5 Wellness Practices for Insanely Busy Bloggers

Blogging is often challenging, but it eventually becomes addictive.

I personally don’t believe in the assumption that “blogging is easy; you just have to start.” It is pure art to transmit your thought on paper or into an image and frame thoughts cohesively.

Bloggers often expose a part of their soul through their works. It usually takes courage and colossal effort to create content that would resonate with others — and this is what content creators have to do daily!

If your creativity batteries are running out of fuel and the to-do list threatens you — how do you find a minute for yourself?

Here are some wellness practices that can help even the most insanely busy bloggers slow down and notice the beauty of this incredible world.

1. Practice “Wellness Sunday”

If you don't have a mood to work on your blog today — you are not weak or lazy!

You might feel guilty for not blogging every day. This feeling is a fear of being outperformed by others. You might get anxious if someone blogs every single day while you “procrastinate” on the weekend.

Psychologists state if your feelings of anxiety are extreme, last for longer than six months, and interfere with your life, you might struggle with anxiety disorder.

As a writer, I sometimes struggle with creativity blocks when I push myself beyond the limits and compromise my sleep. I consciously do it to get more creative, publish more content, reach more readers and experience a self-satisfaction over again. However, science proves me doing wrong.

Albert Einstein, a world-famous physicists, was convinced that boredom allows your ideas to incubate. He said:

“Creativity is the residue of time wasted.”

You sometimes have to get bored and do nothing to come down your busy brain and let it incubate fresh ideas. You can do it all on wellness Sunday!

It is a special day in my busy schedule when I distance myself from everyday tasks and please my inner-self! Positive emotions help to see challenges from different perspectives and develop solutions you’ve never thought of.

Here is what I do on my wellness Sunday to stay healthy, happy and crush my goals.

How to do it

My inner voice often tells me what I really want to do but barely have time for it. I collect all those ideas and write them down on my wellness Sunday list:

1. I want to find a moment to read a book while enjoying a calm morning and drinking my Matcha tea.
2. I want to hike and connect with nature. Yes, the whole day out without a laptop!
3. I want to cook a cheesecake for the first time and chit-chat with a friend while drinking coffee with Baileys.

You might forget what you did on your workdays, but you will always remember your wellness Sundays and their pleasant moments.

One day a week seems manageable and less overwhelming. If you try to establish a “time for yourself” routine, it can be a gateway to a healthier and happier lifestyle.

2. Try Pet Therapy

What I really enjoy besides writing is playing with cats. The bigger and fatter the cat — the better!

My aunt has two cats, over five kilos each, and one kitten. My level of excitement skyrockets whenever I visit her. Despite long hours of work, I always feel energized after a short playful session with purr-fect cats.

As Sigmund Freud once well-said:

“Time spent with cats is never wasted!“

Indeed, who can resist cute and charming little creatures? It turns out such pet therapy is an excellent, non-invasive remedy against mental fatigue.

Dr. Margit Gabriele Muller, a veterinarian and a writer, shares:

“All pets — dogs, cats, fish, rabbits, birds, snakes and, yes, falcons — can help people overcome numerous emotional and physical challenges.

And certainly during the global pandemic, when people are feeling locked down, isolated and lacking in human connection, pets can make a world of difference.

Just playing with a pet for five minutes or petting the animal for five minutes reduces blood pressure and increases hormones associated with contentment.”

How to do it

If you live in a private house or an apartment, you might adopt a pet. When you develop a bond with an animal companion, you’ll get a friend who loves you unconditionally and doesn’t mind how you look like.

With a new family member, you’ll move and walk outside more. It is an excellent wellness practice to switch from your routine tasks and come back with a fresh mindset.

Zoos, pet cafes (when open) are great alternatives if you can’t adopt a pet. Perhaps your neighbors have a lovely animal you can play with.

3. Surprise Yourself

Do you occasionally try new activities? Something that would make you say, “No! That’s not in my style.”

