Practicing Self-Care

By: WPIC May Abu Jaber-Halasa, WPICC  of The Wedding Haven

Practicing Self-Care

Yes, we’ve all been there! Days where we are running on adrenaline, and lots of caffeine, because we haven’t slept the night before thinking about plan B, C, D, and E, just in case plan A doesn’t really go the way that we’ve planned. Or those days when we feel like we have woken up on the wrong side of the bed, and bad news keeps trickling in whether it’s from the suppliers, venue, or clients.

We know what we have signed up for when choosing to become wedding planners. Many of us thrive on the challenges, excitement, creativity, and autonomy that being a wedding planner gives us. However, what most of us don’t really realize when we first start this career path is just how fast we can get burnt out, lose interest, and become isolated. CNBC has actually listed being a wedding planner as the 5th most stressful career, right after being a police officer and an airline pilot! Let that sink in for a minute.

So we’ve put together a few tips that might help you get re-centered, re-energized, and re-focused on what you really love doing.

1- Remember to make time for yourself. Whether its staying in watching Netflix for an hour, or going to your favorite cafe and catching up on your reading, make sure you stick to it. Mind you, I am still trying to work on that, but it gets easier. Same way you schedule meetings with clients, suppliers, venues, family, and friendly, add it to your calendar.

2- Don’t keep doubting yourself. You are doing the best you can. Do not let clients make you feel like are not doing a good job because they are unhappy with supplier prices, venue regulations, or whatever other reason.

3- Have a support system, whether it’s your partner, your best friend, or other planners. We all need to vent. I personally find it a lot easier to talk to other planners, as they are most probably going through the same emotions. We’ve all had that one client that has driven us mad, and who better to listen to us than another planner who has been in our shoes?

4- Limit your social media time. No one is denying the fact that social media is a great tool to keep us connected. However, for many of us planners and creatives it has also become a tool of what I like to call: passive competition. We start comparing ourselves to the work of others. We start feeling guilty that we haven’t posted enough photos or stories in day. We start getting jealous that we are not getting enough clients as XYZ. The end result: disappointment. So limit yourself, put a plan in place beforehand that will help you achieve specific goals when it comes to social media marketing, and again stick to it.

5- Airplane mode. One of my absolute favorite self-care tips. By 10:00pm at night I switch my phone to airplane mode, and I have it turned on by 7:00am. Not only does this give me some peace of mind during the night, but it also helps me manage my work schedule.

6- Gym. Yes, yes, we have all heard this one before. I have to admit I’m not to best when it comes to committing to exercising or playing sports, so I’m not going to be a hypocrite by telling you “hit the gym to reduce stress”. What I will say is: find a hobby or sport (if that works for you) that you are passionate about – whether it is painting, meditating, yoga, jewelry making, soap making, or floral design – whatever it is, and try to do it at least 2 times per week. This will help you disconnect for a few hours, and since you are doing something that you actually enjoy, the likelihood of it becoming a habit is more probable. Call it free therapy!

7- Eat Well. As planners, we tend to focus more on others than we do ourselves. How many times have we made sure our brides have had a bite to eat before walking down the aisle, whilst forgetting that we only had that one apple all day? Pre-cook and pre-pack healthy lunches and dinners during the weekend for the whole week. This is especially true during high season, when you don’t even have time to focus on meals that you make.

8- Just Say No. Many of us feel uncomfortable saying no to a client because we think that that would reflect poorly on us and/or our company. Yet, what we don’t realize is that when we feel the urge to say no, it’s our mind and body’s way of prioritizing our self-care – even if we don’t quite understand it at the time. Be mindful when you constantly feel the need to say yes, and re-evaluate that need. And more importantly don’t feel guilty saying no.

Remember you need to be a priority in your life. You can’t be fully present to others if you don’t take care of your own mental and physical needs.

We are wedding planners focusing on organizing and coordinating unique and creative weddings an events all over the UAE, Jordan, Cyprus, Greece, Croatia, Spain, France, Malaysia, Turkey, Caribbean, and Mexico. The Wedding Haven, is a Premium-level award wedding planning firm owned and operated by May Abu Jaber-Halasa. An expert in the field of destination weddings, May is certified by the Wedding Planners Institute in Canada (WPIC), and the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO).

At The Wedding Haven, we offer our couples an all inclusive A-Z service where we take on the entire event. From venue scouting, menu design, light & sound, staging and floor planning, entertainment, flowers, kosha design, and the more obvious planning and coordination.  We plan wedding in the UAE and abroad, and speak English, Spanish, French, and Arabic!