Tag Archive for self-care

How to Stay Organized When the Going Gets Tough

February 12, 2024 John Uncategorized No comments

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How to Stay Organized When the Going Gets Tough

You’re an organized person for the most part. You have plans and schedules but sometimes life happens. Then your well planned life seems to crumble around you.

But there are things you can do to prevent that from happening. And GenuLines is here to help you stay in control.

Be Prepared

This is most important. By planning ahead you will know what to do when you’re snowed under. Like those everyday challenges from work and the family.

Get as much ready as you can for the next day before you go to bed. That includes clothes, work and school bags, your to do list and, if possible, breakfast and lunch.

Plan for the week ahead on a Sunday so that you know what the schedule is and have a meal plan in place.

Plan Your Meals

Meal planning may sound boring but it’ll save you time, stress and money. Plan meals in advance and do as much prep work as possible.

You’ll be less likely to head for the take out eateries.

Keep a selection of pre-prepared meals in your freezer. Freezer meals don’t have to be a chore. There are plenty of make it ahead dishes that can pop into a slow cooker.

Turn Off Technology

This includes the television, internet, Facebook, email or any other messaging service. You can chat with friends or catch your favorite show when you finish the work.

Prioritize

Don’t run yourself ragged trying to be a superhero and getting it all done. Instead take a look at your to do list and prioritize each item.

Cross off or move to another day anything that isn’t essential. Check off anything that you’ve already completed.

Delegate whatever tasks you can. Only do the things that need to be done and you’ll find you’ll feel more in control.

Remember: if it’s not important, ignore it.

Declutter

Clutter happens. Don’t let it become a problem.

Instead take a few minutes each day to put things away and toss the junk. Put the dishes into the dishwasher instead of leaving them on the counter.

Deal with the mail right away instead of letting it piling up.

Get Up Earlier

While getting up early may seem pointless it can provide a focused way to start your day. You’ll get going feeling both energized and organized.

Finish essential tasks to make sure that you and your family are ready for the day ahead.

Take Care of Yourself

Your good mental, physical, and emotional health will pay off when things don’t go as planned. And don’t forget to get enough sleep.

No matter how organized and well planned you are, you might worry that you won’t get everything done. Following these tips will help you to stay organized and in control.

JohnK 2-12-2024

chiforyourself.com

man gets organizedOverheard: “Organize your life around your dreams, and watch them come true”

~Unknown
 

 

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4 Key Ways to Regain Control of Your Life

September 18, 2023 John Uncategorized No comments

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These tough times may leave you thinking you’re out of control of your life. GenuLines respectfully disagrees.

And we’re offering some tips on putting you back in the driver’s seat.

4 Key Ways to Regain Control of Your Life
power switch control

There are times when it seems our lives are spiraling out of control. Nothing seems to go right, and you feel like you can’t get a grip on reality and a foothold on stability.

Reasons for this include overwork, stress, trauma, or depression.

There are a lot of ways you can work toward getting control of your life. GenuLines narrows it down to four key steps.

 

 

1) Use the power of no
Part of how we become overworked and overstressed is by agreeing to take on far more than we can handle. You often want to please everyone or you don’t want to let those that are close to you down.

You’re taking on more responsibilities than you could ever handle.

You can’t allow yourself to feel guilty for saying no to something you can’t do. If the person who asked you to do it cares about you, they’ll understand.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew and say no when necessary.

2) Don’t be afraid to break the mold
You can’t let others dictate what you do. Same for the choices you make, or what makes you happy; you have to do things your own way for yourself.

At times what you want to do will line up with something someone else has done in the past. At other times, the path you’re walking will be unconventional.

Don’t be afraid to step into uncharted territory. Take the path less traveled, or make your own path in life; do what makes you happy.

3) Take care of yourself
One of the most important steps to regaining control of your life is taking good care of yourself. Your mental and physical health are more important than anything.