Everything new is scary because the process and the outcomes are unknown. However, new knowledge and experience broaden your information field and give more room for creative ideas to incubate.

Ben Hindman, a businessman and an entrepreneur, once well-said:

“A surprise stops us in our tracks and makes us focus on “The Right Now,” and that is a very powerful experience.”

Its main goal is to stop you from living the ordinary and meet “extra-ordinary.” It makes you think out of the box and discover yourself from different angles.

How to do it

I associate the surprise yourself practice with the craziest and most diverse things I would have never tried if I stayed in my comfort zone.

Consider it as another way to forget about your laptop for a moment and get a new experience. The surprise yourself practice can be a part of your wellness Sunday.

It can be anything, but there are two conditions:

1. It should be an action. You sit enough each day anyway!
2. It should be something new for you.

This way, I learned about the Japanese Match tea, which became a part of my morning routine.

I added an adult podcast about relationship inequality to my workout playlist. The podcast turned out to be thought-provoking!

As Thomas Hardy put it well:

“Time changes everything except something within us which is always surprised by change.”

4. Sitting For Too Long Is a Big No-No

Home-office has changed the way people work and live. As of now, a table, a comfy chair, a bed, and even a kitchen table pretty much serve as a workplace.

We used to commute to work, but anyone can literally “work from bed” these days.

I am typing this sentence lying on my couch. Although, it is highly not recommended! Please, don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t say I like working from bed. I do it because my back cannot withstand that much pressure from sitting all day long.

Humans were not designed to sit for 8 hours at a desk. We are created to move, run, cover long distances, hunt, and stay active for hours.

For those living a sedentary lifestyle, including myself, I want to remind you that being active is not as hard as you think.

What to do

There are lots of simple physical activities you can do to fulfill a daily norm:

1. Use the stairs instead of the lift, or at least walk up the escalator.
2. Get off the public transport one stop earlier and walk to your destination.
3. If you have a smartwatch, set it to remind you about the short warm-ups every hour.
4. Practice working from standing desks occasionally.

Better Take Care of Your Tired Eyes Now

Have you ever experienced the following symptoms after endless hours spent in front of a computer screen?

• Blurred vision;
• A difficulty to see distant objects;
• Eyes turning red by the end of the day;
• Burning and itching eyes;
• Headache.

These are all symptoms of the Computer vision syndrome, according to Jakub Odcházel, medical advisor at Lentiamo. He also claims that people who spend over 2 hours a day in front of a computer have a 90% likelihood of developing eye strain.

As a content writer and a marketer, I spent over 8 hours in front of a laptop screen daily! I am sure many bloggers can relate. It’s our job, and we have to do it.

Eye strain can be annoying, but in fact, it is not a severe issue. The pain disappears once you take some rest or change the uncomfortable position. However, nothing goes away without leaving a trace.

No one knows how a harmless eye strain can affect your body function in time. It is better to take some tiny steps now to protect your future wellbeing and health.

What to do

I had been actively blogging for a year until I noticed how my ability to see distant objects got worse.

Besides wearing blue-light-blocking glasses, here is what I do to take care of my eyes.

1. Regular annual eye-check. This period is enough for you to notice positive or negative changes.
2. Desktop and mobile screen lighting adjustment according to the daytime. It helps to reduce eye fatigue and prevent the causes of insomnia.
3. Frequent breaks are not an option for people engaged in creative work. Hence, I spend my breakfast, lunch, and dinner completely without digital devices. It’s almost 3 hours of break a day! Not bad, right?

Remember, you can only impact others’ lives as long as you take care of yourself!

Now It’s Your Turn

Blogging is not just about serving others with your content. It’s also about discipline and self-care practices.

Your bed is not a universal place to sleep, eat, work and repeat all these over again. Your pajama is not an outfit for all purposes!

Time spent on personal wellbeing does not imply you are lazy or weak.

Content creation is a long-term game, which rarely provides instant gratification. It is a marathon, not a sprint.

If you want to create an impact and shape people’s lives — you have to start taking care of yourself first!