Corporate to Classroom: Self-Caring In A New Season Of Life
From setting up systems at home to being mindful of personal boundaries, learn how investing time and attention into self-care can yield more time, energy, and headspace for what matters most.
Post-retirement life is unfolding, and it’s surreal.
I resume my Functional Medicine Coaching classes next week (I deferred when Chris went through cancer treatment), so I’ve been setting up systems to create space for learning and transformation.
Since leaving corporate, I’ve been free from scheduled meetings, due dates, and, well, work. While I loved the much-needed break and space for healing, I haven’t had to flex my self-discipline muscle in a while.
I’m headed into a 12-month program with weekly interactive live sessions, video lessons, required reading, and homework — followed by exam prep and coaching for board certification.
It’s a long-term commitment, and if I’m being open, with my ADHD brain and Manifesting Generator Human Design personality type, I don’t always do well sustaining focus or enthusiasm in the same direction for long periods.
While I’m looking forward to jumping back into school and feel confident this is the right next step for my personal health goals and business & creative ambitions, I recognize it will be an adjustment, and I want to set myself up for success.
Self-Care To Prep For A New Season
After experiencing burnout and navigating flares of a chronic health condition (POTS), my mind isn’t letting me forget to make self-care non-negotiable and central in this new season.
Here are some things we’ve been up to lately:
Financial 💵
Did you know finances are a component of self-care? -Empower
We both had 401Ks in corporate, so we spoke with a Financial Advisor and rolled them into IRAs (Individual Retirement Accounts).
Chris has his Series-6 and worked at E-Trade early in his career, so he'll manage our investments. On the other hand, I have next to zero knowledge of the stock market and, up until a week ago, couldn't have told you the difference between a stock and an index fund or a 401K vs an IRA.
Thankfully, Chris sat me down and said, "You need to have a basic understanding of our investments. This is our retirement, and if anything ever happens to me, I need to know you can advocate for yourself." Best husband ever. 😢
And he's right. Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to managing your finances. It's part of our self-care and can make a huge difference in leading a self-directed life.
It's a lot of info, and I'm not an expert (yet), but I'm forming an understanding that guides me in asking questions, researching, and navigating our accounts.
If this is a knowledge gap, here's a great beginner video about an Index fund called FXAIX. This (and my husband's grocery store metaphor) helped things click for me.
Environment 🏡
Did you know our brains function better in a clean, organized environment
Clutter can lead to feeling overwhelmed and procrastination, and it can even interfere with one's quality of life. (1)
I've been setting up systems to help us stay organized and on track with things at home.
For example, mail 📩.
I updated the desk in our kitchen to a space for keeping up with adulting responsibilities. I was using it as a coffee and tea area, but not having a consistent system for our mail was causing stress.
So I moved the coffee and tea bar and setup the desk with an incoming mail system.
I found the mail organizer on Amazon. We're using the three slots for To-Do, To-File, and To-Shred. Every few days, I knock out any To-Dos, and Chris knocks out the shredding.
No more mail floating between the counter, dining room table, and my office. Everything is organized and in a tidy space.
🧠 Mindful Memo 📝
If anything overwhelms you at home or work, it's worth examining your automatic patterns and setting up a better system. It will take less time than you think, and the relief is worth the upfront investment.
Connection 🫶
Did you know relationships and connection with others play a major role in our overall health?
This is such a big deal that the UK appointed a Minister of Loneliness to combat the epidemic. A county in California recently declared loneliness a state of emergency.
This one can be tricky though. Especially for introverts.
I'm an introvert and tend to stay in our bubble most of the time. But knowing how important connection is for our well-being, I've been making a conscious effort to spend time with loved ones too.
Things like going to my parent's house to cook a pot of chili and having my nieces over for a game night fill my cup.
The introvert in me doesn't always feel like doing the thing though.
This is where our connection to ourselves is so important. So we can recognize when we need rest and alone time vs when we’re just staying in because it’s our default comfort zone.
🧠 Mindful Memo 📝
Practice staying connected to yourself and asking, "What do I want"? Recognize the difference between guiding yourself out of your comfort zone to do something you'll be happy you did versus violating your boundaries to please others. You can strengthen this discernment with practice and reflection.
Mind-Body Wellness 🛌
I got mono a few weeks ago, so I've been super tired. I'm just starting to feel like I'm returning to life from zombie mode.
But some good came of this.
I needed a lot of sleep and a lot of rest.
And because I had a legitimate medical need, I didn't feel bad about it. This led me to question why I ever felt bad about needing rest — even when I didn't have mono.
Sometimes, we need extra rest because we're exhausted physically, mentally, or both. Nutrition, movement, stress, sleep quality, chronic illnesses, and even the oxygen we're taking in can impact our energy levels.
I've been mindful of when I'm judging myself and replacing judgment with self-compassion. It's hard to believe how much of a difference this has made in my mood.
🧠 Mindful Memo 📝
Pay attention to the words you’re using when you talk to or about yourself. Harsh criticism and judgement weighs on our wellbeing and holds us back from our goals. Practice self-compassion with mindful connection and kindness.
Takeaways 🤔
For me, it comes down to attention.
Before paying attention to my 401K, my return rate had dipped to 2%. After focusing my attention on learning how investments work, we have more appropriate retirement accounts with improved returns and comfortable risk (based on the season we're in).
I could feel the stack of mail pulling for my attention each time I walked past one of the places where it landed. Focusing my attention on creating a system reduced friction and cleared that area from my headspace.
Investing time and attention into self-care yields more time, energy, and headspace for the things I want to focus on — like my health, loved ones, and upcoming classes!
How about you? Feel free to share any takeaways in the comments.
Wishing You Well-Being,
Alyssa
Thanks for reading this edition of Mindful Memos — a blog-style newsletter on the intersection of business management and personal wellbeing, supporting leaders as whole humans with mind-body wellness and sustainable leadership. Written by Alyssa Bloom — Former corporate Area Manager turned Holistic Wellness Coach.
1Sources
Ferrari, J.R., Roster, C.A., Crum, K.P. et al. Procrastinators and Clutter: An Ecological View of Living with Excessive “Stuff”. Curr Psychol 37, 441–444 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9682-9
I am retired but still quite active and get overwhelmed pretty easily. I appreciate your honest approach and great advice on being more mindful and taking good care of ourselves to make our entire life journey better and more fulfilling. Thank you for sharing your own personal experiences for us to relate to.