Sunday Edition: My 3, 2, 1 Rule for Finding Calm Amid Chaos

When life comes at you fast.

The Sunday Edition is Tuesday’s little sister—off-the-cuff updates I’d bring up over a coffee catch-up with a friend.

Leave it to me to make my final two weeks of graduate school so completely complicated and packed to the gills with travel, social plans, class, health concerns, and life decisions. It’s both a gift and a curse that I’m so good at bulldozing my way through stress—I know I can get through this time, but last week’s breakdown reminded me of how intentional I need to be around building self-care into my life, especially when I don’t have time for it. As my boyfriend is fond of saying, “If you don’t have time to meditate for ten minutes, meditate for an hour.” (It drives me nuts when he says this, but I’ll confess to you that he has a point).

Issue #204: How a Simple Affirmation Got Me Out of an Emotional Spiral

In light of that, I wanted to share a framework I’ve found helpful in thinking about self-care in my own life—a “3, 2, 1” rule for creating daily, weekly, and monthly nonnegotiables. In considering last week, part of why I crashed so hard was that my illness kept me engaging in many of the routines that are simple, but essential, for my wellbeing. Here’s what that looks like for me, followed by recommendations, photos, and highlights from my week:

Daily Three.

• Exercise. I work out first thing in the morning, even if it’s only for fifteen or twenty minutes, because I find it’s the single best thing for emotional regulation, and sets me up to be able to handle stress and frustration later in the day.

• Nutritious food. Similar to workouts, I always make sure to eat a big, nutritious breakfast, which is often my most calorie-dense meal of the day. That way, I can be much more flexible if, say, I can’t get to lunch until 3 PM.

• Sleep. Nothing has changed my life more dramatically than prioritizing sleep, and practices that allow me to sleep. I can do anything, so long as I get a good night’s rest.

Weekly Two.

• A night of solitude. I’m an extrovert, through and through, and my cup is so filled from time with friends, so long as I get one evening to myself each week. Oftentimes, I’ll take myself out on a solo date or I’ll stay home and cook myself something I’m craving as I did on Tuesday (see below!), watch a show, and go for a solo walk with Toast. It doesn’t take much, but provides a vital reset.

• A long hike. The more time I spend in nature, the happier I am, so I often go for several hikes each week but need for at least one of them to be a few hours long, without any headphones or distractions—enough time for my racing mind to slow down and just be present.

Monthly One.

• One full day off. Because of my school and travel schedule, I rarely have a day completely off—I’m writing Morning Person every chance I get, but a few weeks ago I was reminded of just how important it is to take a day full off at least once a month (ideally more!). I went to the farmers’ market with my boyfriend, followed by a 12-mile hike, and delicious dinner. It replenished me for the month! Okay, let’s get to updates and recommendations from the week, shall we??