On more than one occasion this past week I found myself scrolling perpetually through the news, waiting for my impulsiveness to be rewarded by some nugget of information that I had not yet seen. I suppose that is why some of our phones have given us the ability to quantify our screen time, and it seems with good reason.
In one way or another we have all endured the whirlwind of events and emotions in the last week, er… weeks. Is hitting the refresh icon on your phone feeling a little too familiar for you too? The thing is, while we are very resilient beings, living in a state of constant stress and tension impacts our ability to maintain a healthy state of mind, body, and spirit. Ultimately our health is a choice, not a given. If we are to cultivate a healthier, more sustainable (or maybe even less impulsive!) lifestyle, the first step is to prioritize the things that enable us to find balance and nurture our frazzled beings from inside to out. But what does that look like? These options are just the beginning:
Choose to set small goals: Let me go with an obvious analogy for a moment. The end of the year rolls around, we get to thinking about all of the things we thought we were going to do and yet… didn’t. There’s a chance that we set the bar just a little too high, or didn’t even really see a path to success in the first place. While long-term goals give us a picture of where we want to end up, short-term goals are the mile markers along the way that tell us we’re getting there. And while this year a pandemic has gotten in the way of some things, it has also given us an opportunity to contemplate others.
Here’s a smallish goal: Drink 1 gallon of water a day. We know it’s good for us and it’s achievable… will you find success? If you need a little extra encouragement, read this article.
Choose therapy through sound: Ever sing out loud in the shower? (If for some reason your answer is no, then I highly encourage you to make this one of your small goals. Go on…. try it!) Do you turn on your favorite station to help you get out of a funk or kickstart a workout? Turns out that sound therapy is a real thing.
Stress takes a toll on our bodies in a myriad of ways, and it is up to us to chose ways to bring ourselves back to harmony.
Choose to rest: Naps. Not just for kids! Anxiety can do an absolute number on our nightly slumbers. This brief describes five (!) different types of naps which can help you to determine if and what kind of napping is helpful for you.
Choose to get outside: Repeat? Sure. Worth mentioning again? Absolutely. We already know that exercise is a crucial component of a healthy lifestyle. But our wellbeing goes beyond movement. We can intensify our feelings of gratitude while decreasing our feelings of worry. How? Take an awe walk.
Instead of following your normal route, go somewhere different. No matter where you find yourself, adopt the posture of a beginner’s mind and take notice of the world around you. Where beauty is recognized, gratitude follows. Leave your worries (and maybe your phone) at the door and go take a walk.
We may not always think of it this way, but our happiness is a choice. We are going to have our good days and our bad for certain. But our happiness is not dependent upon others no matter how large or small a role they play in our lives. In order to be our best selves, we must take the initiative to lay a strong foundation for our own joy and wellbeing. Who knows? Maybe then the whirlwind can die down to a gentle breeze.