Last week, Patricia talked about her experience with the Workplace Wellness Reset, so now it’s my turn! This was our first time taking the challenge, so we thought that some of our tips might help you to get going and to stick with it when you try it yourself. Read below for how I spent each of the days and which practices I found most helpful.
Mindfulness Was Tough to Reset
Anyone who knows me, knows that sitting still and being quiet are difficult things for me to do. I am usually on the go and it’s hard for my mind not to wander to other things I have to do that day. But, I know from research that I have conducted and articles that I have written on the topic that it’s really good for me. So, I was excited to take some time to focus on mindfulness. But, I was also feeling a little intimidated since this is definitely the hardest day of the reset for me.
I decided to go “Boss Bee” and I did an hour long meditation. I honestly just found a meditation that had a lot of views on YouTube, but it worked out well. It was definitely hard to stay focused the entire time. But, after I was finished, I felt really refreshed and relaxed. I have been to group meditations in Philadelphia before and felt the same way. I think that it’s a little easier for me to get into the groove when others are there with me, so I might try that for next time. But, this was a great start and definitely something I will do again!
It Was Easy to Reset Breaks!
Because a lot of what I’m responsible for at work is conducting research studies and writing about my findings, I spend a lot of time working in spurts. This means that breaks are already sort of built into the way that I work. I need large blocks of time to write, but I have trouble writing for 8 hours straight. So, I usually take some breaks to get my mind ready to keep writing. On days when I have lots of meetings, I can forget to take breaks in between though. So, next time I do the reset, if Take a Break Tuesday falls on one of those days, I might find it more challenging.
One thing that I don’t usually do, however, is use the break to reflect on my work. So, that was a really good change for me. I took a coffee break in the morning. Then, in the afternoon, I took a quick walk and thought about what I was writing and why I felt like my work was important. It was really helpful for getting myself back into the groove when I returned. All in all, taking breaks really helped me to be productive!
Working Out was a Cheat to Reset!
Workout Wednesday was a lot of fun for me, but if you follow our Instagram stories, you know that I am a regular gym goer. I do about 3-4 hours of HIIT training a week at my gym, Get Fit Studio. If I’m traveling, I stream HIIT workouts to do on the road. So, I worked out almost every day of the challenge, making Workout Wednesday a little bit of a cheat since it wasn’t different from the other days.
But, I will admit that it’s easy for me to get out of the groove with working out. When we were moving over the summer, I stopped working out for a few months and it really took a toll on how I felt each day. Now that I’m back into a regular routine, I feel a lot better. One tip that I have, based on my experience, is that scheduling your workouts like they are meetings really helps. Don’t compromise your workout time for other obligations! Find a time that works for you (evening works better for me) and stick with it. If you make the time to get yourself there, you won’t regret it.
Thankfulness Was a Great Reset Reminder!
For Thankful Thursday, I took time to write down and reflect on the aspects of my job that I’m most grateful for. As human beings, we spend more time focused on the negative parts of our lives than on the positive parts. So, it was really nice to take time to slow down and think about why I love my work.
I get to make my own schedule (for the most part), choose the topics that I study, and select my collaborators. So, I have a lot of autonomy, which we have written about as being important for happiness before. I also have the ability to pursue passion projects, like Workr Beeing, and to spend time volunteering for and speaking about causes that are important to me. Overall, remembering why I love my career was a really great way to refocus throughout the day.
Resetting Friendship Made Me Remember the Importance of Relationships!
For Friendship Friday, I wrote 3 notes to friends who mean a lot to me. I want to give them their notes in person, so they haven’t received them yet. But, I’m looking forward to being able to share my sentiments with them! The hustle and bustle of life can take over. It’s easy to take for granted that we have people who we love and who love us.
So, I think it’s really a great practice to take time to tell people how you feel and why you appreciate their friendship. Social support is really important for helping you cope with stress in work and in life. But, you can’t just ignore your friends and only call on them when you need them! Keeping up with your friendships makes things a two-way street. Plus, it’s fun!
Did you take the 5-Day Workplace Wellness Reset challenge? We would love to hear your tips! Haven’t tried it yet? It’s not too late! You can download the reset and take the challenge today.
