At this point, it’s really hard to know what kind of space we might need to make for ourselves.
Maybe we need some focus.
We may need something restful to do.
We might need to make space for movement.
We may need a mindful activity (and, remember, almost any activity can be done mindfully!)
And all of those needs are important and they all matter – because YOU matter and the things YOU need are just as important as all of the other needs you support on a day-to-day basis.
So today I’m inviting us all to find ways, even small ways, to give ourselves what we need right now.
Maybe you don’t have time for the hour long nap that you need, but perhaps you have time for a short break that will be helpful even if it doesn’t fully meet your needs.
Maybe you need a half an hour of high intensity exercise to sort your cluttered thoughts. But if you don’t have half an hour right now, maybe you can do a shorter workout and do some sort of list that gets all of those things out of your brain so you can see them clearly.
Maybe you need a long, slow meditation to soothe your nervous system and help you feel more like your favorite self. But if you are feeling hurried and frustrated, that might feel impossible right now. Perhaps you can try for a shorter version of your usual practice or you can ask yourself what ELSE helps you to feel like your favourite self and give that a try.
(When I take my list out of my head onto paper onto a screen, it becomes easier for me to see which ones actually need to be done. Which ones I can delegate and which ones can actually wait quite a while before they need to get done but inside my brain, they feel equally important.)
I guess the key thing here is to recognize that it is OK for you to need something and it’s OK for you to try to meet that need, even if you have to do a smaller version for now.
I know you probably have a lot of competing priorities and a lot of things to get done for others but please try not to put your needs at the very bottom of your list.
And no matter what you need right now, what you want right now, or what you have to deal with at the moment, positive or negative, I wish you ease with it.
As much as possible, may you have peace in your heart and in your mind.
Here are two movement practice suggestions for today:
The still image of this Yoga for Brain Power video from Yoga with Adriene shows Adriene with her hair pinned up and wearing black leggings and a gray sleeveless shirt. She is standing on a yoga mat that is divided horizontally into two different colours of grey. She is doing tree pose with her left foot resting on her right inner thigh while she’s standing up and she has her arms raised above her head. She is smiling and looks happy. Her dog Benji is asleep behind her next to some large plants in pots, there are windows behind her and there’s also a table with plants and some decorations on it nearby.
In the still image for this jumpstart cardio workout from Fitness Blender the instructor sitting on a blue yoga mat with their legs crossed and their hands in their lap. There is a large light haired dog sleeping next to them sort of curled around the right knee. The instructor is wearing two layers of tank tops one peach and one blue and they have on black exercise pants. Their long hair is parted on one side and is hanging down past their shoulders. They’re smiling and they look happy.
And here are two mindfulness practices for you to try.
In this 5 Minute Mindfulness Art Meditation Practice from Nicole Schyns, the still image is divided in two parts on the left-hand side. The instructor is shown with their eyes closed, sitting in their living room in front of a low table. They have a pencil in one hand and they’re holding an object in the other. They are wearing a long sleeved light brown turtleneck, and their long brown hair is pinned up on top and hanging over their shoulders on both sides. On the right side is a close-up of a couple of their drawings so they have but looks like two rocks the actual items there and below them are their drawings of those items. One of the rocks looks like it’s made up of a bunch of different small pieces or maybe covered in barnacles and the other one is a gray rock that is almost semi-circular.
And a steel image for this 10 minute Guided Meditation for Inner Peace from Declutter Your Mind you can see a wooden dock that extends through what looks like a merch with plants growing up on either side to a a lake with trees on the other side of the lake that are reflected in the water.
I don’t know about you but the time has come for me to rewrite my list!
Earlier in the month me didn’t know what I know about how the month has unfolded so far and I need to make some adjustments to her plans.
Past me was much better at making lists than she once was.
Before medication and practice and developing more reasonable expectations, she would have planned to show up in superhero mode every day in December and by now she would have been exhausted.
This year’s planning was pretty reasonable but it obviously couldn’t fully account for bad weather, a few off days, and a little extra work that came my way so I had to adjust things on the fly.
