Tag Archives: rest

Nudging & Nudged: Get 8 hrs. of sleep (x5)

Leave a reply

Backstory: I Nudged myself to get more sleep a while ago, and it’s something I’d like to do more regularly. So back it went into the bowl for another go ’round.

What Happened: This is the first-ever “Nudging & Nudged” incident. Up till today, I have pulled a new Nudge on Sunday and worked on it through the week. But with this one, this week, I know I will achieve it.

This isn’t because I’m being remarkably disciplined or anything that amazing. It’s simply that I’m sick. With bronchitis. And I’ve been sleeping something like 12 hours a day, so getting in 8 is no big deal.

Sure, I could have put this back in the bowl and chosen another task with which to challenge myself. But you know what, I need a break. My poor overworked body is telling me to STOP, so that’s what I’ll be doing this week.

The Ah-Hahs: I really have gotten better at listening to my body (and my heart and soul) and then acting on what it needs. This being more attuned to myself has been one of the great gifts of this whole 52Nudges experiment.

What is your body telling you it needs this week?

Are you longing for quiet time so you can hear your own thoughts? Are your feet crying out for a little pampering (just in time for Sandals Season)? Is this the week you try giving up sugar? Or is it time to book the vacation/adventure/retreat you’ve been dreaming about forever?

Do it…or don’t. Knowing that your body just needs a break is good too.

I’ll see you back here next Sunday with (I hope) a healthier body and renewed energy for the next Nudge.

Nudged: Wear a different hat x4

1 Reply

Backstory: What makes me feel comfortable, feel good, feel like me? I’ve amassed quite a collection of hats over the years, from travels and gifts and some spontaneous as well as thoughtful purchases. Yet I’ve noticed recently that I gravitate to the same few over and over. So this Nudge is part closet purging and part getting clear on what feels right for me.

What Happened:

Monday: Worked from home all day. Wasn’t feeling it.

Tuesday: Well, this was fun. I quickly purged three hats:

(1) The old hat I used to wear running that is so badly stained (i.e., disgusting) that I wouldn’t dare wear it in public again. “Yet,” my inner debater said, “it is a great lightweight hat for running.” “Yet,” said my inner reasonable woman, “it’s been ages since you went running. If you get back into it, you can buy a clean new hat to motivate yourself.” Into the trash!

(2) A heavyweight winter baseball cap that was a fun gift, but that has always been uncomfortable. The cardboard bill has never relaxed, and it’s given me a headache every time I’ve worn it. Donate!

(3) Two hats that look far too much like a certain politically charged hat (one that was recently deemed a symbol of hate—yikes!). I have felt uncomfortable wearing both in public because I didn’t want to be mistaken for taking sides. I tried them on again, and one, actually, is not that comfortable. Donate! The other, actually, feels really good on, and maybe it doesn’t look that much like the offensive hat. I chose to wear it while running errands, to see if it got a reaction and how I felt in it. No big deal. This might be a keeper.

Wednesday: Had a client event tonight. My hair looked ah-mazing!, so didn’t want to smoosh it into hat head.

Thursday: Second-day hair looked not quite so amazing. Good thing it’s hat Nudging week! Pulled out one of my favorites, one that doesn’t get worn nearly enough. Paired it with a nice turtleneck, cool shades, lovely earrings, and the “good” trenchcoat (that also doesn’t get taken out enough). I felt so chic!

Me so chic!

Friday: Today I took a sick day. My body said, “Rest,” and for once I listened. Even though I knew I wouldn’t be going out, I took a few minutes to pull the remaining hats from my closet—winter, spring, summer, fall—and try all them on. So cute! I am already thinking about outfits I might put together when the sun comes out.

The last hat I pulled on was a cap a dear friend knitted for me. Baby soft, in my favorite color (lime green), it was like receiving a hug from her. So I left it on and will wear it while I curl up with tea and a good book and take care of myself today.

Ah-Hahs: When I wear something special—a jaunty hat, the “good” jewelry—I feel better. This week’s Nudge reaffirmed how being nice to myself and dressing well impacts everything I do during the day. It’s pretty simple.

I also had a lot of fun feeling chic. This reminded me of when I stopped in a local café several years ago for a coffee and pastry and couldn’t help but notice a woman seated a few tables away. She wasn’t supermodel gorgeous, she wasn’t famous; she’d possibly be described as “a woman of a certain age.” But she had something, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Sitting with just lovely posture, she sipped her cappuccino, nibbled her pastry, and read the daily paper. She was wearing dark jeans, a nice cotton blouse, a navy blazer with gold buttons, and gold pumps. Gold shoes! Fabulous!

