Health Tips: Our Whimsical List

Do you remember our article on The Top Ten Ways to Achieve Balance? In that article we gave you some general tips. Here in Whimsy, we want to give you a few specific and more whimsical tips that you can utilize to achieve balance in our your life.

1. Reduce Stress. One of the ways I experience stress and tension is through the accumulation of tasks left undone. To counter this psychic drain, I have taken to writing things down instantly. As soon as I think of something that needs to get done, I pull out my pad and pen and write it down! This method prevents tasks from taking up space in my mind (as I mull them over, worry about them), and inhibiting the flow of creativity. Also, if I have a simple task that can be done quickly, I try and do it, as opposed to letting a series of little things pile up. For example, I respond to emails right away as opposed to “saving” them up for later.
2. Meditate. With a new baby in our lives, neither of us has managed to establish a lengthy meditational practice. We nonetheless try to incorporate some kind of meditational/thoughtful walk each day, as well as employing the practice of silence. We have even ventured down the path of total silence at Deepak Chopra’s suggestion. Challenging, but worth the effort.
3. Suit up. And by that we mean employing David Allen’s strategy of putting on our workout gear as motivation to get active! If we’re already ‘dressed for the part,’ we’re less likely to change our minds.
4. Supplement. Have you committed to taking a multivitamin or supplement for your health? This discipline can get neglected when life gets busy. Ironically, that’s when we need the supplements most! We try and link new habits we want to establish with other routines that are more entrenched. For example, when I wanted to make taking my vitamins a habit, I started taking them right after I flossed my teeth each night (a well established part of my routine). Since linking those tasks, I rarely miss either.
5. Create. One of the ways I like to create is through writing. I have a blog which takes up a good portion of my writing time. Sometimes when I get stuck for ideas, I have to change things up. A technique I often employ involves shaking up my physical world. Instead of sitting down at my desk in my usual garb, I put on crazy hat and a pair of legwarmers. This might sound crazy, but the unfamiliarity of those items makes me feel different and a little uncomfortable—uncomfortable enough to transform my head space and get me over that hurdle. Consider shaking up your physical world in some way to get over your creative road blocks.
6. Banish fear. We have become affirmation gurus of late to counter our fears and insecurities. We repeat our affirmative statements to ourselves and to one another. (Repeating the mantra out loud to another person forces you to really believe in what you’re saying.) One of the questions that has shaped our affirmations includes, “What do you need to do to call your life a success?” Consider using this question yourself as a starting point into the world of affirmations and positive thinking.
7. Live in the present. One way to get yourself into the present moment is through the element of surprise. Simon has noticed that just running his same morning route in the opposite direction makes all the difference. All of a sudden he starts to notice the landscape with fresh eyes. He spots a tree he didn’t know was there or one that looks totally different from the other side.
8. Eat well. Set the tone for your day with breakfast. We start our day with raw oatmeal—very filling and satisfying. Not to mention that oatmeal actually regulates blood sugar levels, so you won’t crash midmorning like you might after a Starbucks muffin! Check out the recipe here.
9. Get outside for some sun. Get inside for a nap. Fifteen minutes of both. We have started giving ourselves complete freedom to do both of these activities without guilt. The revitalization of our bodies and minds actually makes us MORE productive.
10. Nurture relationships that give you energy. While we lived in California, we formed special relationships with the employees at our local organic grocery store. The owners and staff knew our names, asked us about our work, got excited about our baby…making the experience of grocery shopping pleasurable and rewarding! We felt energized dropping in for a head of lettuce and not frustrated by the task.

BONUS

11. Have fun. This category is, of course, highly tailored to taste. Our version of fun may not be yours! But just in case you’re really wanting to shake up your current reality, give our tried and true examples of fun a whirl: make up little songs and exchange verses; watch a lot of Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert or whatever makes you laugh; take the time to make delicious meals, and accompany them with good wine; become connoisseurs of high quality espresso. These things are fun for us!