Now, at a little over halfway through the month, I want to take a few minutes to adapt my list to my current reality so I can match my time, my priorities, and my expectations.
And I would like to invite you to do the same.
The key element here is to avoid judging ourselves for a) the size of our initial lists b) not getting everything done c) changing our plans.
Making a new list is not a sign of failure, it is a recalibration based on new information.
And while you are recalibration, please remember to include fun and rest on your to do list.
You don’t have to fill every waking moment with tasks – even if they are things you want to do.
And if anyone argues with you on that, send them to me – I’ll deal with ’em.
Anyway, Team, I am wishing you ease as you make space for yourselves today.
Go Team Us!
Here is our movement practice suggestion for today:
The still image for this ’10 Minute Chair Cardio Workout’ from Caroline Jordan there are two people exercising on chairs in the foreground, the title of the video is above, and, in the somewhat blurred background, you can see a couple of end tables with plants on them, some free weights, a exercise roller, and two exercise balls. Both people are smiling while doing a side extension with their left arms extended over their heads and to the right and their left legs extended outward to the left. The person in front has long blond hair (in a high ponytail), light skin, and she is wearing a black tanktop and blue leggings. The person slightly behind has long black hair, light skin, and is wearing a white tanktop and blue leggings.
And here’s our mindfulness practice suggestion for today:
The still image from this 10 Minute Guided Meditation – Just As You Are video from Great Meditation shows a drawing of a person sitting in a cross-legged meditation position with their hands on their knees, palms upwards, with their thumb and index fingers forming a circle on each hand. The person has brown skin and dark brown curly hair, their eyes are closed and they look peaceful and contemplative.
Sometimes, especially when I am busy, I forget to simplify.
I’ll end up following an old plan, doing something in a complicated way, or making a task much bigger than it needs to be, just because it doesn’t feel like I have time to think it through and/or make new decisions about it.
This can result in me doing a lot of unnecessary work or being needlessly stressed and it definitely reduces the possibilities for enjoying the process.
So, for a while now, when things feel complicated, I have been going back to one quick reminder:
Do the easy thing!
And, sure, that could be interpreted in multiple ways but in this case it means to find the easiest way to accomplish what I am setting out to do and only add extra things if I know I will have time and energy.
So, for example, if I was hosting a dinner for a group of people, I might initially have the idea that I was going to cook a bunch of stuff.
But if that starts to feel too stressful, I would look for the easiest way to accomplish my task (which, in this case is finding a way to enjoy hanging out and feeding with those people – it’s not usually about the specific food.)
That might mean ordering a meal, or buying some precooked items at the grocery store, or making pancakes, or switching to a dessert party, or any other solution that reduces stress and scales the task to a manageable level.
And if I decide that I am making pancakes and then have the time/energy/inclination to make side dishes or dessert, it’s a bonus, not a commitment or an obligation.
So, Team, today I’m inviting you to consider what ‘Do the easy thing!’ might look like for you.
Is there something coming up – a task, a commitment, and event- that you could pare down to a simpler version?
Are you putting pressure on yourself to do something perfectly that you could challenge yourself to make as easy as possible instead?
And, yes, I know that you may get pushback from people who are counting on you to overexert yourself so they can enjoy something stress-free but they can just shut-up. Decide on a response in advance (“This is what I can do this year.” “I know you prefer it the other way but this is how I have to proceed this year.” “If you would like something different, feel free to take this on yourself.”) and stick with it. Try not to make excuses or waffle about it, that gives people the idea that you will give in if they push – just state it as plainly as possible and forge ahead.
You deserve to enjoy your December and to minimize your stress.
You deserve to have more space in your own life.
You deserve kindness, care, and consideration, just the same as everyone else.
And I wish you ease in the process of finding it.
In the spirit of doing the easy thing, here are our practices for today:
My favourite warm-up routine! It’s not fancy but it is pretty easy and I feel great when I’m done.
