Sometimes we get into ruts in our lives. We don’t need to make huge life changes just to shake it up a bit. Try doing these three, simple things to get started.
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#1 Scheduling a few minutes of silence and deep breathing
Most people are intimidated by the amount of time they think they should meditate every day. But what if that commitment was only a mere 5 minutes or less? Why can’t it be?
The point is to think nothing during these 5 minutes, but of course the thoughts will come in. Acknowledge them and release them. Concentrate on taking a slow, deep breath in until you can’t get any more air in your lungs, then slowly release until you can’t get any more air out. Deep breathing makes us feel so good and alive yet we often forget to do this.
This works great as the first thing you do in the morning, but if that doesn’t work for you, anytime during the day is fine. If you have trouble remembering, set a daily alarm on your phone to remind you. And why is this a luxury? Aren’t we all breathing all of the time? Deep breathing makes real, measurable changes in your brain and in your body. Try it, feel it, and you’ll understand.
#2 creating a "you-focused" night routine
Cleansing your face and maintaining your dental care isn’t just something you must do, make it something you look forward to each evening by intentionally setting aside time to do these tasks in a relaxed manner. No more waiting until you’re nodding off in front of the television. Shut it off a little earlier, you have a date with yourself! By making your night-time routine relaxed and focused on caring for yourself, you will soon find it calming, soothing, a treat. You will look forward to this nightly activity.
Create a clean and organized space for your night-time items. I love carousels because you can see everything clearly by simply turning it. Dental care items should be stored together in a neat way so that when you retrieve each one, it’s easy to do and looks nice. Soaps, lotions, and soft towels should be together in an area dedicated to night time cleansing and moisturizing. In this area, don’t store every single moisturizer you own. Narrow it down to one or two choices and store the rest away for future use.
Keep your area, neat, minimal, streamlined. It’s night time, you don’t want to have to make choices. Make it easy for yourself. Easy equals relaxed.
At this point you may be panicking a little because you’ve actually never created a night-time routine for your skin, ever. If that’s the case and you want some help, you can check out some personal recommendations that I use and love, here:
Also, if you sleep in pajamas, get a beautiful set in the comfiest of fabrics. I prefer silk because to me it feels like sleeping in a wispy cloud, but you might like something stretchy, or flannel, or… or… It’s a very personal choice. Treat your pajamas nicely by folding them every morning and giving them a special place in your drawer. Taking them out and putting them on in the evening should be a special moment you look forward to. Put on music that you love. Turn on the soft lighting as you go about your nightly routine. Enjoy your evening, every evening.
#3 Writing becomes a joy With Beautiful Writing Utensils
Do yourself a favor and throw out or donate all of those pens that halfway work or have logos on them from businesses you don’t care about. Purchase some pens that look great, flow wonderfully, and are a joy to use. I personally love the PILOT Precise V5 RT pens that write with delicious dark, easy lines. Link here if you want to check them out: https://amzn.to/3QMMJcP
Store them in a beautiful vessel that you’ve chosen for this purpose. It doesn’t have to be fancy (though it could be!) but you should love looking at it. Think beyond useful. Think beautiful, like art. Don’t stuff it full, leave some room. Below are some that I think are gorgeous if you want some suggestions.
Your favorite vessel might be an empty olive jar with a beautiful shape, or a ceramic cup that your friend made. Be open-minded when looking for “your” vessel. It might be a surprise to you.
You may not know this but I’m a huge Francophile and love anything French lifestyle or beauty-related, so I store my pens in a terra cotta yogurt jar that I brought home from France. Every time I reach for a pen and I see it, I feel happy.
