Ep. 14/ 10 Ways I Stay Sane (ish)
10 WAYS I STAY SANE [ish]:
By:Alexandria Gohla, MSW, LCSW, Ed.S
Make your bed daily. This is a strategy that my parents ingrained in me from a young age. My dad attended the Naval academy, so it was just an expectation. I recently shared the following speech from Admiral William McRaven with my staff at school. He states that if you want to change the world, make your bed daily. He states, “if you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day which gives you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. And by the end of the day that one task completed will turn into many tasks completed. Making your bed also reinforces the fact that the little things in life matter.” Listen to his speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YNmNd2ncw0
Starting my morning in quiet… I try for silence but it doesn't always end up happening. Most mornings I hop out of bed and get ready for work and I am on my way. During the summers when I don’t have school are my favorite. My kids will often sleep in and I can slip downstairs and sit outside with a cup of coffee and enjoy the morning in silence. I usually try to write three things I am grateful for in my gratitude journal, read a book, or just sit in silence. This helps me to center myself and get my priorities together. When I am not able to go outside I do sit in my office and enjoy the quiet. These few minutes of silence to start my morning can often be the best part of my day.
Going outside. Taking the dogs for a walk, sitting on a lawn chair reading a good book, or being active on a run or playing tennis. If I am outside I am happy. Nature has such a healing effect on my soul. When I am able to soak up the sun and be outside I am able to really be happy! Spending time in nature has been found to help with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. For example, research into ecotherapy (a type of formal treatment which involves doing activities outside in nature) has shown it can help with mild to moderate depression. This might be due to combining regular physical activity and social contact with being outside in nature.Being outside in natural light can be helpful if you experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that affects people during particular seasons or times of year. And people tell us that getting into nature has helped them with many other types of mental health problems.
A 20-30 minute workout at some point in my day. This often happens between 4-6 pm for me as I transition out of work and into the evening. I have been doing yoga this year instead of more intense HITT workouts. It has been so great for my mind and body and often a great sweat sesh as well. I personally love the Yoga Six Hot and Power classes because they allow me to be completely present and challenged mentally and physically. I also love the 10-3-30 [30 minutes on the treadmill at 10% incline and 3 mph] workout. As a runner and triathlete I thought this workout would be a walk in the park, but boy was I wrong! After 30 minutes my buns are burning and I am dripping in sweat! Try a free class at Yoga Six near you: https://lp.yogasix.com/try?amp_device_id=3SY1d1Y_ZWGVXGCwojcc4v
Taking a long hot shower. This is one of my favorite ways to stay sane. Most days I am in and out under a 15 minute showerer. There are some days I just indulge.There is nothing quite like the feeling of being wrapped in a warm hug of water and rinsing away everything.
Having an active group text with girlfriends. My people have gotten me through so much in my life and I love having the laughter, support, encouragement of my friends. My girlfriends know I SUCK at texting, so we found a great messaging system that is video based to use. Marco Polo allows us to see each other (although it is mostly up our noses and looking at double chins while we are driving with our children in the background…. Yes we know its illegal to chat and drive, but moms gotta do what moms gotta do). As someone with ADHD I often read texts, respond in my head and do not text back. Marco Polo helps me with the accountability to see that I have not submitted a response video and holds me more accountable in my chat with my friends without feeling stressed out or guilty. Marco Polo App: https://www.marcopolo.me/
Playing music in our house. I have always resonated with music. When there is music in our home it is a much happier home. Everyone is dancing and silly. We are all willing to be ourselves and let our freak flags fly. Some of my favorite memories are Saturday mornings when we all have a family dance party in the kitchen. My husband, our children and I shake our groove things and laugh together. I also love to listen to music when I clean the house. I have specific playlists for cleaning and my husband knows when this playlist is on I mean BUSINESS! Our cleaning playlist is also a good indicator to our kiddos that they are supposed to be doing their chores as well. The XX. alt- J, and Fleet Foxes are must haves on a house cleaning day for me! Listen to my cleaning playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4wX8V05J0dveJz1HyArIER?si=acfce082afc94023
Getting lost in a good book. I love thrillers! Every year I input a goal on goodreads to see if I can beat the last year’s books read goal. I aim for 52 books in 52 weeks every year. I know it is a lofty goal, but it is one I enjoy! If you need a good book recommendation, hop on over to my good reads and check it out! https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27289692-alexandria-gohla
Cooking. While I love to go out to eat, the practice of dicing, flipping, and stirring is peaceful to me. I love to get my kids involved in the cooking process with me. My youngest got her own children’s knife set (don’t worry they are plastic) for Christmas a few years back and has become an expert sioux chef! And of course we listen to music and dance while we cook… is there any other way to prepare a good meal? There is nothing quite like a home cooked meal made with love.
Self Care for Me. I try to go do something nice for myself once a month or at least bi-monthly. That may be getting my nails done, getting a massage or facial, getting a really nice fancy coffee, or buying something I really want. I know this strategy may not be available to everyone, but I find that it is nice to treat yourself sometimes if you can 🙂
