Benji, who’s nearing his end of life due to terminal cancer.

As you probably know, when life gets ultra-challenging and you’re facing illness, job loss, a death in the family or marital problems, your mental bandwidth is severely reduced. It’s hard to function or tackle our day-to-day responsibilities. Our brains, for the most part, simply check out or take a sabbatical. I know mine certainly has!

When we’re grieving or struggling with an overwhelming situation, many people simply leave self-care by the wayside. I’ve been a wellness professional for many years, and believe me, I’m no different than everyone else – when you’re running on adrenaline, having difficulty sleeping, eating and even thinking straight, everything can seem impossible.

But what if I shared my ‘no brains required’ checklist so you can take care of yourself – even while being on auto-pilot? After all, if you’re not healthy, you can’t help anyone else, either. Here’s how I’m practicing self-care in the middle of my own brain sabbatical:

• Get daily exercise. I do yoga, dance, Peloton cycling and weight training. Even if you can only manage five byte-sized minutes, the cumulative effect is worth it, because all bytes add up to a full meal.

• Go outside. Now that the weather’s warming up, I take a daily power walk outdoors. I often do in-person or virtual walk-and-talks so I can catch up with friends, because social connection is super important for mental health. I also sometimes join a weekly morning walk with women in my neighborhood.

• Make good food choices. You may be too stressed or exhausted to cook, but putting healthy food into your body is crucial to keep up your strength during trying times. Many people eat their emotions away, but there’s a different, more intentional way: I’ve adopted a mindful, intentional eating plan that includes:

• Cutting back on added sugars
• Choosing whole grains, healthy fats
• Eating plenty of nutrients from fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds, lean meat, poultry and fish.

I’ve managed to lose five pounds since my dog first fell ill – not through a crash diet, but by making healthy food choices for meals and snacks.

Here's my gift to you: Feel free to download my healthy eating checklist, ‘How to stay alert and energized during your busy days" HERE.

Need some help with your wellness journey? Get on my coaching waitlist and/or book my Virtual Wellness Lounge for your upcoming meeting/conference or employee wellness program. My healthy eating checklist is just one example of hundreds of available resources to help you practice self-care.

If I can do these three no-brainer tasks even when I’m an emotional hot mess, you can, too.

I feel great about myself, and between the caregiving and sadness, I know that focusing on self-care is ultimately going to help me get through this.

Stay well,

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