We Go Together

Seven more weeks left until the beginning of a new year; that calls for a project, right? I want need to step up my game and re-channel. What do I want and need, how can I make every day a good one (by stopping to judge myself!), to become the best version of me? I want my spark back, pretty please!

I have been stressing way too much over the floods lately. Is the water coming? When is the water coming? How much water is coming? How long will the water be staying? Und so weiter… I’m tired - literally - of putting my energy towards checking the news, soothing myself down, thinking about if - and if so, what - I should undertake any action. (The whole uncertainty of it all also seems to have released all the stress, I thought that was gone, from my time in Japan. Notgood)

1. Routine

Quality time ‘night-owling’

Ok, this will be a tough one - since I’m a nighty person that often forgets about her bodily needs when somethings sparks her creativity. (Or when talking to her love and time just does not seem to be existent). But I feel that I have to take care of myself - my sleep, little things that make my day better and easier. Attention for the small things: lukewarm water with lime juice, monster salads, Green Monsters, proper (re-)hydration, sun-salutations, nourishing my skin with body lotion. (For some interesting daily routines, check out this website!)

2. Bring meditation back in to my daily life

Quiet that monkey-mind!

I want to meditate twice a day, once before I go to sleep (best way to slide in to a nice rest) and once during the day. I will start of with 20 minutes and will see how it feels and whether I wish to extent it (hey, I used to do 90 - several times a day ;) )

3. Go to yoga every day

I have skipped some classes (in come the doubles) because I was not feeling funky at all the last period of time (I even went to get my blood tested, to make sure it was not physical. The results came back yesterday and I was one healthy chickster. I am very happy my Vitamine B12 and folic acid were nothing to be concerned about - as a vegan, you never really know. The doctor tried to get me some tranquilizers, but I thanked for that. Other ways to release stress. Time to re-set my mind!)

So, no excuses. If I feel sluggish, I - sometimes - have the best classes. And otherwise, why allllways kick the hardest. I have to listen to my body a bit more, if I feel like it’s been enough…why not take it down or take a break. No shame in that.

(On yoga: the room has been very ‘cold’ lately. The teacher told me to go and stand on the other side of the room yesterday, since ‘this side is broken’. But I could not feel a difference in temperature - or humidity - at all. You only notice what the Hot Room actually does for you - when it comes to opening up your body - once you feel cold sweat sticking to your body and a cool stream of air makes the hairs on your arms jump up. ‘Naaaah, this is not it’. Good test in finding your own boundaries though, I must admit)

4. Mix it up

Oh, the joy (?) of a mixtape!

I have been practicing Bikram yoga for a while now, and as mentioned above I do not plan to stop doing that any time soon. However, I do want to mix stuff up a little bit and get in some other types of exercise. I’ve been wanting to go to Body Balance and Pilates for a while now, so let me include these two - and mayybbe some Body Pump while I’m at it - in to my 7 in 7.

5. Do the old things that feel good & find new ones that add to that

“Spending all my money on you, and spending time on you”

When (and..why??!) did I stop reading piles of books? What made me stop tapping in to unlimited sources of niceness, without being distracted by everything that the internet has got to offer? Time to get my bum to the secondhand bookshop and load up some goodies!

Time to write (and SEND!) more postcards and letters - just because the (spreading of) mail over here does not work ‘well’ at the moment, does not mean I can’t get it to my lovelies. (right? Right. I hope.)

More movies and documentaries. More quality time with friends. More artgallery’s. More hours in the park. More doodling.

6. Start something new and learn from it

True that

I feel the need to absorb - even though I have felt very unfocused lately. I blame the fact that I was dead tired, stressed out, not listening to my own body and not in tune with the things I want to be doing. But since I’m working on all of the above, I am confident there will be new space to fill with personal development. I am going to look for something that will challenge me and adds to my knowledge and skills. Let’s bring some more Wisdomosity to Canada.

7. Use my *new* energy and inspiration to create

Now we’re talking!

Less random surfing, more time to write and create. Roadsies wants to be written, polished and finished! I have compiled a list of questions and sent it out to test-run the outcome. I want to feel a burst of enthusiasm and work until my eyes are tired, but my heart happy. (And then some Pranayama!)

I thought it would be hard to come up with seven things to work on. Turns out, not so much. I will update you every week on how I get along. Do you have any new/old year solutions that need to be worked on? Share them in the comments, please!