A five minute warm-up video from Fitness Blender. The still image shows a person with long light brown hair in exercise clothes standing in a white room. They are in the middle of one of the warmup exercises so they are standing on their right foot with the lower part of their left leg lifted up behind them.
And here’s an easy, short, visual mindfulness practice from SunFlow. It’s a YouTube Short so it can’t be embedded but it’s worth following the link and watching on repeat.
The image shows a pink ball moving back and forth through an open-ended spiral against a green background while directions to breathe in or out appear near the spiral. If you are just listening, there is a breath sound to follow – they begin by breathing out.
I knew my 16-day trip to Egypt with 3 midlife friends would be a fun, budget-friendly adventure, but it also became a test of stamina and strength for me.
We had no tour big bus providing a comfy, air-conditioned bubble. Rather, our ambitious travel schedule took us through half the country, hauling our backpacks up modest hotel staircases and navigating every natural and human-made obstacle in our path. Although we had quiet evenings, including a few days by a rooftop pool, by day our bodies were moving in lots of ways.
Our first of many tomb and temple visits, the burial chamber of Bannentiu, 26th dynasty (Roman Era) in the Baharia Oasis.
Bodies in Motion
In the desert near the Baharia Oasis we climbed up (then surfed down) sand dunes. In downtown Cairo, the honking cars, uneven pavement, and throngs of moving people in the street demanded constant physical manouvering. We toured ancient sites out in the hot sun, including Luxor’s Avenue of Sphinxes and Aswan’s Forgotten Obelisk. We also used steep ramps and narrow tunnels inside multiple tombs and pyramids, crouching under low ceilings carved over three and four thousand years ago!
Folks climbing a ramp in one of the Giza Pyramids, built for Pharoah Khufu in the 2500s BCE. Kim said the ramps were put in after her visit 16 years ago: before it was just dirt.
As well, we hiked three silent, stunning canyons in the South Sinai region that shimmered white, red, and multi-coloured in the sunshine. The next day, after a caravan of camels and their handlers got us most of the way up Mt Sinai, we used 750 steep steps to get up to its peak.
Riding Asfour (the Second), a 7-year old camel up the first 3000 steps of My Sinai was a highlight. And although Asfour did most of the work, my legs were still sore the next day!
Later, it was a relief to float face down in the salty water of the Red Sea over the most beautiful coral and schools of fish I have seen. We snorkelled twice: off the beach in Sharm El Sheik and off a glass-bottom boat in Hurghada. But even in and near the water, I had to be thinking about dehydration and sunburn.
Kimi and me snorkelling just off the beach in the Red Sea. Video by Lisa Porter.
Getting hurt could mean getting stuck. I nearly did a few times, once when I mildly rolled an ankle in the Coloured Canyon and when I jammed a finger on a tomb doorway at the Saqqara necropolis. But it felt good to keep moving. At least twice we saw a tourist who seemed unprepared or was having great difficulty getting through the tomb shafts.
Kim and Lisa going down the low-lit ramps in what I think was the Step Pyramid, built for Pharoah Djoser in the 2600s BCE. Video by Kimi Maruoka.
We covered thousands of steps per day, even on our 2- to 7-hour travel days. At the last minute I decided to leave my fitness tracker at home, and I’m glad I did. It helped me to make sense of how I was feeling in my body rather than by stats on a screen.
Rope repelling, then a rebar ladder, just to get down into the White Canyon. Our guide admitted he used this to judge hikers’ readiness for this canyon.
Caring Co-Travellers
And my body did feel many things, as I was under the weather for a good part of the trip: first menstrual cramps, a head cold that turned to cough, then mild heatstroke after the first time snorkeling, and finally a stomach bug. On my worst night, I laid awake shaking with chills, sipping tepid tablet-purified water, and waiting for dawn (or death, I had thought self-piteously).
A short video of Cairo’s downtown streets at night. Our group kept close watch on each other to avoid getting lost or run over.
But I survived. As a white, English-speaking tourist with a credit card and travel insurance on a holiday, I was never really in serious danger. I saw many Egyptians who may have been facing economic hardships and health risks I will never have to deal with as a middle-class Canadian.
