Lisa Sørensen’s Self-Care Routine: “I believe that self-care is about being mindful of how I treat myself”

Lisa Sørensen is the co-Founder & CEO at Zengage, an Antler portfolio company that uses customer feedback data to grow sales for online retailers.

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What does self-care mean to you?

I believe that self-care is about being mindful of how I treat myself, the routines I adopt, my habits, and how I speak to myself. When I think of self-care, there’s a difference between my regular self-care practices, such as my daily routines, and reactive self-care, which are the tools I reach for when I start to feel off-balance. 

Because I travel a lot and often find myself in a new city or country, good self-care becomes about keeping healthy routines I can bring with me anywhere in the world. These are the everyday habits like my morning coffee, workout routine, evening meditation, nutritious meals, familiar treats, hydration, and sleep. 

How do you know when you’re feeling stressed or burnt out?

I usually notice I’m stressed if I’m not sleeping well (early awakenings) or if I start feeling exhausted or sleepy during the day. I will also have less social energy and want to spend more time alone to rest and reflect. 

Do you have a regular self-care routine? If so, what does it look like?

My most rewarding and beneficial self-care techniques are running outdoors and meditation. I run five mornings a week and meditate for 20 minutes every evening. Running and meditation are great because I can practice these anywhere I go.

When I move to a new location, I always ensure I’m close to a beach, lake, running paths, or a large park suitable for running. I also love swimming and the meditative aspects of being underwater. 

If I notice that I’m too stressed, I sometimes take a very disciplined approach to reactive self-care. For instance, I recently went through a period of great uncertainty and felt out of balance, so I scheduled daily meditation and exercise sessions on my calendar.

I set alarms for 20-minute meditations morning and evening, and a midday workout. I also planned daily coffee dates and calls with my closest friends overseas.

What bumps you off your self-care routine and how do you get back on course?

I’m significantly affected by periods of uncertainty or when I travel or move to a new location. A change of location or environment can flip me off my regular routines.

It helps to be quite disciplined about keeping my usual daily structure no matter where I am, which gives a sense of familiarity and comfort. It probably makes me sound dull and routine-based, but this does help me manage my self-care better.

I also make a point to watch what I say and the words I use to talk about the issues I’m going through. I’ve noticed that words can be very powerful in reinforcing beliefs, feelings, and situations, which is also a pivotal part of the coaching method I use to help my clients gain confidence and achieve their career goals. 

Where do you go for inspiration, ideas or tools for self-care?

I love reading, listening to audiobooks and podcasts. I also discuss self-care and how to live a better life with friends and people I meet – it’s a great topic to start a conversation with me. I also greatly benefit from volunteering. I’ve spent a lot of time volunteering in the hospice setting, which has impacted me profoundly and helped me gain healthy perspectives on life, gratitude, and self-care. 

Before you go…

Self-Care is a content series exploring the different self-care routines and habits of people from all walks of life. Get in touch with us today if you’d like to talk about your self-care routine.