A Mid-Day Refesher//Creating Perfect Moments in a Stressful Workday

When I held an office job, I developed a set of routines and self-care rituals that I'd incorporate throughout the day.  It was my little way of getting reconnected with myself in a crazy, hectic environment.  By the end of the workday, I'd leave the office looking refreshed, unphased and unbothered by the craziness of the day.

Once I left the office environment, I'd forgotten about my little routine and how amazing it was. I realize now that I absolutely need to create an updated version.
The plan is to incorporate the steps that worked well in the past while adding a few new gems into the mix.

Looking back, one habit that served me well was carrying around a small bottle of my favorite lightweight hair oil to reapply mid-day.  Back in those days, I was desperate to climb the corporate ladder. At one point I realized that people in the office reacted differently to me when I wore my hair down.  So I wore my hair down more often. And to combat the destruction that occurs from having my ends exposed, I'd freshen it up with a little oil.  This worked so well. The compliments flowed in. It continued even after hours when I left the office and went to night classes.  One day, a coworker asked me to divulge my secret so I pulled the little bottle out of my desk drawer. Till this day, I have a reminder on my phone that notifies me at 2:30 pm to moisturize and seal.

Another part of my mid-day refresher was taking a mental inventory of how much water I consumed so far.  Normally, I'll have a large bottle of water first thing in the morning.  Then, the day gets busy and I forget all about it.  At the of the day, I realize that I barely touched my water bottle for hours.  Midday is the perfect time to rehydrate.  Perhaps it's been a few hours since your last meal, enjoying a full bottle of water can help ramp up your metabolism.  You might even consider chasing the water with a cup of green tea to ward off afternoon cravings.

I used to purposely drink lots of water to increase the frequency of bathroom breaks.  Every time I visited the restroom, I'd do 10-20 squats. There were a set of stairs nearby and I'd knock out a few flights of stairs every bathroom break.   That extra activity adds up.  I desperately need to start doing this again.

The other day, I received a tip that we should reapply our sunscreen late afternoon.  Maybe you're in an office environment all day but chances are you're going to drive home in the harsh evening sun.  Are you sure that your sunscreen is still hard at work?  If not, it might be a good time to touch up.  If you're concerned about sunscreen ruining your makeup, maybe mix it with your foundation.  I'm looking forward to trying NARS' powder foundation which has SPF, controls shine, and minimized blemishes.  It's the perfect product for a late afternoon touch up.

Another important mid-day refresher, for me, was a mental refocus.

The first part of the day is always hectic. If I'm not careful, my mind gets consumed with the stresses of the day.  I realized that I have to combat the emotional rollercoaster otherwise I bring all that home with me.  One thing that worked for me is to take a moment and review everything that's gone well so far.  It doesn't matter if the positive aspects were minuscule, I still add it to the list.  This reignites my motivation for the second half of the day.  Another cool technique I did was to visualize for a couple of minutes in the middle of the day. This reconnects me with my intentions.  When you're working for someone else, you lose a sense of your personal goals.  When I focused on my intentions during the day, I was excited to make plans on my drive home about what I'd work on that evening.  Instead of coming home feeling defeated and stressed out, I was reenergized and ready to make moves.

I need to get back to implementing the daily refresher routine ASAP. Starting with what worked in the past and building from there. I tend to lose some steam in the afternoons, this might be the strategy I need to boost my late afternoon productivity.