As you guys know by now, I have been really conscious with my energy over the past few months. Since I have had time to actively check-in with myself and consciously filter how I am feeling, I’ve been able to really figure out what makes me “tick” daily. Personally, I want to be proud of myself everyday. Not just for what I accomplish but for staying in tune with my feelings and constantly working on myself. Here are 5 easy practices I have put in place to make sure that I am showing up for myself.
Journal
I know this sounds daunting to most people but this is one thing that has stayed constant in my life since I was 12. Whenever I am feeling confused, upset, or want to remember my thought process at a pivotal moment in my life, I always write it down. The other weekend after drinking with friends, I got really down about someone. Instead of drunkenly texting them (something I knew I would immediately regret the next morning), I got out my journal and started writing what I was feeling. Did it make sense the next day? No lol. But the process of putting pen to paper and getting that energy out was extremely cathartic. I also write about things that I am grateful for, or qualities I hope to embody that week. For example, this week I wrote the words “acceptance, love, inspiration and joy.” Because I wrote them down, they are now words I refer to this week when I am in a situation where I need a little guidance.
Read
Surprise! I am one of the world’s slowest readers. Honestly this always brought me down because I could never get through books as fast as others, which led to a lack of interest in reading. This past year, with more time on my hands, I pledged to start reading more. I started implementing an hour a day during the week and while my roaster of completed books does not stack up quickly, I truly enjoy this time. It’s one way to get my head out of a screen and continue to learn or simply just flex a different brain muscle. I’ve been turning off Netflix around 9pm, get in bed, turn on my sound machine and read for about an hour. And guess what? I go to sleep so much quicker and fall asleep to thoughts of what I just read instead of my to-do list for the next day.
Move for 45 Minutes
This one is a DUH and you will hear Court and I preach this all of the time. But I couldn’t not include it on my list! Before you think, “Oh god, I don’t want to work out 7 days a week!” Stop there! Moving for 45 minutes means just that, move. Whether it be walking, yoga, dancing, cardio…whatever! Some days when I realize I haven’t moved, I will literally put on a playlist, move the coffee table and just start dancing around the living room. Any type of physical movement signals to the brain to release those lovely little things called endorphins. Aka the feeling of happiness that we are constantly chasing! When I don’t think I have enough time in the day to move, I make time. I recently purchased a portable treadmill so that I can take conference calls, post on Instagram and check emails while walking.
Actively Filter the Content You Are Consuming
There is so much content in the world and honestly this could be a blog post in and of itself. But I challenge you to be conscious of how content you are consuming is making you feel. Is Instagram as a whole making you feel anxious or is it specific creators? Is there a podcast you used to love that is now making you upset about the state of the world? The amount of content that is at our fingertips can be overwhelming but on the flip side, we now have so many choices that we can filter the content we consume to exactly what we need. For me, scrolling is an absolute no, no. When I do it, I immediately find myself in the blackhole of feeling ‘less than.’ Instead, I have a list of creators that I follow that each uniquely bring value to me. I follow accounts like the @the.holistic.psychologist and @blogilates that inspire me to reflect throughout the day.
Don’t Check Your Phone in Bed
Trust me, this is a hard nut to crack. Try not to look at your phone an hour before bed and after you wake up. Sometimes I can go months being repulsed at the thought of checking my phone when I get up and other times, it’s just a reflex. This is a self-care tip that you really have to practice as it can be a hard habit to break but there are so many benefits. If I wake up and start checking texts or DMs, I am immediately on someone else’s timeline for the day instead of my own. If I am not ready to get out of bed yet, I will read a book instead of picking up my phone before starting my morning routine. Going through my morning routine with a fresh outlook on the day instead of thinking of all of the emails you just saw that you know you need to respond to, can completely change the start to your morning.
Hope these easy-to-implement tips help you! Can’t wait to hear!
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