Feeling somewhat invisible in my sloppy dog-park attire (tragic, but real), I snuck a photo of her with my phone. I printed it out and tacked it to a board in my office for inspiration because I wanted to be like her. That photo stayed on my board for several years until I accepted I can be like her. Or rather, I am my best me.

Go be your best you. ♥

 

Nudging: Take a (holiday) break

Leave a reply

My nudge for this week is to take a break.

  • I won’t be pulling a new Nudge.
  • I won’t be pushing myself.
  • I won’t be seeking insights or revelations or new directions.
  • I won’t be sidetracked by shoulds, to dos, or must dos.

Instead, I am going to take some part of this holiday week off to maybe:

  • indulge in a long winter’s nap
  • read something for fun (a mystery, a romance, something that has nothing to do with work)
  • take a walk for the sake of walking (vs. getting exercise)
  • rest (vegetate, linger, idle, pause, sojourn—yes, I consulted my Thesaurus for this)
  • listen
  • think
  • be

I hope you can do the same for yourself. In fact, consider this my very gentle nudge for you to do just this. 🙂

With my best wishes for a happy, healthy, fun new year! ♥ Kathleen

Nudged: Get 8 hours of sleep every night

Leave a reply

Backstory: Well, um, I need to get more and better sleep.

I keep hearing about how lack of sleep effects everything, including my ability to lose weight. I know I need to be better about this, but it always seems to be the easiest thing to cut when deadlines and to do lists and responsibilities are hanging over me.

It’s no coincidence that I recently finished reading the August issue of National Geographic, for which the theme is “The Science of Sleep.”

Did you know “anyone who regularly sleeps less than six hours has a higher risk of depression, psychosis, stroke, and obesity”?

Yikes.

So this week I’m going to walk away from the office, turn off the TV, ignore the phone, and catch some extra zzzzzs.

 

P.S. For inspiration and motivation, I recommend you read the book Thrive by Arianna Huffington. No spoilers, but she got a “wake-up call” when sleep deprivation became a real problem from her—then she took the steps to make a good night’s sleep a priority in her life.

 

What Happened: Here is a photo of my cozy nest, my new Happy Place:

I nailed this Nudge. Every night this week I was in bed, lights out, by 11:00. Most nights I was tucked in before 10. This is huge for me. And even though there were a couple of nights when I woke up in the wee hours, this week I was able to go back to sleep after a short break. (Typically I am wide awake and up for a few hours—hello, hormonal fluctuations!) My daily average: 8.33 hours.

I wish I could tell you how I managed to pull this off, but I didn’t do anything other than set an intention to go to bed at a “decent” hour and then do it. No reading one more chapter, no running one more load of laundry, no replying to one (or two or ten) more emails. Lights out!

The Ah-Hahs: To completely skew all scientific research on this Nudge, I also decided to make this a week of (almost) no online news. I didn’t read the stories about local crime on SFGate, check on our country’s standing on the international stage on BBC, like any postings from “friends” on Facebook, or keep up with the Kardashians on People.

I can’t tell you if all of the above or parts contributed to weight loss (didn’t weigh in this week) or helped me be more creative and productive in my work or made me less susceptible to serious health issues. But I can tell you I feel good today. I might even say I feel rested.

Wow.

 

Nudging: Get 8 hours of sleep every night

1 Reply

Backstory: Well, um, I need to get more and better sleep.

I keep hearing about how lack of sleep effects everything, including my ability to lose weight. I know I need to be better about this, but it always seems to be the easiest thing to cut when deadlines and to do lists and responsibilities are hanging over me.

It’s no coincidence that I recently finished reading the August issue of National Geographic, for which the theme is “The Science of Sleep.”

Did you know “anyone who regularly sleeps less than six hours has a higher risk of depression, psychosis, stroke, and obesity”?

Yikes.

So this week I’m going to walk away from the office, turn off the TV, ignore the phone, and catch some extra zzzzzs.

 

P.S. For inspiration and motivation, I recommend you read the book Thrive by Arianna Huffington. No spoilers, but she got a “wake-up call” when sleep deprivation became a real problem from her—then she took the steps to make a good night’s sleep a priority in her life.

Nudged: Take a long hot bath

2 Replies

Backstory: I was born and raised in Southern California, which means, in addition to being spoiled by great local produce and year-round mild weather, I learned how to conserve water around the same time I learned to walk. Don’t let the faucet run while you brush your teeth, wash the car using the bucket not the hose, take short showers. Those practices and more are now, in my fifth decade, firmly habits.

Which is in part why allow myself a long, hot bath maybe one time a year. Usually this happens if I take vacation time around the Christmas holiday, when I have the time to indulge in some self-care.

Did you read that sentence? “allow…if I take vacation…indulge” Geez. Maybe I can ease up a bit and “treat” myself this week.

