Your Health > Everything Else.
Your health is more important than your career. Your health is more important than your significant others, your friends, your family, your home, what you eat, what you do, or what you don't do.
Your health is what fuels you. We're not talking about eating leafy greens, establishing a yoga practice, or spending hundreds of dollars on skincare. Instead, we're talking about the entire picture of your health—your physical health, your emotional health, and your mental health.
This past year has brought every facet of health into focus.
We're not here to tell you that you need to buy anything to improve your health, but these are some of our favorite wellness picks—as well as some of our best advice around keeping yourself healthy. That includes keeping your physical body healthy, your emotional well-being, and your overall spirit.
*If you buy something through our links, Career Contessa may earn an affiliate commission.
Career Contessa's Team Wellness Picks
We're not doctors, but we have a few things that have worked for us. From face masks to self-care—and everything in-between, these are our favorite health and wellness picks that work for us.
Aliya's Health + Wellness Picks
Aliya spends her days editing footage and creating beautiful graphics, so her blue light glasses are essential. For after work, it's therapy dough time. Don't judge before you try.
Aliya's Pick: Harney & Sons Chamomile Herbal Tea
Aliya's Favorite Pick: Etsy Anxiety Care Packages
"Upon some Google searching, I found these anxiety relief care package on Etsy, which led me to research all sorts of customized anxiety care packages. I'll be gifting some anxiety relief to myself and to my loved ones. I also wanted to note that these obviously aren't cure-alls, but a great way to try to soothe your anxieties and combat stress."
Caileen's Health + Wellness Picks
"I'm *just now* discovering that essential oils do everything. Peppermint oil was essential to my postpartum recovery (TMI, but you can email me if you're curious) and it can also be used for digestive problems, the common cold, sinus infections, headaches, and even staving off creepy crawly bugs! I also love the Perfect Bars (in peanut butter and dark chocolate)and you can pretty much always find me with a heating pad during winter months, because why not?"
Caileen's pick: Oil of Oregano
My husband and my in-laws swear by Oil of Oregano—for everything. Does it give you burps that taste like pizza? Maybe, but is that a bad thing?
Caileen's pick: Athleta Everyday Non-Medical Face Masks
These are my favorite masks. They come in a pack of five—you can go all-black or switch it up with colors and patterns. These have become my go-to masks.
Caileen's pick: At-Home Mini-Reformer
This was a *peak* quarantine purchase, but it's so awesome. It cost the equivalent of four or five in-studio pilates classes and this little reformer does most of what I'd need it to do!
Lauren's Health + Wellness Picks
- Justin's peanut butter packs + a banana (it's my daily snack of choice)
- Barre3 online
- This hot + cold therapy neck wrap
If you worked at the Career Contessa at any point, you know I love my PB+B. My other two go-to health and wellness recommendations are a Barre3 subscription (for some at-home workouts) and a hot and cold therapy neck wrap, for recovery from said at-home workouts.
Lauren's pick: Brooks Ghost 12
These are technically running shoes, but I use these super soft and springy sneakers for my walks. If weather and time permit, I try to get out for a walk every day. I pop a good pair of wireless headphones in and listen to my favorite podcasts—all while getting my steps in.
Lauren's pick: Baggu Reusable Masks
If we're going to be wearing masks, they might as well be fun, right? I think so! These fabric masks come in sets of three—in seriously bold patterns.
Our Other Health + Wellness Advice
This is Caileen Holden with my PSA for the remainder of 2020, 2021, and beyond. Here are my five tips for keeping yourself healthy and well—from the inside on out.
1. Get Your Sleep
My number one health and wellness advice is to get sleep. Ask anyone and they will tell you that I am a total. sleep queen. When Daylight Saving begins, I am giddy with more sleeping opportunity—and I am more than willing to jump into bed at 7 pm.
Sleep is it. As a new parent, sleep is better than truly anything. It helps me focus. It helps me regulate my emotions, keep my immune system in tip-top shape, helps my brainpower, and it helps me to be a good parent. Get sleep.
2. Mind Your Stressors
Keep up-to-date with the elements of your life that cause damaging stress. Some stressors will always be around—and you can actually learn to lean into some stress. However, you know the stress that's actually useless to you—it's things like dealing with toxic workplaces, problematic people, and bad relationships.
Our pick: This self-care planner from Blessing Manifesting
This is the way to brighten up your day and keep track of yourself on a daily basis. It doesn't hurt that it's brimming with happy colors, rainbows, and graphics.
3. Put Your Health First—Physical, Mental, and Emotional
All of your health is important. Make sure you're keeping up with your mental and emotional help alongside your physical health. They all feed into one another, anyway.
One tool we've been loving is Calm. If your anxiety is keeping you up at night, we'd recommend their Bedtime stories to lull you to sleep. So, if you ever wanted Harry Styles or Cillian Murphy to tell you a bedtime story, now is your chance.
Our pick: Calm subscription
4. Talk it out
2020 has been a tough year—for everybody. Don't be afraid to talk things out with a therapist, even from the comfort of your own home. We recommend Talkspace—especially for someone who has never been to therapy, is skeptical of therapy, or wants to transition into it.
Our pick: Talkspace Subscription
5. Did I Mention Sleep?
Our fifth "keepin' it healthy" tip is just an echo of tip number one. Get sleep where you can. Rest, recharge, and ditch the "am I making the most of this year?" narrative.
Take care of you. Get your Zzzs.
*We want to let you know that some of these links are affiliate links. That means when you purchase some of the items we listed, Career Contessa could earn a small commission at no cost to you. We only recommend items we know and love. Thank you for supporting the brands that help support Career Contessa.
