Happy Sunday and happy Valentine's day! Personally, I'm not a fan of V-day, because I think it creates a lot of pressure in relationships and makes people who are single feel bad, but if you love it, ignore me. Celebrating love is definitely a good thing, and something we all need more of! Also, how cute is that swan photo? I got it from Pixabay, the free website where I get all my photos that are not taken by me. Everybody can upload photos to the site, and if it's approved it's free to download and use without having to credit the photographer. I have a page there as well, with more than 40,000 downloads! Which reminds me, I have to dust off my camera and start taking DSLR photos again. I haven't in over a year, yikes!
I've just come out of a series of what I call zero days, which are just what they sound like: days where I have zero drive, motivation or energy. I get them every winter, and I know that after enough rest, sleep, funny TV shows and disappearing into a few good books, they will pass. Which they have! If you're stuck in the middle of your own zero days, hang in there. Be gentle with yourself, and trust that you'll come out of it when your body and mind are ready.
Here are a few things that help me find joy every day:
1. Writing in my gratitude journal. I've been doing that on and off for years now, and I'm passionate about it. If you practice gratitude daily, you will program your brain to see and appreciate good things around you and become happier. It really works! You can write into any old notebook, a piece of paper, use the notes section on your phone, or the back of a take-out menu. I recently bought this journal that I keep on my nightstand, and every night when I go to bed I spend just a minute or two listing 3-6 things that I'm grateful for that day. It's one of my favourite daily rituals.
2. Ordering bathing suits and summer clothes. It's no secret that I love online-shopping. Even before Covid I ordered most of my clothes online, because I love how it triples the fun: looking at and choosing clothes; the anticipation of waiting for them to arrive; and the moment when you find that parcel in your mailbox and get to try it on. I've ordered this pretty boho-bikini, this happy tangerine one-piece and a sexy red number with the deepest V I've ever tried. Cam't wait for them to arrive to try them on!
3. Watching Superstore on Netflix. I didn't think I would like it, but I love it! America Ferrera and Ben Feldman are superb, and the show just makes you feel good. Great escapism!
4. Walking. After a week of either not going for Lily-walks or only on short ones, my energy is back. Walking is my meditation, my medicine, the glue that keeps me sane(ish) and our marriage happy. I need those endorphins! Last night the stars were out in full force, the snow glittered in the light of the street lamps and I felt like walking on a carpet of a million diamonds. It was magical!
I've also noticed my butt and middle getting tighter, and while that's not the reason why I walk, it's a nice side-effect!
5. Doing puzzles. Oh yes, I've joined the puzzle club. I'm on my 4th one since just before Christmas, and it's so relaxing and meditative, I'm hooked! Our local Fields-store sells them for under $10, which is money well spent for the amount of peace I get out of it.
6. Cancelling credit cards we don't use anymore. A few years ago we were quite a bit in debt, so we did what many of us do: we accumulated several credit cards and rotated them to pay our bills. Not the best way to do it, but we did anyway. After we were able to pay everything off, we still held on to the credit cards "just in case". Between us we had 7 or 8, which is ridiculous. Last month I finally got round to cancelling a few, and now we have 2 each "just in case" (old habits die hard). It's a small thing, but it made me feel so much lighter! I also cancelled my old bank account that I hadn't used since we moved, since we don't have that bank in town anymore. For the past 4 years I paid $200/year just to keep that account, which was also silly. I highly recommend KonMari-ing your finances, it feels great!
7. Affirmations. I'm on a journey to becoming my best, most confident, healthiest self. Aren't we all? To nobody's surprise, what helps me the most to get there are words. Words are sacred to me, and reading about the experiences and wisdom from other people are powerful tools to guide us. The other day I came across this series of affirmations by Clementine Morrigan:
The healthier I become ...
... the stronger my boundaries become.
... the less I engage in conflict avoidance and people pleasing.
... the more I am able to tolerate people disliking me or misunderstanding me.
... the more grounded I feel in my integrity and my principles.
... the less compliant I become.
Powerful.
8. Reader emails. Once in a while I get emails from readers, and they are so special to me. I consider myself to be a hobby-writer, because I don't make a living of it, and our money-driven world wants to make us believe that this makes it less valid. Even though I know that's not true, it's still a struggle. So when I get feedback from strangers who have read my words and liked them, it means everything to me. I shouldn't need outside validation, but here we are. Thank you so much for reading my words! It means the world to me ❤
9. Pizza on my weekends away. I'm away from home every second weekend when I'm on call, and I have a lot of little rituals that make it more special to me. One of the most important ones: pizza! I buy myself a frozen pizza every time, and I really look forward to it. Rich is not crazy about pizza (insane, right?!), so I'm getting my fix when I'm away. It's one of my favourite foods, and yes, I'm team pineapple. Don't argue with me, pineapple and pizza belong together like pb&j.
10. Using my middle finger more often. The power of flipping the bird can not be underestimated. As per the affirmations mentioned above, I no longer strive towards universal acceptance. There are people that I simply don't like, and flipping the bird towards their house, car, or them (when they aren't looking) is very satisfying. Immature? Yes. Extremely enjoyable? Hells yes!
Have a happy Sunday and lovely week! The days are getting longer, which means we are inching closer towards spring with every passing day. Yay!
Ha, love the last one :D
ReplyDeleteIt's SO satisfying ;-)
DeleteI love taking walks. It helps me keep my sanity as well. And a journal helps my sanity as well. Especially being in gratitude.
ReplyDeleteYes! It really makes such a difference to write down what you're grateful for and read back older entries. They're so much more varied than I would think, because despite a similar routine every day, there are different moments of joy to find every day.
Delete