My Simple Executive Self-Care Practices

Personally, I regularly employ several simple self-care practices I’ll share with you now. These are accessible to anyone, don’t cost anything and can have a profound impact on your health and wellbeing if practiced consistently. I also use modalities like float therapy, infrared sauna, cold therapy, red light therapy, physiotherapy and acupuncture on an as-needed basis but I won’t go into them here.

1. Early morning walk: I start each day with abstinence from screens and coffee and instead take an early-morning 20-30 minute walk with my wife and our two dogs. This simple activity has several profound consequences. First, forward ambulatory motion (aka walking), combined with unobstructed exposure to sunlight (this simply means that I don’t wear sunglasses), regulates my hormones and has lasting positive effects on my mood, energy levels, overall well-being and sleep quality. It also lets my body “startup” more naturally, and begins my day with a connection with nature and a loved one.

2. Educational podcasts: I often do a lot of driving between the various wellness centers in our group and I try to leverage this time by listening to podcasts on everything from health and wellness to science and philosophy. My wife and I share our favorite podcasts with each other and this gives us a lot to talk about on our walks or when we’re hanging out.

3. Outdoor exercise: We end most days with some form of outdoor exercise, be it paddleboarding on a nearby creek, a bike ride at a local park, or another walk if we’re short on time. This is less about a hard workout and more about being present with each other, breathing, and grounding in nature after a busy day of almost constant stimulation. Mindfulness and self-awareness are about our ability to consciously detach and observe ourselves, which requires that we are present as much as possible instead of running on “auto-pilot.” This active time outside serves as a form of meditation that allows us to create the space within which we can practice and cultivate our ability to be present.

4. Family dinners: We also have nightly family dinners, which include our two kids, and usually their partners as well. Each night we take turns cooking and washing the dishes, which is something I highly recommend for a myriad of obvious reasons. Our whole family absolutely loves our family dinner ritual and actually embraces the shared responsibilities that come with it. The dinners and clean-up time give us ample opportunity to share our day and discuss a broad range of topics.

5. Limit screen time: After dinner, my wife and I try to limit our screen time and often, instead of watching TV, we get in bed and read “real” books. While it’s tempting to stream the latest show that everyone is talking about, we have found that reading tangible books instead has not only had a profound effect on the quality of our sleep, but also on our ability to focus throughout our day. 

If nighttime TV is something you’re not willing to give up, I highly recommend at least giving up the nightly news. If you pay attention to the (often irrelevant) news content, you will find that the vast majority of it is negative. That is because the news is a for-profit enterprise that competes for our attention, which is most easily captured by negative and sensational headlines and content. Studies have shown that watching the nightly news can have shockingly negative effects on our mental health and overall wellbeing.

Bottom line, striving for quality sleep is an obvious essential for wellness! I have written an extensive blog on what I believe sets you up for a great sleep experience. Sleep is one of the most critical pieces of the wellness puzzle. 

6. Executive coaching: The last form of self-care that I want to share with you is my fortnightly executive coaching session. I have a coach who is incredibly intuitive, insightful and with whom I resonate deeply. Most importantly, she is honest and unafraid to give me the hard to hear truths. Just because I’ve held leadership roles for over three decades doesn’t mean that my potential for growth has diminished. My goal is to be the best that I can be, and that demands introspection and being willing to receive unadulterated feedback. This helps me on so many levels. Most of all, it improves my ability to be present and mindful with my family, friends, and teams at work. I have come to view the process of receiving coaching as a necessity, as opposed to a luxury.