Nevertheless, I am so grateful for my three travel buddies, who showed each other constant care throughout our journey. We divided snacks, each bought rounds of water, shared everything from tissues to electrolytes, and carried the mood for each other until someone sick (usually me) recovered.
A cat next to my day pack and water bottle. I stayed hydrated with old and new friends!
Kim, who had planned the travel and booked the local guides and drivers, happily made last-minute arrangements to help me join later when an early morning tour of Isis Temple in Aswan wasn’t possible for me. This caring company was the heart of my trip.
Me in a feeling-better moment, making silly Instagram poses with the backdrop of the Red Canyon behind me. Photos by Kimi Maruoka.
Proof of Life
I believe that our greater exertions paid off in greater fun. In exchange for living out of packs and in our sore, dust-covered bodies, we got to see and sleep in neat places, including under the desert stars, where we felt extremely lucky to be there, together and alive.
Our remarkable view of the white desert at night. This photo was not taken with a black/white filter.
There’s a certain idea of midlife that says to slow down, be careful, rest more. This trip refused that. It demanded and invited all kinds of motion, reminding me how much the body can still do when it must. It turns out that I was strong enough for Egypt.
Lisa and Elan racing (falling?) down a sand dune in the White Desert. Photo by either Kim or Kimi.
And by the end of the trip, I used nearly every pill I’d packed and every muscle I had. But getting over everything became part of my adventure story. I came home with a mildly sprained finger, hardwon but still overpriced souvenirs, and a feeling that my flawed and frustrating body could still bring me much, much joy.
Our fearless foursome trekking in the desert. To borrow a phrase from Kimi and her sisters: “We did it!!”
I know, I have probably already reminded you about this before.
And you probably already know that you are the boss of you.
But…
But…
If you are anything like me, there is a big difference in understanding it in theory and actually practicing it.
So let’s review it together…
You get to decide what’s important to your well-being.
You get to decide how to take good care of yourself.
You get to decide how you want to move, what you want to eat, whether you want to set goals, if you want to journal, whether meditation is right for you…
YOU are the BOSS of your life and you don’t have to do what’s trendy, you don’t have to be a certain size, eat a certain way, or take up any exercise or wellness practice that you don’t want to.
Sure, we all have different needs, different pressures, different capacities, different obligations, and different abilities and those things are going to factor into our decisions but one thing we can all be sure of is that we don’t need to do ANYTHING just because someone else thinks we should.
We don’t have to do any resets, any boot camps, any ‘disappear for 30 days and become unrecognizable’ *programs that people are peddling left right and centre.
You can do any and all of those things if you want to but if you don’t want to do them then you don’t have to.
Why?
Because YOU are the BOSS of YOU and your plan is your business.
So, Team, please join me in ignoring the very notion of a ‘should’ and let’s really get in to being the boss of ourselves.
It’s hard work but we can do it.
And here’s a gold star for our efforts!
Go Team Us!
A drawing of a gold star with concentric gold stars within it (is concentric just for circles? I have basically drawn smaller and smaller stars within one another.) The background is purple with red dots and is framed with black lines.
PS – Right now (9:40PM on Monday night) boss is telling me it’s time to get ready for bed. You know, I think it’s a good idea to listen to her – she seems to know me pretty well.
*I know they are speaking metaphorically but, yet, every time I see one of those ads, I think, “I don’t want to disappear for one day, let alone thirty. And being unrecognizable just seems weird.”
Thinking about self-care amidst the chaos of these times might feel a little ridiculous, somewhat of a distraction, a bit like you are gazing inward when you need to be looking outward.
And, yes, some people might take it to an extreme, focusing only on their own needs and buying a ton of unnecessary products in the name of self-care.
But most of us aren’t like that.
In fact, many of us could probably use a nudge to remind us to take care of ourselves.
After all, how are we supposed to do the important things we are here to do if we’re worn out, frazzled, and just churning through endless to do lists?
