One of my favorite chapters in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is the one that encourages us to Sharpen the Saw. This involves taking it slow for a while, making sure we get plenty of rest, and temporarily backing away from our usual routines to either avoid getting burnt out or to recover from burnout that’s already occurred. While I do a lot of this every so often, I also do it in small ways nearly every day.
For example, I try to drink plenty of water even if I’m not thirsty. Taking decent-sized sips every few minutes keeps me hydrated, makes me feel better, and allows me to act more effectively. I also like to have small snacks when I’m at work to keep hunger at bay or at least take the edge off. Whenever I spend a lot of time around other people, I always make sure to spend plenty of time by myself afterward since I find that draining. And, although I prefer to avoid medicine as much as possible, I will use it occasionally to prevent a headache or uneasy stomach from getting worse and turning into a major problem.
Doing these small acts of self-care can turn a bad day into a good one and a good day into a great one. It’s all about listening to my body and giving it what it needs to function properly and feel good. That can vary from one day to the next. Some days I feel ravenous and others I have hardly any appetite. However I feel on any given day, I try to follow Don Miguel Ruiz’s advice in The Four Agreements and always do my best in everything, including taking care of myself. There’s no reason not to, especially when it often takes so little work to feel so good.