Every time February rolls around I feel a familiar itchiness in my spine. Not sure if I’ve logged too many days indoors, or I’m just tired of squinting in the constantly fading light. Whatever it is, I always seem to need a pep talk right around this 'bleak midwinter’ time, and I discovered a beautiful one to get me through this year.
The most simple of ways to stay sane when your body screams HIBERNATE?
Mind Yourself.
This phrase was introduced to me by my dear friend Lisa- an Irish phrase used in farewells. I immediately fell in love with the depth of this phrase and I am desperate to develop actions that can help me master what Mind Yourself really means.
Because here’s the deal: life can be relentless.
Always forward, never back.
As a mother of 3 humans under the age of 7... my days can bring me beyond the beyond. When I finally lay down at the end of my day, my mind suddenly becomes a replay of ALL of the things I SHOULD have done differently. I ruminate on the missteps & mistakes. Unsurprisingly, I have a hard time sleeping with this line of thinking, to say nothing of what it does to my self-belief.
Something I recently learned from Craig Manning (The Fearless Mind), is to set up a consistent habit of taking time at the end of my day to come up with 3 things that I did well, and 1 thing that I would like to work on. This is clarifying my nighttime ritual, and getting my mind out of the habit of only focusing on failures. Contrary to my past bedtime routine, I actually get the chance to celebrate my successes! Growing this 3 - to -1 habit into a mindfulness meditation session will have to evolve slowly, since simply using the bathroom by myself is pretty difficult these days.
Thrive instead of survive
Along with “minding” my mind (see what I did there?), my body could always use a refresher or two. The best way I’ve found to explore the needs of my body is to “review what you chew” and know your crutches. Literally. What you take into your body affects how you feel- we all can relate to the pizza-popcorn-soda feeling. Take an honest look at what unintentional habits have formed. Do they serve you? Do they serve your body? Likewise with crutches, what things serve to prop you up? Are they healthy for you? That late night feel good sweet treat, skipping connection time with people to binge watch shows….you decide for your life what supports you THRIVING, and not merely surviving.
Clarify what matters most.
And finally, for me, a new year has prompted a big-dreaming sesh to really evaluate my present life, find gratitude, and challenge myself to dream big. So cast a vision- ask yourself these questions:
Where do I want to be in 5 years? (i.e. In a house, married, traveling, making $$ etc. etc.)
What kind of life do you want? (i.e. freedom, love, time with family, time for exploration and creativity)
Who do you want to serve? (i.e. my children, my partner, my friend, my community)
After you are done digging deep into the definitions of your vision, be 100% sure that when you ask yourself “what are you willing to do to get there?” your answer is anything.
We have your back.
Cheers,
Jes