It is a very exciting week out here at ifixyoursciatica.com HQ. I’m heading out to Portland, Oregon on Thursday to see Bruce Springsteen this weekend. Because of the travel schedule, I had to rearrange my week so that I can work with as many clients and patients from Monday to Wednesday. My days will be more packed than ever and it got me thinking about time management. I’m not here to say that you need to trade in your time for something else. Quite the contrary. I believe you should be able to get the sleep and self care time you need without sacrificing the things you love. We just need to make things a little easier for you. So here’s how I implement a self care routine even during the busiest weeks:
1) Plan ahead. I look at my schedule every Sunday to see what is lined up. I evaluate the time it takes for driving, patient care, client care, and running the business. I ask myself, where can I fit in some time to take care of myself? That means eating, moving, and obviously resting. The simple act of looking at your schedule already sets the tone of having a more structured (yet free) week.
2) Implement a few movement breaks. I’m usually on my feet all day working with clients, or at my standing desk. But if I am spending hours sitting, one thing that I do is get up every hour or so to just move around. You don’t always have to stretch (but it doesn’t hurt). Simply getting up from your chair frequently breaks up the monotony of the schedule and provides much needed blood flow to your joints. Extra points if standing actually makes your sciatica relieved.
3) Sprinkle your exercises and stretches out throughout the day. If you have those 1-2 stretches that feel really good for you, try to put them into your day as often as possible. Your therapist, or even sciatica guide should help you follow through with a program that requires minimal equipment that can be done anywhere. Remember, your symptoms guide your treatment. These are the two stretches that I do on a daily basis: Thoracic spine rollout and Quadriceps rollout.
4) Ensure that you’re drinking enough water. How does this help? A few things. If you drink enough water, you’ll actually have to get up to relieve yourself periodically throughout the day. As a result, you’ll be able to implement movement breaks throughout the day due to the need of going to the bathroom. Plus, hydration will allow your body to function at its best.
5) Give yourself some credit. Although we will have fluctuating schedules and sometimes our schedules are way too much; it makes no sense in beating ourselves up about it. If you miss a window of movement, that’s ok. Acknowledge that you missed it and get up now. We are too hard on ourselves and this causes more harm than good.
So if you are having a busy week like mine, consider these 5 action steps above. You’ll be surprised that you’ll feel more in control and probably have more opportunities to do the things that make you feel the best.
If you need help with trying to figure out how to make a plan work for your pain, you can book a free strategy call here. We’ll talk about a plan of action so that you can implement immediately and feel great.
