Oct 15

Oct 15 7 TIPS TO STAY SANE WHILE YOUR SCHEDULE GOES CRAZY

I’m almost always a very positive, happy, stress free person but, give me a couple weeks of nothing but work and dead lines on my mind and I become this quietly stressed, drained, empty shell of a human being… too far?

A few months ago I developed a whole new schedule over night. I was starting an internship and a new job on the same day and the demands from me were a little insane. I had to be up at 5:00 am, be at my fitness internship by 6:00 am, learn, work, practice, train, and take tests until 2:00 pm. Then I had to go home and try to memorize everything on three different menus for my new job while trying to get homework done for my internship, then get off anywhere from midnight to 2:00 am then wake up and do it again.

I. Was. Dying. I had to be extremely strategic with how I spent my time and energy while keeping my sanity because with everything that I had to learn and remember, I needed all the energy and focus that I could get.

Not to mention I needed to find ways to stay happy and positive because I knew that if I didn’t, then I would begin to doubt myself and most likely not be able to focus on what I needed to do.

So during this time of being COMPLETELY overwhelmed, I developed some habits that helped keep me sane, energized, happy and positive.

1. Woke up and drank tea.

When I know that I have a long day ahead of me and I need sustained energy I always go for a huge mug of black tea with honey in the morning. It gave me the ability to focus and kept me alert for hours unlike coffee which would make me feel tired a few hours later.

2. Ate really clean, light meals throughout the day.

I didn’t have time to feel full, work off a bad meal or eat something that would bring down my energy. I needed to eat foods that my body could digest easily and give me energy so I actually managed to get in excellent shape during this time. Here’s an example of what my meals were throughout the day.

Breakfast: Plain greek yogurt with fresh berries, nuts and chia seeds.

Snack: Apple and almond butter

Lunch: Flax seed chips with tuna and sriracha

Dinner: Steamed veggies, fish and a salad.

3. Carried a jug of water.

In order to stay hydrated, keep my appetite under control and keep my mind clear I made sure to carry water with me and drink it throughout the day. If you need to drink more water but you’re not really a fan of the taste (or lack there of) try adding 1 squeezed lemon, cayenne pepper and a pack of stevia!)

4. Rewarded Myself.

Since I was so busy I never had any time to spend any of the money I was making so on Sundays I made sure to have an entire Sunday funday planned out! This was what really saved me. I would go get my nails done, get a massage and go get a mimosa brunch with my boyfriend…AND order pancakes. Since I knew I did well all week I had NO guilt trip at all when it came to spending money on myself, eating whatever and having some drinks on Sundays. It was a huge re set button for me that worked really well.

5. Wrote in my journal.

I would do this in the afternoons in between my internship and job just to pray and stay connected with myself. I would set goals and remind myself why I’m putting myself through such a chaotic schedule. This kept me positive and organized with everything I had going on.

6. 20 minute naps.

These also saved my life! Obviously by the time it hit 2:00 pm and I realized I had 4 hours of work to do before I even WENT to work, all I wanted to do was lay down and sleep the afternoon away. I didn’t have time for that but I was able to put aside 20 minutes for a quick nap and it was an instant recharge. That amount of sleep compared to hour-long naps actually gives us more energy! Sometimes if we nap too long we actually wake up more tired than we were when we went to sleep.

Whatever you have going on or whatever your schedule is looking like, just remember to NOT STRESS! Stress is horrible for our bodies and can be deadly. Find out what makes you happy and make sure you find time to do that at least once a week.

Eat clean so that you don’t compromise your health and make sure that you reward yourself!