CURATE YOUR ENVIRONMENT. | Create calm, support resilience
Is your environment setting you up for success or failure?
I help my clients manage the stressors that are holding them back and part of this work focuses on creating a solid foundation so they can thrive. Whether that’s showing up calmly in a board meeting, giving or receiving feedback, taking a lead on a high-pressured, high-stakes project or showing up in the face of difficult circumstances, etc.
You will hear me say often that we can’t control or eliminate stress. What you can do is curate your environment so you can be at your best and give your best every day, in any situation.
Creating the environment to thrive isn’t about having the perfect office space with the perfect view or having hours of uninterrupted times or placing yourself in stress-free vacuum. It’s about creating a foundation which regulates your nervous system so you can handle all that work-life throws at you.
Curating a nervous system friendly environment is all about getting the basics right:
Sleep & light
Getting the coveted 7-9 hours of sleep, give or take, is the goal! Go one step further and jump out of bed at sunrise. Turn your devices off 1-3 hours before bed to limit blue light and encourage sleepiness . These steps help you feel calm and rested because they help regulate your natural rhythms and energy.
Movement
Building movement into your routine everyday isn’t just important for physical health and fitness. It’s also a great tool to de-stress and use up excess energy that might express itself as anxiety, frustration or other strong emotions.
Food & water
When and what you eat and drink has the power to support or derail your nervous system. Drinking a class of water once you are up and saying no to caffeine, especially coffee, for at least 90 minutes (or more if you can!) helps to create calm and wakefulness. Regular meals made with fresh ingredients, rather than takeaways and processed food, nourish your body positively impacting your gut and brain. Tip: avoid iced-water if you are speaking up in public!
Nature
Spending time in nature everyday. This could look like taking a break in a park, a garden, a green patch in the city, by water, near trees or when you have more time on the weekend visiting the beach, bush or a national park. Taking time to experience nature through sound, sight, smell and touch is a relaxing and refreshing experience. Plus, it’s scientifically proven to reduce stress and blood pressure, boost the immune system,and increase feelings of happiness and confidence. It’s also known as Forest Bathing or Shinrin-Yoku.
Regulation
Creating space for yourself to take as little as one intentional breathe, a deep inhale and a deep exhale, is a powerful message to your brain and body telling you it’s safe to relax. The longer and more often you can practice breathing like this the greater the benefits.
Each of these actions might seem too basic to have an impact, however the magic is in their simplicity and I’ve seen each of my clients transform through creating the space to take these actions everyday.
Where do you need to focus your efforts to create the right environment for you to thrive?
I would love to hear from you!
WHAT’S INSPIRING ME THIS WEEK
QUOTE: “Take risks guided by intuition - trust what your soul is saying. Look for opportunities in unconventional ways - limits only exist within the reality you create for yourself. And ask yourself the hard questions - how are you really?” Source cosmos.so
LISTENING: Getting my environment right is something I am constantly working on especially when it comes to my morning routine and setting my self up for success mentally, physically and energetically. These two podcasts from Mel Robbins have inspired me to make some small yet significant changes. Have a listen!
The Body Reset with Dr Stacy Sims: for all the women who are working out or thinking about starting you need to hear this.
Do this everyday to boost motivation & focus: serial snoozers or simply not a morning person this podcast is perfect for you.
GETTING COMFORTABLE WITH BEING UNCOMFORTABLE: The only way to grow, get better and make your dreams a reality is by doing the stuff that feels stretchy, crunchy, cringy aka climbing up cringe mountain. I love this concept which my mentor shared with me:
Embrace the discomfort of getting to the summit of Cringe Mountain.
I can support you, your team or organisation in a number of ways to lift results. Check out these links:
Free resource: Download your copy of my leader’s guide on how proactively managing executive stress benefits the individual, teams and whole organisations.
Book a call: Let’s talk about your challenges and how I can help.
Breathe to Lead: 90 day nervous system reset. 1:1 mentorship for leaders. Transform your executive presence in high pressure situations using the power of your breath.