Self-Care & Mindfulness Resources for Eco Event Professionals

Photo Credit: Scandinave Spa, Whistler

Self-care is not a luxury - it’s a necessity! Life is busy and if we wait until our schedules are clear to take care of ourselves, we may be waiting indefinitely. Oftentimes, when we’re in the midst of our busy seasons, it can be too easy to forget to tend to ourselves and our needs. But the heart of the matter is that slowing down and focusing on our mind-body connection is truly crucial to us being our best selves, both personally and professionally.

We’ve curated some top tips for better managing our hectic lifestyle with a bit more self-awareness and mental clarity. Thankfully, there are many local, and virtual, resources to help us practice more mindfulness and emotional self-care, and properly rest and recharge so we can face the challenges of our industry with poise and grace.

#1 Avoiding Burnout

One of the most important aspects of sustainable event planning is avoiding burnout. Taking care of ourselves is essential to ensure we’re showing up as our best, most authentic selves, while being true to our needs as well.

Image Credit: Scandinave Spa, Whistler

🌳 We love the simplicity of spending time in nature to recharge after an intense event or event-planning session. Scientific evidence shows the mental and physical benefits of outdoor activity, whether it’s gardening, taking a walk, going for a hike or bike ride. Time spent outside is a great way to reset ourselves and refocus our intentions. Connect with nature to calm your mind and have a self-care day.

📱 Another incredible way to take care of yourself is to get familiar with mental health resources. Wellness Together Canada offers free, 24/7, virtual mental health resources, like phone and text support, informative videos on various mental health conditions, and one-on-one coaching sessions. Talking to a mental health professional can give you the tools to help you meet your challenges as your best self. Learn more at wellnesstogether.ca.

Photo Credit: Wellness Together Canada

🏃 Exercise is a another powerful mood-booster. According to The Mayo Clinic, between 90 and 150 minutes of weekly exercise may significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. In addition to the mental benefits, people who exercise regularly often experience fewer chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, etc. Moving more also helps with circulation, cognitive function, and may even boost creativity (University of Würzburg).

💚 No matter what we do, intention is key. Take time to call a friend or family member, spend some time in reflection, or set a time limit away from your electronics to renew your mind and body, and allow for some conscious connection. Reach out to those in your eco-friendly community to discover more relaxation resources to avoid burnout.

#2 Self-Care & Positive Mental Health Habits

Another way we can fuel our creativity and be our own mental health ally is to focus on the big and small habits we’re building. Did you know, it takes an average of 66 days to form an automatic habit that’s easy to follow? These are a few that are fairly simple to implement:

📗 Journaling is a great way to spend some quality solo time reflecting on and organizing your thoughts and feelings. Not only can journaling improve cognitive function, but it also reduces stress, helps one to better focus their thoughts, and allows them to have an open inner monologue. (Talkspace.com) Journaling is an easy practice to begin, as it requires no formal training. It can take many forms and can take as much or as little time as one likes. We dig Whole Weddings’ delightful, plantable seed paper notebooks. Get yours here: wholewed.com. These zero-waste, gorgeous notebooks, created with the earth in mind, can be used as vow books or lovely journals.

Photo Credit: Whole Weddings

🧘 We love meditation for its mental and physical benefits as well. Regular meditation has the power to decrease stress and anxiety (as well as blood pressure), increase mental focus, and enhance mental health outcomes. Meditating can be simple and silent or you can try one of the amazing meditation apps out there! Insight Timer (insighttimer.com) and Smiling Mind (smilingmind.com.au) are two easy-to-use apps well-known for their mindfulness techniques and guided meditations, both are great for those new to meditating.

🌱 Perspective is another primary facet of self-care and creating positive mental health habits. When we choose to appreciate small progress, we honour the entire process, rather than simply the end result. Re-envisioning the events industry to be more earth-kind takes time, and being gentle to ourselves is important. Being eco-conscious isn’t about perfection, it’s about progress. Seeing improvement from year-to-year and even from event-to-event should encourage us and help us to see that we are indeed making a difference. Often, worthwhile efforts take longer than we’d like, but recognizing our continued evolution is an essential part of the process.

💛 Another major (and often overlooked) aspect of self-care is positive and gentle self-talk. The way we speak to ourselves matters. Being kind, gentle, and encouraging to ourselves can be the ultimate self-care strategy (PsychologyToday). Changing our inner critic to an inner cheerleader can create a massive shift in our outlook, mood, and overall mental health outcomes.

🌬️ Deep breathing is another beneficial practice for those prioritizing their mental health. The use of deep breathing has been shown to decrease the likelihood of gastrointestinal, blood pressure, mental health, autoimmune, and neurological disorders, to name a few (EverydayHealth.com). Regularly employing deep breathing also greatly reduces levels of cortisol, one of the stress hormones. “Deep breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for relaxation and lower cortisol levels” (Healthline.com). Headspace (headspace.com) is an incredible mindful meditation app that primarily focuses on sleep and stress relaxation. Also check out Calm (calm.com) for another great guided deep breathing app that offers breathing exercises, mindful stretching, and more!

Photo Credit: Headspace

#3 Wellness Breaks & Experiences

Who isn’t a fan of a dreamy, relaxing getaway? Oftentimes, taking some time away from work (and maybe our devices) is a much-needed opportunity for renewal and mental decompression. Here are a few of our fave local spots to start your R&R journey!

🛁  Let your worries drift away at Pure Float in Vancouver. Pure Float is a unique sensory-deprivation floating experience that allows participants to float for 60 or 90 minutes. They also have incredible NeuroSpa sessions you can opt for which surround the floater with an amazing sensory vibe, designed to coax participants into deep relaxation. Book your session here: purefloat.ca

Photo Credit: Float Room at Pure Float, Vancouver

💧We’re also big fans of Scandinave Spa in Whistler. Scandinave offers a one-of-a-kind, totally tech-free spa experience. Their expansive and gorgeous space is home to everything from saunas to cold plunges and from hot baths to a full yoga studio. Leave work and concerns behind and indulge in this epic spa adventure! Learn more at scandinave.com/whistler

Photo Credit: Scandinave Spa, Whistler

⛰️ Another really cool way to unwind is at Mountain Rain Zen Centre, in East Vancouver. At Mountain Rain Zen one can participate in silent sitting and walking combo meditation classes on Wednesdays (virtual attendance is also welcome). They also offer writing exercises, talking circles, Dharma seminars, and more at this enhanced and innovative sanctuary. Discover more here: mountainrainzen.org

🧘 We also love Jaybird in Vancouver. Jaybird is a unique movement studio complete with candlelit studios, gentle ambiance, incredible sound, and infrared heat for a hot yoga experience you likely won’t find elsewhere. They offer 5 different hour-long classes to provide full-spectrum stretching and mental renewal in a non-traditional experience. Check them out at jaybirdjaybird.com to learn more!

Photo Credit: Jaybird Studio

The importance of prioritizing self-care cannot be overstated. The majority of Canadian workers surveyed say they’ve felt burned out in the last two years (benefitscanada.com). Taking care of ourselves can take many different forms, but it needs to be high on our priority list. Ultimately, practicing self-care is a conscious way to appreciate down time, as much as productive time. Focusing on getting out of our minds and into our bodies and breathing can be hugely beneficial for all aspects of our mental and physical health. 

What are your favourite ways to recharge and reset? Do you have some unique tips or relaxing spots of your own to share? Let us know in the comments below.