So, please let me remind you that it is ok – in fact, it is necessary!- for you take care of yourself, to be kind to yourself, to meet your needs, to rest, to connect, to get away from the push to be bigger, better, more. *
You can take care of yourself for your own sake – after all, literally no one benefits if you forgo self-care. It’s not as if you sacrificing a brief rest means that someone else automatically gets that time.**
And you can do it for the greater good. It will be hard to be part of the solution if you are too worn out to deal with the challenges we are facing – alone and together.
Yet, even when we KNOW that self-care is a good idea, it’s hard for us to take that time, to make that effort.
And hopefully it can help you build even stronger self-care habits from now on.
Here’s the calendar:
Check out Action for Happiness for more versions of the calendar as well as links to other resources. Image description: a calendar of daily tips for self-care. Each calendar block is either light blue, medium blue, peach, or red and the edge of the calendar is decorated with cartoon drawings of people doing self-care activities like meditaton, exercise, speaking positively to themselves, etc.
And here are three self-care tips from Action for Happiness in a video presented by Vanessa King.
A video from the Action for Happiness YouTube channel. The still image shows Vanessa King, a woman with her dark blonde hair pinned up in the back but with sideswept bangs in front, she is slightly smiling, and is wearing a red and white patterned shirt.
So, whaddaya think? Want to give Self-Care September a whirl?
*Ideally, you would have other people supporting you in this/taking good care of you but this post is about ‘Self-Care September’ not ‘Mutual Support May’ or something. Note: Mutual Support May should totally be a thing.
**Yes, I know there are exceptions to this. For example, if you pull a longer shift caring for your sick baby, your partner can have more time to sleep but that’s a short term benefit. It won’t actually be helpful in the long run if you end up getting sick because you are overtired or if you become so resentful that it creates friction in your relationship. Ultimately it would be better for you and your partner to alternate break times so everyone can take good care of themselves and each other.
I’m waking up this morning in Gananoque (ga-nan-KNOCK-way) in a four post bed. It’s ostentatious. It’s the exact opposite of every stay Michel and I have ever booked on our way home to New Brunswick.
The 1,000 Islands Bed & Breakfast was a Michel find. He convinced me that on the return trip we always drive through. We can afford the nicer stop on the way down.
A claw foot tub stands under a chandelier. It looks swanky.
Our vacation is one week. We will drive over 3,000 km by September 1. We know it is a lot but flying is expensive and doesn’t get us close to where our families live.
Last week we were gathering gear, cleaning bikes and planning cycling routes. Then Michel looked at me and said “What if we left the bikes behind?”
Huh.
What if we left the bikes behind?
We had both assumed cycling had to be the center of our activities over our vacation.
Huh.
Then we talked through what we enjoyed the most from vacations over the past couple years. Time together. Traveling light. Being spontaneous.
It then became clear, less stuff, less structure, more fucking chill. Like. Way more chill. Still more. Almost chill enough. There it is. Very. Fucking. Chill.
We need sleep and rest and recovery.
So we are tucking some dumbbells in the trunk.
A triangular metal weight rack has 5 pairs of dumbells. The lightest is 3 lbs, the heaviest 20 lbs.
We can keep our Peloton strength training going. It’s an app and I often just work out in my underwear. Super classy! Also very chill.
The rest of the week, when driving, we are looking for waterfalls that are short walks. It served us great in Iceland last year. We’d whisper “foss” (Icelandic for “falls”) and point. It was silly and wonderful. We need more of both.
Michel poses in front of Schribner Brook Falls in 2021. Lucy the dog is having a drink.
Four years ago we made it our mission to hike all the trails near McAdam NB. The shortest one was Schribner Brook Falls. It was a pullover and park with a, maybe five minute walk? It was a magical little stop.
So the cycling stuff is in London and that feels like a good choice this week.
So here is to a week of weights, walks and waterfalls with a giant serving of chill.
