10 WAYS TO BE SUSTAINABLE THIS YEAR
Because true sustainability starts with who you’re being
If there’s one goal worth prioritising this year, it’s ‘being’ more sustainable.
Right now, the sustainability that we often hear discussed refers to consuming less and making smart, planet-friendly choices. But the version of sustainability we’re talking about is the kind that creates the ideal conditions for operating as your best self, more often. Think: actions, habits and routines that lay the foundations for sustainable success.
Need inspiration? Here are 10 sustainable shifts to add to your ‘to-be’ list for this year.
1. Explore adaptogens
Why: These herbs work to support your body throughout the rhythm of your day. Found in medicinal mushrooms and other plants, adaptogens help to balance and nourish the nervous system, immune system, hormones, digestion and heart function. What makes them special is their gentle but powerful effect on energy, sleep and cognitive performance, helping to sustain you during times of stress.
Start here: We love Inner Atlas’s Dawn, Day and Dusk adaptogen blends, which combine mushrooms such as lion’s mane, reishi and cordyceps with spices and cacao for delicious brews that meet you where you’re at.
2. Try restorative yoga
Why: Too often we turn to social media or Netflix when we need a break – but this so-called downtime is only contributing to our exhaustion and overwhelm. As one of our PACE graduates put it, it’s “junk rest”. This year, work on finding more nourishing ways to relax and recharge. Restorative yoga is a slow, meditative form of yoga that produces a real mind and body release. Even spending just 10 minutes in a restorative pose, such as legs up the wall or a supported savasana, offers deep rest and rejuvenation – exactly what your body is craving.
Start here: Explore a handful of restorative yoga poses here.
3. Commit to the inner work
Why: It’s time to bust the myth that therapy is only for crises and breakdowns. Consider this: do you check in with a doctor and dentist on a regular basis to manage your physical wellbeing? Your mental health is just as important. That’s why at foundher we advocate supporting healthy minds with therapy, whether you’re neurotypical or diverse. To sustain your wellbeing in the long run, you need to be proactive about protecting your mental health, and doing ‘mental rehab’ when you’ve hit a roadblock, just as you would take care of an injury. Whether it’s ongoing work or a short-term mental health plan, partnering with a therapist can help you uncover why you’re stuck in certain patterns or struggle to set boundaries at work or in relationships. Consider it another tool for self-awareness, resilience and development – the ultimate in being your best version.
Start here: We love (and can personally recommend some of) these therapists, many of whom offer telehealth sessions: Jocelyn Brewer, The Indigo Project, Graymind Psychology, Catherine Asta and Tory Eletto.
4. Embrace an evening ritual
Why: Unwinding from the day you’ve had is as important as preparing for what’s to come. It’s particularly helpful if you’re now working from home, where the boundaries between work and life can so easily become blurred. Your end-of-day ritual can be as unique as your morning routine – you might choose to journal, meditate or take a walk in the fresh air. We love the cognitive signal of a flickering candle to mark the transition from work mode to rest and relaxation.
Start here: Add a beautiful scented candle from IKOU, made with essential oils and natural wax, to your daily rhythm.
5. Expand your mind
Why: The more you know, the more you grow. Continual learning is an important tool for better navigating our VUCA world and evolving into your best version. Try adding an audio book to your morning routine – the AM is the perfect time to absorb new information.
Start here: Some books we’ve enjoyed recently include Setting Boundaries by Dr Rebecca Ray and Twelve And A Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success by Gary Vaynerchuk.
6. Make recharging non-negotiable
Why: Do you know your body budget? Neuroscience tells us that our brain runs a ‘budget’ for our whole body – and regulates metabolic efficiency. Stress, overwork and the fast pace of life, however, uses a big chunk of that budget every day. That’s why recharging is no longer a nice-to-have; in fact, we’ve been running on borrowed time – the pandemic has only highlighted how essential it is to recharge regularly in order to navigate complexity.
Think about it: when your phone dips below 20%, you run for the charger! If only we cared about rebooting ourselves as often as our phones. It’s time to stop putting yourself last on the list and make taking care of you a non-negotiable. Why not follow Elana’s lead and book a treatment like a massage, facial or infrared sauna every month? Consider it an essential part of your 90-day success rhythm.
Start here: Explore the treatments at KAILO Medispa at The Calile in Brisbane and the Eleme Day Spas at the Crystalbrook Collection hotels across Australia.
7. Journal your thoughts
Why: The simple process of putting your thoughts down on paper can have so many benefits. Journalling is a fantastic tool for developing your self-awareness and moving through problems or thought loops that are blocking you. Set a timer for 15, 20 or 30 minutes and let your stream of consciousness pour out onto the page. You’ll be surprised at the clarity you can gain as a result.
Start here: A beautiful notebook might be just the thing to ignite your journalling practice. We adore the range made by social enterprise Words With Heart – and their commitment to funding education for women and girls.
8. Create a gratitude practice
Why: Seeding your brain with positive emotions via a gratitude practice rewires your neural pathways, tapping into the proven power of neuroplasticity. Done regularly, this simple habit has been shown to improve mental health, ward off stress and build resilience. Whether you count big or small blessings, it’s all good – it gives you the ability to meet yourself where you are at for the day, present to what is, rather than the constant expectations of perfection.
Start here: It might feel strange at first, but the more you do it, the easier it will become. Try jotting down three things you’re grateful for before you start your workday, or think about them as you go to sleep. The key is to deeply feel your gratitude for each item – introspective awareness – don’t fall into the trap of making it another mindless task to tick off the list.
9. Make meditation a daily habit
Why: It’s hardly news that meditation and mindfulness practices are a powerful antidote to our fast-paced world, with its barrage of information and stimulating screens. If you’ve dabbled in meditation but are yet to build it into your daily routine, commit to making it part of your best version of self this year and see what benefits slowing down and tuning in can bring to your wellbeing and performance. As Elana points out, meditation is truly the gift of acceptance and kindness to yourself. “This has been the most challenging and greatest gift in my own journey of really getting to know and accept myself and not masking my inner struggles with making myself ‘busy’ as a bandaid,” Elana says.
Start here: The Chopra app is a fantastic way to kick off your meditation journey – it will teach you how to meditate and give you a range of short and long sessions to try, focused around topics such as sleep, stress and anxiety relief, and confidence, purpose and success.
10. Invest in you
Why: If your goal is to take your performance to a higher level, it can help to have some guidance along the way to keep you accountable and fast-track your results. At foundher, we are committed to equipping ambitious leaders of change with a toolkit for navigating the modern world, via a range of online programs, retreats and private coaching partnerships designed to evolve your EQ – the forgotten superpower that we leave untapped.
Start here: Each year we run foundher retreats at the beautiful SOMA sanctuary in Byron Bay. We do this because we want to reframe how ambitious humans can be great. Join us to learn a sustainable pace for work and life while you recharge for what’s next in this deeply restorative and transformational environment.