Lifestyle
How Alyson Stoner creates time for self-care
Actor, singer and mental health advocate Alyson Steener may have found one of the best ways to bypass the usual self-care time trap of hectic weekdays. The 29-year-old professional dancer and Disney Channel alum shared her favorite wellness hacks as the keynote speaker of this year’s edition Chronicon event in New York City. Chronicon, which took place on May 19, is an annual convention hosted by speaker and self-love guru Nitika Chopra which highlights and celebrates the shared experiences of people with chronic illnesses and disabilities through brand activations, panel discussions and creative activities such as live murals and free manicures.
The importance of daily ‘micro-resets’, according to Alyson Stoner
After addressing the audience at Chronicon, Stoner answered questions about her wellness journey and her digital wellness platform, Movement genius. Co-founded by Stoner and her sister Correy O’Nealthe platform offers users an affordable, holistic way to improve their well-being by providing on-demand access to classes led by fitness instructors, psychologists and meditative coaches.
Experts in this article
- Alyson Steenerco-founder of Movement Genius, a digital wellness platform that hosts classes focused on mental, physical and emotional well-being
- Nitika Choprachronic disease advocate and founder of The Chronicon Community
In her time with the Movement Genius team, Stoner says she’s learned a host of hacks to relieve stress and a number of ways to incorporate exercise into her busy schedule. One of those tricks is using transitional moments in your day (like your daily commute or an afternoon break) to perform what she calls a “micro-reset.”
Stoner uses these micro-resets to take a self-check into her physical, mental, and emotional well-being on the days when she can’t dedicate a full hour to self-care. From there, Stoner can decide what her body and mind need most, whether that’s a quick 10-minute workout or a stress-relieving phone call with a friend. “It helped [me] weave it into the day in a way that is natural,” says Stoner.
To find out what her body and mind need most, Stoner uses three questions to determine how she uses her transition periods throughout the day.
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3 Questions Alyson Stoner Asks Herself With “Micro Resets”
1. “If my mind and body were a battery percentage, what is my capacity?”
Are you currently operating at 100 percent or do you feel like you are dropping below 20 percent? Stoner uses this question to decide whether or not she is able to take on more tasks and figure out what her body and mind need to recharge.
“If it’s a matter of, no, I just don’t physically have the energy to add this to everything else, then I know it’s a matter of energy,” says Stoner about finding time for fitness.
2. “If my thoughts went from 0 to 100, what speed would I be traveling at now?”
Do you feel like you have about a million things left to do? So little time? This question can help you gauge your stress and anxiety levels throughout the day and help you determine whether or not your plate is too full. If your thoughts are reaching a speed of 85/100, ask yourself what the sources of your racing mentality are and consider what tasks you might be able to put off for another day.
And if you are still If you’re feeling overwhelmed, try using your transition moment to perform a grounding technique, such as somatic relaxation or meditation.
3. “If my mood were a color, what color would I feel?”
Are you red with anger? How about a deep, contemplative blue? For some, associating emotions with colors can be easier than describing the complexity of your feelings. We usually associate bright, happy colors like hot pink with happiness (dopamine dressing, anyone?) and dark, somber colors like navy blue with sadness. If you find it difficult to identify which emotion you are feeling, close your eyes and imagine which color best represents your mood.
“These three questions help me check in and orient myself to where I am at that moment,” says Stoner. She adds that these questions, while simple, reveal her mindset, energy level, and what her body and mind may need more of. From there, she says you can make an informed decision about how to best utilize transitional moments throughout the day and free up unused time for self-care.
Ready to reclaim your ‘me’ time? You can try it for a week Movement genius now for free and get direct access to the team of psychologists, fitness instructors and holistic wellness coaches.