I recently went kayak camping with 6 friends at a remote Ontario provincial park called Killarney. Over 6 days and 5 nights we kayaked on a lake to 3 different camp sites. It was a chance for some holiday rest but also some active challenges.
Each site stop meant packing and unpacking my (borrowed) kayak: sleeping gear, food gear, hygiene gear, camp chair, bug repellants, clothes, and drying line. These were stored in dry sacs that kept stuff dry in inclement weather or if the kayak tips. We also agreed to each pack out our own garbage, which had to be stored every night in our kayaks to avoid attracting animals.
Though I was a girl guide and did family trailercamper trips as a kid, I am newer to camping where you haul your own gear, purify your own water, eat primarily rehydrated food, and eliminate in a “thunderbox”. On every trip I learn more through observing others and asking questions to find what arrangements suit me best (eg, tent vs hammock for sleeping, what vegetarian foods I can take, etc.).
I’m on my own to make sure I can carry what I pack, I pick up after myself, and I keep myself clean, dry, sated, and injury-free. Although this seems like regular adult stuff, in nature with no other amenities than what I carry, I must plan ahead and be self-sufficient. As one of my friends said during the trip, “Doing this as a woman, as a group of women, is empowering.” (Another one said camping is having fun while being mildly uncomfortable.)
What is empowering is not just taking care of yourself but also working together as a group. These women harnessed 7 kayaks in a trailer safely for highway driving, navigated to a remote provincial park, kayaked to multiple camp sites, used fishing gear, arranged in pairs for food prep and clean up, found wood, set up big tarps in case of rain, and shared anything that was needed, from extra salt to insect repellant to tampons to skin bandages.
For nearly a week were on our own but also together: travelling, paddling, swimming, fishing, card playing, pleinair watercolor painting, food and drink imbibing, mosquito repelling, storytelling, and looking out for each other.
I am grateful to have learned so much about the tricks and tools of kayak camping from these women. It’s given me a sense of accomplishment and pride in a hobby that’s fun but not always easy or convenient. I’ve chosen from here this quotation, attributed to Madonna (who may or may not also be a kayak camper), to sum up my thoughts:
“As women, we have to start appreciating our own worth and each other’s worth. Seek out strong women to befriend, to align yourself with, to learn from, to collaborate with, to be inspired by, to support, and enlightened by.” – Madonna
What do you do, on your own but also with others, that gives you a sense of personal autonomy as well as community?
7 kayaks hauled by a truck7 women in kayaks5 women sitting in front of a campfire at duskThe view, of an overturned kayak near the water’s edge, from my tent at dawn
Here I am with my latest reminder for us to be kinder to ourselves.
…wait, can I shorten that to ‘my latest re-kinder’? Probably not. That would probably work better aloud.
ANYWAY!
I remember reading a blog post or article years ago (I have not been able to find it since!*) in which the writer described her conversation with another Mom at the playground. They were discussing the challenges of getting supper on the table when you have small kids and the writer was feeling guilty about the easy meals she was serving. The other Mom explained that she generally served (carefully chosen) pre-prepared meals or meals that could be created from pre-prepared elements and things she could quickly put together (a supermarket-cooked chicken paired with a salad, for example) because she had decided that she wasn’t in a elaborate cooking season in her life right now.
That framing of the seasons of her life really stuck with me.
She had found the best solution she could for the realities of this part of her life and had decided to let go of any guilt or weirdness about it.
She was fully aware that things could (and would) change later and that she could/would re-evaluate things at that point.
And I think that framing works just as well for fitness and well-being as it does for meal planning.**
Maybe you are in a season of your life when you can really focus on intense exercise towards a specific goal. That’s great but please don’t get tied up in knots about other things that *don’t* fit into this season – perhaps your season for yin yoga will come later.
Maybe you are in a season where gentle stretching is the only thing you have the capacity for – you can relax into those stretches without feeling like you *should* (ugh! that word!) be doing something else. (Yes, it is hard to let go of that feeling but practice will help.)
Maybe your family commitments limit your time-flexibility right now so you have to do short bursts of exercise when a bit of time opens up, or perhaps you can only meditate for 2 mins in the car before going into your office – those practices still help.