Make sure you give yourself a few days to unwind each week. And what’s most important, make at least one of those days is set aside for yourself.

Use that day to do what makes you happy, relaxes you, and allows you to recharge your battery.

4) Turn this into a learning experience
There are two ways to look at trying times in your life. You can mope and look for pity, or you can learn from your mistakes and turn those times into a learning experience.

You can learn a lot from your errors and failures and with each one, you become more resilient. .You’re optimistic approach helps you power through the hardship. You come out on the other side a better and stronger person.

When you feel like your life is spiraling out of control, your situation can seem hopeless. You can and should work to regain control.

There are many ways in which you can work to better yourself, regain stability, and regain control, but we focused on the top four reasons we find absolutely essential to regaining control of your life.

If you find yourself still struggling or feeling hopeless, seek help. A professional can help guide you through it and offer you support.

JohnK 9-18-2023
chiforyourself.com

stick man hears about controlOverheard: “Only you can control your future”.

~Dr. Seuss
 

 

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Why You Might Be Failing at Self-care

November 29, 2021 John Uncategorized No comments

Are you falling down in the area of self-care? If so you’ve got a lot of company.

Time for a gentle reminder from GenuLines 

Why You Might Be Failing at Self-care  

picture of self care
 
You might know how important self-care is to your well-being. But it isn’t always easy to work it into your daily routine.
 
Here, we’ll look at why you often fail at this.
 
 
 
 
And we’ll look at the things that are holding you back.
 

It’s often perceived as selfish

One of the main reasons people fail to take care of themselves is because they feel it’s selfish. It could be that you feel guilty when you take time to focus on yourself.
 
Or, you may worry about what other people think.
 
It’s a total myth that self-care is selfish. In fact, it can help you to be a better parent, friend, spouse, and relative.
 
The more you take care of yourself, the easier you’ll find it to take care of others.
 
You’ll also show your children how important this is. Teaching them to take care of their own needs is a crucial life skill.
 
One that’s going to help them to grow up to be happier adults.

It requires effort

There’s no getting away from the fact that self-care does take some level of effort in the beginning. When you aren’t used to making self-care a priority, you’re going to need to make quite a few changes to your routine.
 
Coming up with a self-care plan can feel like a chore, making it easy to put off. But there are ways to reduce the effort.
 
For example, focusing on one thing you want to improve at a time can help. Would you like to start working out more?
 
Scheduling time to exercise as soon as you wake up, for example, can be a great start. Or, if you’re looking to drink more water, focus on that goal first.
 
If you break down your self-care tasks, it makes them much easier, reducing a lot of the effort involved.

Different approaches work for different people

Every one of us is different, and we enjoy different things. You might find more feel-good in going for a run than you do in yoga or meditation.
 
So you would list running as a self-care task.
 
If you find one approach isn’t working, try something else. Your decision should be personal and fit your own needs.
 
These are some of the most common reasons people fail to take good care of themselves. It can be difficult overcoming the initial barriers.
 
But when you understand what and how important it is, you’ll find it much easier to stick to a self-care routine.
 
JohnK 11-29-2021
chiforyourself.com home
 
stick man hears about self careOverheard: “When you say ‘yes’ to others make sure you are not saying ‘no’ to yourself”
                            ~Paolo Coehlo
 
 
 
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4 Self-Care Tips For Extra Busy People

June 24, 2020 John Uncategorized No comments
Even in a time of downtime you can find yourself short on time.Here are some GenuLines tips for making sure that self care is one of your priorities.  
 
microphone for speaking self-care

 

 

 

 

4 Self-Care Tips For Extra Busy People

Living in challenging times can leave little time to take care of yourself. The constant wail of news and social media take a toll on your physical, mental and emotional health.
 
If you’re struggling to find time for self-care, try these four tips. They’ll help you work good self-care habits into your schedule.
 
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1. Establish a morning routine                                                       

Starting the day right is a good way to maintain your mental and physical health. This might include a healthy breakfast, daily exercise or meditation.self care means breathe
 
Figure out what works for you and do it every day.
 
