Micro Kindnesses: Things To Do To Support Future You

Self-care can be fickle. Some days your classic list of rituals work wonders in helping you feel your best, but on others, it feels like you are trying to pour sugar onto water, it just disappears, as if nothing ever happened, leaving you still feeling run down. Something I (Nicole) have been thinking about is the idea of micro kindnesses. The concept of small acts of kindness that take little to no effort but yield big results when trying to set up your day and support your future self. So today we’re sharing with you our best ideas for helping you feel your best day-to-day with a few mico kindnesses.

Be Early

When I was a kid, I didn’t understand why adults were so worried about time. I always had the mindset of we get there when we get there unless we were in the car (pre-GPS) and I would ask every five minutes if we were almost at our destination. But as an adult now, I understand that there is no greater gift sometimes than being early and not having to rush out the door. Being able to take your time (especially in the morning) to give yourself a few small indulgences, like extra time for your makeup or picking out your clothes just makes the day feel more intentional, instead of throwing things on as fast as possible to run to the streetcar. Give yourself the gift of time and your day will feel a lot less hectic.

Go To Bed

Growing up I always wanted to stay up as late as possible, fearful that if I didn’t then I wouldn’t make the most of my free time. Unfortunately, this habit has continued all through school and now to adulthood. And let’s just say getting to the office is a little less flexible than being late for an 11 am lecture at university. By staying up, I cut into my actual sleep time because that wakeup is set in stone so the simple act of just going to bed, and even setting a bedtime has been something that has added so much value to my sleep schedule, not to mention my brain function and skin. So give yourself the gift of rest, because that is self-care too!

Meal Plan

This one sounds obvious, but I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve convinced myself that I don’t need to meal plan because it feels restrictive, only to end up staring at the fridge for prolonged amounts of time before giving up and ordering food, with simply no energy to cook. Taking even a little bit of time to think about at least a few key meals you’ll make this coming week gives your brain a little extra space to think about other things. I tend to write down a few options for each meal on paper and put it on the fridge at the very least so there is some semblance of a plan when I look at the fridge later in the week.

Look At The Weather

This one I’m still getting used to but when it comes to winter in Toronto, the temperature tends to be, let’s just say “flexible”. Some days have a degree variation of almost 10 degrees celsius starting at -10 degrees in the morning and ending at plus 2, not to mention going in and out of subway stations and buildings with varying degrees of heat. Getting a sense of what to expect has been such a welcome help in getting ready in the morning. I’m able to think about my wardrobe decisions ahead of time and not feel like I’ve made a dreadful mistake. No one needs the day they forget their umbrella and get absolutely drenched in ice rain, so looking at the weather is an easy win to avoid any unfortunate wardrobe mishaps.

Preparing On Sunday 

Sundays have become a pretty special day here at AHS. At the risk of speaking for Steph, we take our Sunday prep pretty seriously, usually taking some time around 3-4 pm to look at the week ahead and prepare mentally and physically for work and any additional appointments in our calendars. It’s also a great chance to use that handy meal plan and prepare for lunches, or any other meals you want to be covered. Time to re-evaluate your calendar helps too, as someone who likes to do it all. I recommend looking at your week and asking yourself if there’s something you can take off your schedule to ensure you have at least a few hours just for you. I always want to feel my best going into a new week and mitigate the big Monday energy in any way I can so Sunday prep time is slowly becoming a sacred tradition.

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