Maybe you can’t sit to write in your journal these days but you can make some voice memos on your phone while you fold your laundry – you’re still getting your thoughts out of your head and giving your brain a break.
Maybe the literal seasons are shaping this season of your life. If it is too cold or too hot to follow the plan you would like to follow, there is probably another way to get the feeling you are looking for without compromising your health and safety.
The point here is that life is complicated enough without giving ourselves extra things to feel bad about.
If you find yourself feeling bad about what you’re doing or not doing for your own well-being right now, it might be a good idea to figure out what season your life is in at the moment and adjust your expectations accordingly.
I know it isn’t easy – it’s not like you can flick a switch to the acceptance setting – but identifying this season of your life could make things a lot easier on your brain.
(This framing really helps my ADHD brain step away from the all-or-nothing default that I get stuck in. I’m not claiming that I always remember to consider life seasons but things are better when I do.)
So, Team, I invite you to give this seasons thing a whirl and take your self-kindness up a notch. Let’s find the kindest, gentlest description of your current season and adjust your expectations and your self-talk accordingly.
You can totally do it. I believe in you. 💚
And here, as always, is your gold star for your efforts to name your season and to be kind to yourself about it.
May you find ease.
Go Team Us!
Sometimes I forget how relaxing it can be to draw some patterns. I highly recommend it for my future self and for you. Image description: a small drawing of a gold star against a background of a series of concentric circles in which each set of circles overlap the other sets. The star has thin black lines running vertically that create a striped effect and the stripes alternate in colour between yellow and gold.
*I really dislike referencing something and not being able to give the writer credit so if you know the article or post I am referring to, please let me know. Also, just to be transparent, I may be referring to a small part of a longer piece and/or I may have lost the details or other points to the mists of time.
**Have I written about this before? Almost certainly. But if I go hunting for the old post then I will get distracted from this one so I am working from the assumption that if I need a reminder of this framing from time to time then other people probably do, too.
On Monday, I started the second half of my Storytelling tour with my friend Catherine and our first day went really well.
But you know what else?
It was really tiring.
The kids were great and the teacher was great and the school was great, but there was a lot of energy going in all sorts of different directions today – just the nature of a busy school day – and it made it a little bit challenging for my slightly-sleepy ADHD brain to focus on my stories and on the work I was trying to do.
So, I had to use a lot of energy to concentrate and stay on task and, at the end of the day, I felt a bit jangled. Kind of scattered. A little bit at loose ends.
I know from previous experience that when I feel that way, it’s all too easy to lose the rest of the day to kind of aimlessly wandering from task to task in search of ways to settle my brain.
On Monday, though, I refused to lose my evening to that feeling. Instead, I decided to take action to find equilibrium, to gather my energy back to me.
I started with a good chat with Catherine about the interesting parts of the day and the things we especially enjoyed.
Then, while Catherine was out for a walk, I did some journalling and had some tea.
A photo of my journal, a patterned, pink, soft-covered notebook, with a teal and silver pen on top. Above the notebook is a mug of tea, the mug has a moose and the word Canada on it.
I followed that with meditation and deep breathing before heading out on my own solo walk (around Port Union, NL, in case you’re wondering)
Photo of a river with a grassy incline in the foreground, a few large rocks in the water, and a rocky, shrubby incline on the other side.A photo of two birch trees growing close together, the trees don’t have leaves yet and the trunks have interesting patterns in the bark.A photo of a small harbour with scrubby grass in the foreground and rocks outlining the water
And when I got back from my amble, I lay on the floor for a while in a restorative ‘legs up the wall’ yoga pose.
A photo, taken from my perspective as I lie on the floor, of my jean-covered legs resting against a pillar in our rental unit as I do legs up the wall pose.
It all helped and I feel much more at ease.
And, sure, I may have felt better with just one or two of these things but I was enjoying the process so I decided to roll with it.
Do you know that scattered feeling I am referring to?