Over time this will become a habit, helping you to take some time for self-care every day.
 
 
 
 
 
2. Schedule time off
It’s easy to find yourself in a cycle of continuous activity. You move from one activity to the next until it seems you’re just going through the motions.
 
Schedule some time off so you don’t get lost in the chaos.
 
It might be an afternoon away from your normal routine. Then again it could be something more extravagant like a weekend away or a vacation.
 
Whatever you choose, taking a break will allow you to relax and rejuvenate.

3. Get enough sleep

Don’t underestimate the importance of sleep.Good quality sleep allows your body to heal and re-energize.
 
Proper sleep helps you maintain good lifestyle habits, too. You’ll be less likely to make bad diet choices and avoid exercise when you’re rested.
 
Sleep is critical for physical and mental health. Make sure it’s one of your priorities.
 
4. Set realistic goals
Manage your mental health by setting realistic goals. Why let your commitment to something unachievable cause you to feel like a failure?
 
Spend some time considering your aspirations.
 
Make goals that are challenging, but possible for you to reach. You also need to set realistic goals when it comes to your self-care commitments.
 
Add things to your routine that will work long term with your lifestyle.
 
We all get 24 hours in a day. Make sure yours include time for self-care.
 
JohnK 6-24-2020
 
stick man hears about self-careOverheard: “Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop”
                                                         ~Ovid
 
 
 
 
 
 
Article image by Tim Goedhart on Unsplash
 
 
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Making a (Genuine) Living: Putting Who You Are Into What You Do

March 2, 2014 John Uncategorized No comments

Jennifer Louden PictureThe Chi For Yourself guest this week is Jennifer Louden, author of The Life Organizer. Jennifer is a personal growth pioneer who helped launch the self-care movement. She’s written five books on well-being and whole living, a national magazine column, and she can say that she sat on Oprah’s couch.

You can hear the interview with Jennifer Louden this Thursday March 6th at 4pm Eastern time, 1pm Pacific at chiforyourself.com.

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Article…

Making a (Genuine) Living: Putting Who You Are Into What You Do

Workman PictureI just returned from Central America.  I’m considering moving to a home outside my native United States.  I am grateful to be able to make surch a trip, and for the reasons I made it. Doing print and audio/video related work allows a person to live just about anywhere in the world while doing the things he or she feels inspired to do. One of the areas of my life where the small “inner voice” becomes my navigator is the type of work I do. I’ve felt this way since I was a small boy, but I’ve learned that what I do and who I am are two distinctly different things. I would advise anyone to make that important separation. And I’ve also felt the satisfaction of knowing that what I’m doing is what I must do- kind of taking a page from Maslow’s idea of Self Actualization.

So many of us feel that to present who we are to the world means to point to our occupation. But society puts different professions on different levels and it’s easy for a person to feel “less than”. Less than for holding what others see as a menial job. Less for being in a not very glamorous position. But history is full of the names of people who have been able to give us their skills and talents while holding down jobs seen as ordinary. Whether you’re in real estate or retail, a business person or a bus driver, your worth is folded into who you are an not what you do for a living.

Doing something that you enjoy and lets you meet your needs while allowing you to live in line with your values will always be more fulfilling that being in a high-status job you dislike. But it’s possible to find happiness in most any line of work. That’s because what you are doing is often not as important as how you you’re doing it. There’s much to be said for a good attitude. Couple that with good intentions and you can turn a so-so working situation into one that fulfills you because of your attitude.

If your efforts are benefiting others you’re adding value to the world. And if you’ve found happiness in your work and you feel that you’re living genuinely while also getting your emotional and physical needs met then you are are adding value to your life. If you’re sweeping streets then be the best street sweeper you can be. Know that you can bring your ability and skill to us no matter what work you do. Choose to be of service and your choice will be a wise one.

 

John K 3/3/2014

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