“A self-care rhythm is a regular, repeated pattern of actions that helps maintain the song of our life. That is, this rhythm is integrated into and supports whatever we are already doing on a daily basis. It’s not a disruption. Rather, it enhances our life.” – The Power of Sustainable Self-Care by Shelly Tygielski | June 17, 2022
We are pleased to share this recap and recording from our July 2022 Women’s Forum program: Strategic Recovery to Cultivate Your Well-Being. Thanks to Dr. Lauren Hodges, co-founder of Performance on Purpose, LLC, and Lauren Hodges, LLC, for leading us this month. Lauren’s performance coaching companies focus on advancing leadership and performance potential. She is passionate about helping others reach their highest potential.
There is a pervasive belief that we should always be “on” in our 24/7 hyperconnected world; that productivity and high performance stem from doing more, pushing harder, and staying connected to our jobs. The science behind high performance and sustainable well-being indicates the opposite to be true: doing less strategically, not more, is the key to high performance.
In our June Women’s Forum program, we focused on identifying and prioritizing healthier choices for ourselves. But how do we keep that up IRL? How can we be strategic in our routines/rituals and what small steps can we take to support sustainable recovery and well-being?
Three Key Strategies
Here are three ideas that Lauren shared:
- Make time each day for simple mind wandering for 3 to 5 minutes. Being intentional, this is a repeatable recovery technique that we can easily integrate into our day. Allowing your mind to wander and reflect is an excellent low-key way to “refresh” during the day, it inspires creativity and can have a positive impact on your mindset.
- Integrate oscillation into your day in small micro-moments. Movement back and forth at a consistent pace or staring at an object for 60 seconds resets the attentional control circuit and quiets the mind between moments of high focus.
- Stack habits upon habits to make your recovery practice more fluid and effortless. Stacking habits identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top. James Clear writes about stacking habits in his book Atomic Habits. Here are some examples:
- After I pour my cup of coffee each morning, I will meditate for one minute.
- After I sit down to dinner, I will say one thing I’m grateful for that happened today.
- After I put on my running shoes, I will text a friend or family member where I am running and how long it will take.
About Our July Speaker
Dr. Lauren Hodges grew up with an interest in human performance. She was an athlete, personal trainer, group exercise instructor, boot camp owner, and adjunct college professor. After ten years of living and working within the confines of higher education, she realized her purpose is to serve organizations by helping their teams thrive in BODY, MIND, and SPIRIT so the organizations they work in can thrive too.
She is the co-founder of Performance on Purpose, LLC, and founder of Lauren Hodges, LLC, two performance coaching companies focused on advancing leadership and performance potential. She earned her doctorate in curriculum design from The University of Central Florida and has certifications in coaching, strength and conditioning, and performance nutrition.
She considers her most important role as mom to two boys, Jake and Ryder, and partner to her husband, Daniel. Together they reside on the Florida coast, the perfect place for their outdoor lifestyle.
To follow and learn more, please check out her websites, Dr. Lauren Hodges and Performance on Purpose. You can also email her directly at laurenhodgestraining@gmail.com.
Please let us know if you would like to have a conversation with us. Email the CAP STRAT Women’s Forum with any questions at womensforum@capstratig.com! Or call us at 630.320.5100.
