Heading into Fall we all recognize the energy that school is about to start, whether you’re a student or not. This can bring up feelings of anxiety or overwhelm. In fact I recently read an article saying that if you’re a parent, when your kids get through the first week of school, you shouldn’t try to make any big plans to celebrate but just get them pizza and let them pass out with a good movie at home because they are so exhausted from the overwhelm.

As adults, while we don’t have Summer vacation, Summer lends a certain degree of relaxation or calmness to our mood and energy…or at least implies we should make this shift. So as we head back into Fall, how do we organize our “back to school” routine so that we can set ourselves up or a successful school “year?”

Many people think that starting things off on the right foot means starting with work as their top priority or making sure that their family is set up and organized. However, in order to truly succeed and do your best in those arenas, you have to prioritize self-care.

Here are 3 things you can do to help you set up for self care success:

1. Set a bedtime. Most people think about what time they need to wake up to plan their day but the reality is that most New Yorkers regularly operate with a certain level of sleep deprivation and are not well rested. Start from a goal place of 8 hrs of sleep (whether you think you need it or not) and work backwards from what time you know you have time wake up in the morning and set your bedtime. There are a number of bedtime apps available if you need some help sticking to the task. (Buzzfeed created a great list here) And carve out a half hour of getting ready for your bed so you can get away from the screen and do whatever you need to do to be in bed for 8 hours.

2. Prepare food for the week on the weekend. You don’t even have to prepare every single meal. Not every body is culinary genius (or wants to be) so if you’re someone who prefers to have pre-made smoothies get them. I’m not going to tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day (you can’t live on coffee alone) but you do have to give yourself enough fuel for the rest of the day so you don’t crash later and make unhealthy choices.
(Here’s a favorite smoothie of ours: banana, blueberry, chia, peanut butter, protein powder, kale, almond milk, and a link to get yourself a Nutribullet)

3. Regular Exercise. You have to plan and be consistent. Make a list of all the things you would want to do for exercise if you thought you had the time for it. Then see where you can schedule those things in as regular activities. You have to treat exercise as any other appointment and put it in your calendar. If you don’t schedule it you’re less likely to do it. Feeling bad about having not done it again makes you less likely to do it the next time…and I don’t want you to be one of those people who then tries to compensate for missing 5 workouts my way over doing 1 and hurting yourself. For those of you who have insane schedules (and those of you who don’t as well), schedule regular stretch or exercise breaks throughout your day. As little as 30 seconds or as long as 5 mins every hour throughout your day will make a big difference in reducing both physical and mental stress and tension. I’m not going to be the first person you hear mention those articles about how sitting can kill you. Its worse for you than smoking (please don’t start smoking). (workout vid, routine took me less than 5 minuets) what I did what was right for my body not necessarily for yours do stretches that are right for you as always. (apps for stretches)

Want more help setting yourself up for self-care success this Fall? Join us for our Back to School Wellness + Wine Event on September 15th! Check out our website for more info.