In last week’s post, I described my daily routine as a baseline for my overall physical, emotional, and mental health. A daily routine is a rough schedule built around where my energy tends to flow. This energy is directly related to my physical and mental health. I’ve been adjusting this since last fall, and it’s become solid and consistent enough to withstand the curse of boredom. Boredom is usually when I give in to the urge to try something new or to abandon my routine altogether. The novelty of something new will always be my siren song.
still.
Today I want to talk more about wellness habits, with flexibility as the top priority. Again, none of this is new or groundbreaking. What is new and groundbreaking to me is the reason (for me). why I value this habit more than any other.
Why I Prioritize Wellness Habits
The reason these wellness habits last is because they are not done to achieve a specific goal (check a box every day). They are done because they feel good. Some days, I may focus on one or two of these habits. Some days, I do all of them. Most days, I do 70% of them. It’s not about time or intensity, it’s about consistency.
I don’t prioritize each wellness pillar equally. In a given week, one is often more dominant than the other, and the scale can tip in different directions when necessary. Most days have a lot of variety. The pillars allow me to pursue my life in my own unique way and protect myself from the cycles I know so well: depression and burnout.
The important thing is not the time or intensity, but consistency.
Your own wellness blueprint
Before we begin, let me just say this: What feels good to me may not feel good to you. My definition of good may be different from yours. I highly recommend asking yourself what “feeling good” means to you, and then creating a routine and pillar of wellness based on that. If you prioritize listening to your intuition and body signals over someone else’s routine, you’ll have a lot less confusion about your health and wellness. It’s your body, your choice.
So these are my four pillars of wellness and examples of how they manifest in my life.
My Personal Wellness Pillars for 2024
1. Sleep and rest
There’s a reason this pillar is #1. Without it, I’d be screwed. Instead of thinking of rest as doing nothing, I like to think of it as an activity. Prioritizing rest is a gift to me! For me, this pillar isn’t just about resting my body. It’s about habits that help me de-stress. Here’s a list of things I do to fill my cup:
Wellness Habits Related to Sleep and Rest
- I sleep at least 7 hours a night.
- I try to wait at least an hour in the morning before drinking my coffee (it’s hard and I often fail!)
- I limit my caffeine intake during the day, which helps me sleep better at night.
- I practice mindfulness when I feel overwhelmed.
- I do 25-minute sprints with 5-minute breaks in between. (This is called the Pomodoro Technique! Learn more here.)
- Rather than trying to keep everything in my head, I write it down.
- I don’t drink alcohol except for social occasions.
- I keep a calendar and notebook next to my bed to write down things I need to remember for tomorrow.
- I don’t use my phone before I go to bed (or before breakfast most days).
- I rarely watch TV before going to bed.
2. Fuel
This pillar includes eating healthy foods and feeding your mind: reading, watching movies, entertainment that fills you up. I find that when I’m alone or with my family (a true introvert), I get the most out of my “fuel” activities. These sometimes overlap with work, but the key difference is that they leave me feeling energized and fulfilled. Not exhausted and depleted. Below is a bingo card of the following: give Energy for me. Fuel for me can be one of the following:
Wellness habits that give me energy and vitality
- Cooking a Nutritious Meal
- be outside
- Prioritize healthy fats, proteins, leafy greens, fruits, and vegetables in your meal plan.
- Eat dark chocolate
- Read a cookbook
- Listening to music
- I sit in my favorite chair and read a book.
- Watch movies on my ‘To Watch’ list
- to pass over AD Magazines and coffee table books
- Take a Masterclass
- Organizing my space
- Organizing my house
- Hug the kids and Joe
- Meditate
3. Activities
The next pillar is about activities that I prioritize. Many of these examples build my confidence and resilience because they are not “comfortable” in the process. I do these activities to challenge myself, and almost always feel good about the results. These are my “just do it” activities. They are activities that I don’t always want to do, but I never regret doing later.
Wellness habits that prioritize activity
- Take a reformer class or do pilates at home
- Go for a long run or walk
- play tennis
- Developing a business plan
- Post on social media
- Improve your personal finance insights
- writing
- design
- horticulture
- Learning a skill that is not my natural skill (e.g. speaking French, playing guitar)
- Hang out with lots of friends
- Host a large dinner party
- Go on an adventure with your kids
- Have a game night with your family
- Cooking with kids
- Travel Planning and Travel
I try to balance these three pillars, knowing that there will never be a “perfect” balance. There are seasons when sleep and rest are more important, times when I am in a state of flow and work later or more frequently than usual, and times when I have to push through discomfort. The pillars (like my daily routine) are there to guide me and support my energy.
Note: After years of over-prioritizing self-care, I have found that challenging myself is as important to my mental health as sleep and rest. This may not be the same for you, but it is something worth considering if you are feeling apathetic.
And speaking of energy, the last pillar is…
4. Boundary
Boundaries don’t come naturally to me. I want to say yes to everything. I like a full plate. It fulfills me to feel like what I do matters to others. I love my friends and family and want to give everything I can to connect with them. But we can’t. every Especially don’t do everything at once. So I always consider my energy. What fills my cup and what drains it.
This pillar is something I’m learning the most about these days. When a part of me wants to go to that show or take on that extra project that I know I can’t fully commit to, it’s uncomfortable to set hard boundaries. What helps is to make a list of things that drain me. Then, if I can see the connection between what I want to commit to and how I’m going to feel afterward, it’s an easy “no.”
Things that drain me
- Vague projects with vague deadlines
- unpaid labor
- chat
- General negativity and helplessness
- When you are around people who bring about disaster
- Black and white thinking
- Multitasking
- Comments section on social media
- Doomscrolling
- Virtue signal
- Rumination and worry
- Self-help as a means of self-healing
I hope you’ve found my wellness habits and pillars at least interesting, even if your habits are very different from mine. Next week I’ll be writing about my journaling and personal growth habits, which are the biggest changes I’ve made in my life so far in 2024.
Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is Testing the limits of her creativity. Follow her on Instagram @withanddellight_.
