Trish Varker-Miles established The Trish Nicol Agency over 20 years ago. Since conception, Trish has worked with some of the most recognisable brands both nationwide and globally.
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What does self-care mean to you?
For me self-care means taking time for myself and prioritising my health. My health took a hit after I had my second child and was still trying to run my business, a team of staff and have the same routine I did before I had a family. I thought I could make it work, but I couldn’t. It worked for about 4 years and then it caught up with me. I was completely burnt out and needed to rethink my routines and how hard I pushed myself. It took time for me (a number of years) to gradually let go of certain things and restructure how I spent my time. Self-care for me is not being rushed and taking time out.
How do you know when you’re feeling stressed or burnt out?
I know I’m burnt out when I’m less motivated, less focused and start losing the joy I have always generally found in my job. Then if things get worse I start getting colds and don’t feel in good health.
Do you have a regular self-care routine? If so, what does it look like?
Now I take one day or one morning off per week, as my weekends are no longer my own with two small children.
It has taken a long time to take this time out for myself from work without feeling guilty. It’s a block of time where I allow myself to take my time. I try not to rush around. By having my own business I can afford this flexibility and I am grateful for it, as I know it’s not possible for everyone with full time jobs.
I invested in an oura ring which helps me track my health and I am taking Lyma supplements which I feel have really helped my overall wellbeing.
I aim to do a minimum one Yin Yoga class per week with Em Cruichshank at Woke Yoga either online or in the studio. I also use the headspace meditation app when I can. I’d like to say daily but that isn’t always the case. I also read a lot. I find reading meditative.
As I grew up on a sheep property I also like silence and being in quiet environments which makes me feel relaxed. I downloaded the Soundscapes app where you can listen to different nature sounds from around the planet.
My favourite is Grampians at Dawn and Kookaburras at Dusk.
What bumps you off your self-care routine and how do you get back on course?
My work is deadline driven so this is what usually gets me off course. Also emails are a trap. Sometimes you need to just take some time off them and remember that if anything is super urgent they will call or text you. Realistically If there is something that I need to do urgently, I just do it and then get back on course later.
For many years I would always do the most difficult things first at work before I did the enjoyable things. What happened was I never got to do the enjoyable tasks! Now I try to balance this better. Life is short after all.
Where do you go for inspiration, ideas or tools for self-care?
I subscribe to the Financial Times UK and always get ideas there for the latest health and wellbeing trends such as Lyma Life which I have found very beneficial for me. Otherwise my self care tools are very basic – rest, reading and time to myself.
What do you think you need to improve in terms of your self-care practice?
Carving out time to yourself is always challenging. The key for me is, when I do dedicate some time for myself, I can’t be worried about other things, I need to enjoy being in the moment.
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