P.S. I know some of you are reading this and thinking “A hot bath? In summer?!” Yeah, I get it. You live somewhere where the thermostat hits 80 or 90 or 100+ this time of year, while I live in San Francisco. In the fog bank. While you’re hanging out in shorts and flip flops, I’m huddled in front of a space heater wearing two sweaters and socks. It’s cold here.

But like with every other Nudge I draw, you are not required to do exactly the same. Pick something like this that will help you follow along. What would be an indulgence or treat for you? Maybe you spend the day with the A/C cranked up to full power (utility bills be damned). Or maybe you splurge and load up the freezer with the very best ice creams and gelatos money can buy. Or maybe you decide this week you’re going to take a day off work (gasp!), and drive to some place cooler, just…for…fun. I hope you’ll share in Comments what you do.

What Happened: I put this off all week. There just wasn’t time. I had things to do. Blah blah bladdity blah. Saturday night rolled around, and I found myself grumbling about how I had to do my Nudge. Poor little me. But then I did it. I filled the tub, added some aromatherapy bubble bath that was hidden behind the cleaning supplies in the cabinet (I don’t even know where this came from), and eased myself in. Ahhhhh….

Deepening breaths, easing muscles, quieting brain. I just soaked. I added a little more hot water, and I soaked some more. And then I read for a bit, and then I soaked some more. It was divine.

The Ah-Ha: I forget how good this is for me. I work my poor body so hard, from household chores to sessions at the gym, yet I am rarely good about the recovery. Was this Nudge an indulgence? I suppose. Certainly someone intent on conserving our precious water would argue that (and my So Cal Drought Guilt certainly kicked in). But I also think it’s occasionally necessary and good for me, for it got me to STOP. Most days I hit the ground running—and I keep running till I collapse back into bed—so it was almost shocking to come to a complete stop, to rest mind, body, and spirit.

There I go again: it’s “shocking” when I take care of myself.

I’m paying attention…and I’m making some changes.

Nudging: Take a long hot bath

Leave a reply

Backstory: I was born and raised in Southern California, which means, in addition to being spoiled by great local produce and year-round mild weather, I learned how to conserve water around the same time I learned to walk. Don’t let the faucet run while you brush your teeth, wash the car using the bucket not the hose, take short showers. Those practices and more are now, in my fifth decade, firmly habits.

Which is in part why allow myself a long, hot bath maybe one time a year. Usually this happens if I take vacation time around the Christmas holiday, when I have the time to indulge in some self-care.

Did you read that sentence? “allow…if I take vacation…indulge” Geez. Maybe I can ease up a bit and “treat” myself this week.

P.S. I know some of you are reading this and thinking “A hot bath? In summer?!” Yeah, I get it. You live somewhere where the thermostat hits 80 or 90 or 100+ this time of year, while I live in San Francisco. In the fog bank. While you’re hanging out in shorts and flip flops, I’m huddled in front of a space heater wearing two sweaters and socks. It’s cold here.

But like with every other Nudge I draw, you are not required to do exactly the same. Pick something like this that will help you follow along. What would be an indulgence or treat for you? Maybe you spend the day with the A/C cranked up to full power (utility bills be damned). Or maybe you splurge and load up the freezer with the very best ice creams and gelatos money can buy. Or maybe you decide this week you’re going to take a day off work (gasp!), and drive to some place cooler, just…for…fun. I hope you’ll share in Comments what you do.

Nudging: Have a glass of wine with lunch; linger

Leave a reply

PASS #1: When I started my 52Nudges project, I allowed myself four passes—for any reason. This week my first draw was “Drink one of the DNS bottles of wine.” “DNS” stands for “Do Not Share” and it’s how my husband and I label those really special wines (i.e., we broke the budget) that we want to save for a special occasion (which means they sit in our basement, unenjoyed, for far too long). I knew I was heading out of town this week, so didn’t want to open one of these for just one serving. So back in the bowl went this Nudge, for another week. 

Backstory: My lunch breaks are generally just long enough to get fuel into me for the afternoon’s work. Occasionally I take some of that time to run to the market, dash to the post office, return a due item to the library. Linger? Right. Now, the good news is this week I’m heading out of town on a vacation, and I’ll have at least one opportunity to have lunch on my own. I don’t like eating by myself, and I pretty much never drink by myself. But I’m going to try this, because it’s forcing me to slow down and enjoy my midday meal.

P.S. Not a wine drinker? No problem. You might instead serve yourself a fresh-squeezed lemonade or a fancy, fizzy Italian soda. The beverage you choose is not the point on this one, it’s about allowing ourselves to rest, sip, savor, and linger.