Shifting your mindset toward self care doesn't need to be overwhelming! It starts with tiny changes that slowly build as you work them into your routine.

Learn more from Speaker & Self Care Expert, Jeanette Bronée, in this post.

Carole Mahoney:
And I want to just close this out too, with some tips, some things for those who are out there. Maybe their company is not enlightened to the point, where they're creating this ecosystem and culture, to make it easier to shift this mindset towards self care, because this is really how we become our best selves and productive.

I know from my own personal experience that, the last year I've lost 76 pounds. And a lot of it has been doing some of the things that you and I have talked about in the past of, more of that self-awareness, creating that routine, like starting my day off with yoga, just, even if it's only for 15 minutes!

But then also realizing, if I want to get up in time to do that, I have to stop watching TV at a certain time, or I'm not going to fall asleep. And if I don't sleep as well... Like, it's a domino effect.

Jeanette Bronée:
Yeah.

Carole Mahoney:
But what are some of the things that you also recommend for others who are trying to implement this in their lives? They're fighting against that, giving themselves permission to do so, but not even just permission of, I'm going to be better for others if I do this. What are some simple things they can do?

Jeanette Bronée:
Yep. And I think you're pointing to a very important piece. And that is, to shift the mindset so it's not about having permission to take care of ourselves, because it's selfish. Again, turning that Maslow hierarchy upside down, because actually you could argue, it's selfish not to take care of ourselves, because there's a lot of meanness going on because of it. Right?

Carole Mahoney:
Right. Like for me, it wasn't a, I have to do yoga every morning. It was a, I get to do yoga every morning. I get to do these things that before, seemed like I had to make myself do, because I should. It was just a simple thought like that. What are some other things?

Jeanette Bronée:
Yeah, So the thought is, "Well, I'm actually more productive every day, if I do yoga in the morning. If I move my body," because, we are one being. Right? We're a physical, emotional, and mental. And for all of it to work, we need the physical, emotional, and mental to function together. So we need micro pauses. I call it, power pausing. That small moment where we're just like, "Hey, let me stop right now and just be, what do I need right now so that I can?" It could be that it's a five minute walk. It could be that it's a conversation with someone. It could be that it's a meal. It could be that it's a power nap. Actually, it's shown that having a power nap is more effective than having coffee, if you're tired. 

Carole Mahoney:
I can attest.

Jeanette Bronée:
Instead of jolting your energy, it gives you renewed energy. Right?

And so, all of these small things is part of what we have responsibility for.

It's our responsibility to say, "Listen, I got to pause for a moment and just see, what do I need so that I can." It could be that we need to get something off our table before we can be fully paying attention. There's all these small things that we just push aside every single day and it's gnawing at us in the background, right?

It is that walk. It is putting that system in place that says, "This is how I sustain my energy all day long so that I can pay attention, so that I can be at my best." And it's physical, emotional, and mental energy. All of it, not just one of them. All of it. Right?

And so, that's a really, really important part that, it's not actually the responsibility of a company, necessarily, it's our responsibility too. Granted, a company might need to say, "Okay, listen. All our meetings are 45 minutes instead of an hour," because that way there's 15 minutes to go do something that you need to do. Like answer an email, go take a glass of water, stretch... whatever that is. You get just as much done in 45 minutes as you do in an hour, as long as you know that that's the time you have and you start practicing getting focused and organized.

Carole Mahoney:
Absolutely. And, I've also even heard of some companies, like we mentioned, you're not allowed to... No more email, after a certain time of day, so that people aren't checking their email at all hours of the night. Keeping their meetings short. There are some things that you can do. And I find, in working with companies that, if the CEO has a mindset of self-care, that it filters down through the policies and the structures of the company, and generally speaking.

Connect With Jeanette Bronée!
Click here to visit Jeanette's website to follow her on social media. To watch the full session of What Sales Can Learn About Self Care, click here for the on demand session.