I think it’s also a great time to think about loving yourself. Self-care is such a buzzword right now, and for good reason! Anybody else working themselves to the bone? Thought so.

I’m currently reading Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg. 🤯  If you’re a fan of Atomic Habits (or haven’t gotten to it yet), this book is for you! It actually breaks down habit-formation into actionable, easy steps.

To my surprise, one of the steps is to celebrate each tiny win. Say, for example, you know that you love the smell of your candle and it motivates you, but you always forget to light it. After building a recipe (explained in the book) for the habit, you celebrate. So, the first part of the habit might simply be picking up the lighter every day after something else you already do. Then, celebrate picking up the lighter! Now, it might feel silly to celebrate such a tiny thing, but give it a shot! Do a fist-pump and say ‘Yesssss!’.

Not only does that help to wire the habit into your brain, but it also gives you a nice little dose of dopamine! It instantly cheers you up. You feel accomplished! No matter how tiny the task.

Eventually you’ll be almost automatically lighting your candle at a certain time every day and you’ll be feeling great about it. You’re celebrating the win, and guess what? Also feeling the awesomeness that’s coming from the scent! So. Much. Dopamine.

So many of us feel overwhelmed when we think about self-care. I, for one, tend to shut down when overwhelmed. It’s easier to do nothing (and emotionally obsess over it) than to take on a big new undertaking. Are we expecting ourselves to work out for a full hour 4 days/week? Do we want to be cleaning our desk and writing our to-do list every afternoon? Or maybe learning to meditate daily? Those are some big asks.

But, if you break these down into Tiny Habits, you can absolutely feel that positivity that comes from a: remembering to do the activity and b: doing the activity.

So, friends…. Start small. Figure out the tiny ways that you can bring more positivity into your world. To get those dopamine “hits”. To care for and to love yourself.

One final note on the book: the author explains the tiny habit of “When I wake up and put my feet on the floor in the morning, I will say (in my head or out-loud) ‘Today is going to be a great day.’” I’ve started doing this and I’m telling you, it just starts you out in a better headspace, ready to take on the day!

You got this, go get it!

Jazmin is a Professional Recruiter, HR Advisor and a Career Strategy Coach. She has spent more than a decade in the business of people, connecting passion with purpose for career success. Jazmin provides tailored recruiting and human resource solutions for every business size as well as mentors individuals to realize their professional best.

Proximity Partners was created with the desire to serve clients – companies and individuals – deeper and more intentionally. Her company culture provides that big, professional agency feel, but with the personalized attention a small firm delivers. Proximity Partners supports a multitude of industries including banking, marketing, legal, consumer products, information technology, healthcare, professional services and more.

Speaking of self-care, this year we decided to send a little care package to some of our accountants that we work with. (Tax Season… the definition of overwhelm!) (Reminder – please be kind and patient with your tax professional – they are working their butts off right now!!!) Well, we got such great feedback that I figured I’d share some of the goodies that we sent… Tiny ways to help with your self-care!