Making Time for Self Care

Self-care is essential. We need moments each day to step out of the stresses in our lives and do something for ourselves. In asking our team to share their favorite ways of focusing inward, we noticed most of the answers fit a few common patterns: Occupying the Hands, Caring for the Body, and Refreshing the Mind. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we want to remember to show ourselves some love, and we’d like to share some of our favorite ways to care for ourselves.

The Hands:

At Falling Colors, we spend the day using our hands for work - whether plastering The White Building, writing code, or balancing budgets - but when we sign off, we can and should make time to create things for ourselves.

Music

Several of our team members are learning to play an instrument, or refining skills at one they already know. Others love to lay out and take the time to listen closely to a favorite album. If you want to find some new tunes, check out this music recommendation tool, Gnoosic, which will help you find your next favorite artist, simply by plugging in 3 of your current favorites.

Cooking

Enjoying good food is a hobby in itself, but the amateur chefs on our team find it even more rewarding when they’ve done the cooking. Now is a great time to dust off the cookbook on the shelf and try something new for dinner. When we’re looking for inspiration and need to clear out the fridge, we turn to handy ingredient tools, that will curate recipes based on what’s already lying around.

When cooking sounds like too much work, one of our team members likes to make take-out feel like a night out by spending the time to plate dishes and make the dining table feel more like a restaurant. We find this especially appealing with really beautiful cuisines, like sushi!

Baking

We’ve got some mad scientists on the team who love the precise measurements and timing required to succeed at the magical alchemy of baking. Taking the time to turn simple ingredients into breads, cookies, and cakes adds well-deserved comfort and sweetness to life. Our resident cookie monsters recommend making life in an apron easier with a KitchenAid Stand Mixer, a digital food scale, and a nice looking measurement conversion chart that you wouldn’t mind displaying on your wall.

Working with Yarn

We like being productive on this team, even while watching The Office for the 10th time. There’s no better way to stay warm in the winter and keep your hands busy than making some wool garments with the soothing, repetitive motions of knitting and crochet. Make yourself a hat, a scarf, or even create a meme, and if you’re feeling generous you can create gifts for others that show you care enough to put in the time!

The Body:

The truth is, without effort, the default ergonomics of tech work can lead to back pain, joint issues, and repetitive stress injuries. Many on our team take simple steps, like walking each day, to ensure physical and mental wellbeing.

Hiking

Our Santa Fe team racks up miles in the beautiful mountains surrounding the town, offering great hikes for any level of ambition. We go to Sun Mountain for short but challenging after-work hikes, while Diablo Canyon offers gorgeous views with less of a climb. When we’re feeling ambitious, the Windsor Trail to Santa Fe Baldy or Lake Katherine makes for a long day’s out and back or even an overnighter, and when we feel like exploring, the rest of New Mexico offers endless opportunities to find new trails, get outside, and discover something we haven’t seen before.

Photo by David Vendetti Yoga; @dvendetti on Instagram

Yoga

Our team includes some committed yogis, and fortunately, this activity couldn’t be easier to do from home. Yoga helps maintain flexibility, build strength, and relax the mind, and with ample online yoga content, all it takes is an internet connection and a yoga mat. Our staff recommends David Vendetti, who puts out multiple videos each week as a guide to yoga, meditation, and ball-rolling. There are also great options on YouTube worth exploring before starting with a pro.

Soothing Space

In our dry climate, simple tech like a humidifier and soothing products like lotions are essential for everyone. We also like to get a bit more out of our bedtime skin-care regimen by creating ambiance with scented candles and calming teas. Falling Colors has teamed up with local business Kindred Sol to create care kits we’ll send to our employees very soon, including candles, oils, teas, and other locally sourced treats, as a special way to encourage taking the time for self-care.

The Mind:

Our minds are the seat of the self, and especially in stressful times, we often overlook the needs of the mind in favor of comforts and distractions. Our team includes several devoted meditation practitioners, creative writers, and avid readers, who swear by the powers of these mindful activities to guard against burnout from the burdens that otherwise tend to occupy and overwhelm our attention.

Meditation

After a long day of meetings, taking time to sit in meditation helps our minds transition from the stresses of the day into the relaxing mental mode we need to be in to get the most from our personal time. Meditation practice helps the mind integrate and process all the information from our day, while also training the mind to better deal with challenging emotions. We love the Headspace app, and we’ve found the Netflix series Headspace Guide to Meditation is a great way to give their content a try, without even downloading the app.

Writing

The logophiles on our team claim to need very little to calm their running minds. With just a journal, a piece of paper, or a computer keyboard, we just starting to put words on paper (or screen). Our creative time is regenerative and helpful for processing the areas in life where care and attention is most needed. When blocked, we recommend breaking the jam with a writing prompt generator.

Reading

Even during the pandemic, our lives still seem so busy, but after being stuck in COVID-induced isolation for almost a year, we can all use some escapism. We heard from team members whose love for reading spans the genres, and who collectively unwind with romance novels, short stories, investigative journalism, science fiction, and everything in between. Our team picks up books to be transported (or to give our Netflix accounts a break) as reading offers a chance to travel into another life or experience, all from the comfort and safety of home. Many libraries offer free Kindle Downloads, just like borrowing the book from the library itself. You can find instructions on how to do so here.

Find Your Self-Care

If these self-care options aren’t what you’re looking for, the key to finding your self-care solution is to look within, know yourself, and go to the things you love most. Choose to make the time for the things you miss or might tend to put off when other people’s needs or more urgent commitments demand your time and attention. If you struggle to think of something you can do for yourself, commit to try something new that will only be for you, because you are worthy of your care and attention. You’ll be glad that you did. Be conscious of yourself, and take care.