Guest Post From Jarrod Davis, Professional Mentor and My Baby Daddy ;)
We All Deserve a Smoke Break
Hello, Friend! Happy Tuesday!
I sincerely hope you’re enjoying this blog! I imagine you’re learning new and insightful things about nutrition, or, at the very least, are entertained by my thoughts! If you would like to help support this newsletter, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5 per month. This contribution makes a tremendous difference.
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A note from Sara:
The other day, Jarrod asked me if I needed help preparing anything for when the baby comes. I talked about how I was aiming to schedule blog posts ahead of time to give me a few weeks off from writing them. I jokingly said he could write a guest post for me to help out, and he quickly said yes! Look at me accepting help when it’s offered!
So, below you’ll find a post from Jarrod!
And over the next few weeks you’ll also see posts from my Intern Brianna! Enjoy!
We all deserve a smoke break.
My first job was in the food service industry. I noticed that the employees that smoked got more breaks than the rest of us. 10-15 mins seemingly every hour to puff down a cigarette. I kept thinking to myself I should just tell my manager I'm a smoker so that I could partake in this PTO loophole. It ate me up inside that “unhealthy” people are receiving a benefit while I, an able-bodied, healthy individual, had to work straight through.
I understand why they smoked and “needed” the break. The effects of tobacco down-regulate the system and produce a brief feeling of comfort. Amplified by the little voice called Nicotine that says, “Hey I’ll be right here for you whenever you need me, and you always need me” (smiling Devil rubbing its hands together).
So, I get it, you need a break from the stress, the fast-paced work flow, the co-worker drama, etc. and you know relief is only a spark and drag away from taking that edge off.
This concept of “taking the edge off" is the desired effect that not only smokers are looking for but all of us look for when the day, the work, or any other mild stressors build up. Your body will signal to you that it's stressed with shortness of breath followed by a deep breath in and audible exhale (You can almost hear the “I give up” or “I'm over this” under the breath). It might even look like a full body contraction with your arms in a T-rex position, shoulders pinned up by the ears, and butt cheeks clenched like something’s trying to crawl up there. If you're experiencing any of these right now, don't worry it's completely normal, relief is on its way.
Regardless if you WFH or head into the office, you can use this technique for taking the edge off. Unlike cigarettes, this won't cost you money, expensive medical bills, or years off of your life. I do, however, encourage you to start slowly with this and only perform it once a day for the first few weeks. If your schedule allows it and you’re enjoying the effects, expand this to twice a day, once before a lunch hour and once mid afternoon. It takes roughly 5 minutes.
Find someplace comfortable where you can lay down, recline the seat of your car, or sit in an empty office space. The idea is that you have someplace quiet to go to and you feel safe enough to close your eyes for the duration of this exercise. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Begin by taking long slow inhales and exhales, mentally following the breath in and out of your belly. Your mission for the remaining time is to acknowledge every body part all the way from your toes to the hair on your head, one at a time, and attempt to release or relax it. Even if nothing happens, continue to move up your body to the next part you become aware of. These 5 minutes might seem like forever when you start his exercise. If you finish relaxing all the way up, simply start again from the bottom and work your way up attempting to relax even further.
This 5 minute reset can take that edge off of anything that life is throwing at you. It's short enough to fit any schedule and doesn't leave you feeling groggy like some meditation sessions can. You’ll find this extremely helpful when you're making transitions in your day like after a long drive in traffic, before seeing your family, or between intense Zoom meetings.
Bottomline is that you don't need a smoke break to take the edge off. To perform at your best, and to be able to handle more of what life is giving you, remember there is a safe, effective, and simple solution. Take 5. And if you'd like a guided version of this to start your practice you can find the link here as a gift from me to you.
Cheers,
Jarrod