Happy Wednesday friends! I hope you are well and blessed today. It is officially summer (Yay!), I have a quiet week, new plant babies (IYKYK lol), a plan to spend some time in the water this weekend and a peaceful soul. As we move into today's topic, I want to encourage you to take a moment, get comfy with a cup of something yummy or a little snack (or both!) and settle in, because you deserve some time to relax. I'll wait..... ;)
Ok. Are we ready? Let's talk about our wellness journey. Take a second and reflect on what that looks like for you. How are you living your best life? Are you working on being more mindful and in the moment? Maybe you are focusing on eating less processed foods or starting a Yoga and meditation practice? Perhaps you are moving towards a more balanced work/home dynamic. Whatever your path, each individual's journey is going to be very different and personal and that is wonderful and exactly as it should be. How boring would it be if we all did the same exact thing? Now, did you struggle to come up with an answer? That's ok! Many of us do. Give yourself some grace and lets look at how we can get you there and how putting some very simple things in place can help us live a little better and be a little happier in this wild world. Sometimes the challenge isn't knowing what we should do, but instead, how exactly to start and where to begin to take that first step. It can be incredibly overwhelming to make the first small change, especially when things in our lives may seem unmanageable.
When I talk to clients about their self care, what their process is, and why they are unable to move forward with their wellness goals, there are two main answers that tend to pop up time after time. We are going to talk about those two specific barriers, how to move through them and how to take those first steps towards our overall wellness and living our best life.
"I just don't have the time"
Listen friends, there is a lot going on in our lives. We work, have families, social lives, house work, relationships, animals, school, volunteer work. Some of us are full time caregivers on top of that. There is grocery shopping and doctors appointments and birthdays and holidays and it seems like the to do lists are never ending. We are just trying to keep it all together, and now this guy wants you to find time to focus on your wellness journey? Absolutely correct, because you deserve to live your best life. Admittedly, my universe looks a bit different than some folx out there. I have the privilege of an incredibly flexible schedule and yet, my common reason for neglecting aspects of my own wellness journey continues to center around "not enough time". I hold myself accountable for that and promise to hold you accountable as well.
So how do we make the time? We look at ways to eliminate what I like to call time sucks. Mindless things that are doing nothing to contribute to our lives and I am sure you can guess what the first one I am going to mention is. I would be willing to bet that most of you have it in your hand right now.
How many of you just had an anxiety spike because you thought I was going to tell you to ditch the cellphone? I promise, that's not what I'm suggesting. However, our little pocket computers do account for a large number of wasted minutes and hours in our days. How many times have you thought, "Oh let me check that notification real quick" and before you know it, you have been watching videos for an hour? Me too! There is an amazing feature on most smart phones that can track how much time you spend on your phone each day and break it down by app type. Track your usage for a week or two. It is incredibly eye opening. I have daily time limits set on mine particularly for social media. When it notifies me that I have hit my limit for the day, I know that it's time to find another activity.
The point is, no matter how busy we are, there is always time. There are sixty seconds in the car before you go in for groceries to check in with your body and take some deep breaths. There are five minutes before bed to stretch your body and meditate. There are twenty minutes after supper to meditate or go for a walk around the neighborhood. If we take the same care with our time as we do with our money, we can trim and "cut costs" so we can invest in our wellness. Something I do that is a little out of the box is changing up my commutes. In the hustle and bustle, most of the time we are working to get from point A to point B in the most efficient way possible. So is everyone else which means those main roads are congested and full of impatient drivers. I routinely plan extra time to get to my destination so that I can put on some chill music and take the "unbeaten" path. I drive through neighborhoods and enjoy the new view. You are driving slower and able to breathe a little slower without all of the chaos of 72nd and Dodge. (Omaha natives understand lol) You do not have to devote an hour a day (although how wonderful would that be!) to living your best life. Every single moment matters. Take a deep breath. Put the phone down. You deserve to focus on you.
"I don't know where to start"
Body. Mind. Soul. We have heard those words connected so many times but do we know what they mean and how do we get them to work together? It can be overwhelming to take the next step to living our best life. So how do we know where to start? If our body is unhealthy that can affect our mind and soul. If our mind is unwell, it can affect our body and soul. And if our soul feels icky.....you see that pattern. Trying to decide where to begin can be daunting and a lot of times when it comes to taking that first step, we panic or continue pushing it down on the list and never get around to starting. Do we work on our physical health and hope the others follow? Or do we start our meditation journey and hope body and mind fall into place? Guess what? I don't have the perfect answer for that because it will be different for each of us. The important part is doing something and doing it without expectation.
Energy work is a staple in my massage practice. I work closely with individuals that are healing from trauma, individuals with chronic physical pain, individuals with mental health concerns and everything in between. What we know from research is that taking the time to prioritize your own well being is essential to your overall health and that first step counts no matter how small. Now what did I mean by starting something without expectation? It means giving ourselves grace to trust our process. We don't eat one salad and expect that all of our years of bbq and french fry eating are erased. In the same way, we can't try to meditate one time and expect to become immediately enlightened or able to be mindful. It is called practice for a reason. ;)
Over the next couple of days, as you are moved to, take out a piece of paper and write down areas in your life that you would like to make improvements. Physically write them down on a piece of paper (put your phone away). By doing that we are forced to focus on those answers and being able to tangibly see what our expectations are, we are more likely to take steps to achieve our goals.
What changes would you like to make to live your best life? Would you like to have more joy? Deepen or start your meditation or Yoga journey? Strengthen your physical body? Make healthier food choices? Be more mindful and present in your activities.
Now, for each thing you have written down, write three ways you can move towards that.
For example, I am working personally towards being more mindful and present with my senior dog. I have decided that if I am at home, I do not do anything work related after 7 pm. My phone goes on the charger in the other room and I am either on the couch with her or we are outside together.
If you would like to start a yoga practice you might list "research local classes". Maybe you want to journal more. "Write for five minutes every night before bed." Now once you have your lists made, pick one thing and do it. And then pick another. Those baby steps are integral to our longest journey. At the end of the day, we are just souls floating around this earth in borrowed meat sacks and we deserve to be happy and healthy dangit!
As always, I am here to help and in addition to massage and energy work, I am available for in person and wellness coaching and meditation guidance. Get Your Soul Swole wellness retreats will be available starting in September with booking opening in early August.
Drink some water please.
Stretch your body
Unclench your jaw
Take the tongue off of the roof of your mouth
Relax your shoulders.
It is a good day to live your best life!
Namaste,
Chrys Whitmarsh, LMT, CRM, CWC
Living Within Your Soul Wellness & Bodywork
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