Dear Colleague,

    I hope this finds you enjoying the warm weather along with some down time for yourself. Taking a vacation is not only good to recharge ourselves but it is also quite important for our health and well-being. One of the silver linings of the last couple of years has been the need to step back a bit and reassess many aspects of our lives. We've been agile and resilient as we stretched in ways to evolve within a new normal that continues to be defined. Taking care of ourselves physically, emotionally and mentally needs to be a top priority.

    Many people often say they don't have time to take care of themselves and allow themselves to be a priority. Yet, there is a cost for not doing so. We can all strive to make time every day for self-care. It's like they tell us in the airplane to put the mask on ourselves before others. If we don't take care of ourselves, we will not be the best we can be.

    Take action and make a commitment to yourself. Here are three ways to make time for self-care on a daily basis:

1. Keep it simple and personal to things you like and need, i.e., ten minutes of yoga, 5 minutes of stretching, 15 minute walk, listening to music, practicing breathing techniques, committing to a routine bed time.

2. Practice gratitude daily, i.e., keep a gratitude journal, begin and/or end your day with an expression of what you are grateful for and why.

3. Find focus in your time management; i.e., prioritize the top 3-4 things you need to accomplish each day, manage crisis that arise making necessary adjustments, determine and establish boundaries and stick to them.

My 'Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable' discussion series continues and has covered a range of topics in dialogue with amazing leaders. Please see below to review previous recordings. The next one will be in September - Stay tuned!

As always, thank you for your continued support and I look forward to hearing from you! Please reach out to me with your updates and enjoy the rest of the summer!

Best Regards,

Rita Balian Allen

About Rita

Rita Balian Allen is the president of Rita B. Allen Associates, an international career management firm specializing in executive coaching, leadership development, management training and career development. She is a lecturer at Northeastern University, a sought-after speaker and presenter, the author of numerous articles, blogs, columns and the book, "Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself: The Three Ps Marketing Technique as a Guide to Career Empowerment". She has been a regular contributor for the Chief Learning Officer, Huffington Post and the Association for Talent Development as well as a variety of other publications. Rita brings much human resources experience to her practice, has worked with leaders across all industries and professions and was voted one of the top ten executive coaches by the Boston Women's Business Journal.

Services

Rita B. Allen Associates offers customized career management consulting and coaching services to individuals and organizations with specialties in a variety of talent management content areas including:

Helpful Resources

• Think Like a Monk, Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day by Jay Shetty

• Life is Good, the Book by John and Bert Jacobs

• Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Dr. Jean Greaves

• Practicing Mindfulness: 75 Essential Meditations to Reduce Stress, Improve Mental Health, and Find Peace in the Everyday Kindle Edition by Matthew Sockolov

• Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself, The 'Three Ps' Marketing Technique as a Guide to Career Empowerment by Rita Balian Allen