Moments

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

This might be something that comes natural to plenty of us, but I've only learned to start doing it this year.

Creating your own little moments.

I noticed that often people would describe me as, or pick up on the fact that I was often stressed, rushing, always doing something. Never taking the time for myself, never taking the time to recharge.

It's true. I would always be busy doing something, I would always have something on my mind that I still needed to do, or worry about some other thing. And hey, I still do these things! I've just learned to apply structure to them.

This structure. It's actually not quite structured (of course it isn't, me and routine? ha! no.).
My weeks are still a mess and I still live day by day, but with these simple steps I've applied, there's more of an overview, I'm not rushing from point A to C to come back to B again, and my mind is so. much. more. at. ease.

Here it comes, my chaotic mess of a structure which I call

"Mandatory (albeit rather messy and could always be structured a bit better) Moments "

Brekkie
No mobile phone.
No music.
No books.
Just me, my food, and my drink.
Preferably in the living room or kitchen to force myself into not getting distracted.

Result: My mind is clear and my attitude is open to whatever the day has to bring.

Stretchy-stretch
I'm not flexible or agile. Not at all. I do go to the gym three times a week and I cycle everywhere, but you won't catch me putting my feet in my neck. Even though, I do think it's important to do some daily stretching! 

Result: I feel kind of flexible. Just a tad.


Note-taking
Sometime during the day, when I notice my thoughts starting to fight each other over who gets to be the loudest and who's going to win this war of confusing the fuck out of me, I sit down and take notes. I just write down whatever's coming to me, no planning, no processing, no editing.

The result: thoughts are gone! Or well, they're on a piece of paper now. So technically they're not entirely gone, but at least they're not bothering me anymore.

Doodle-a-day
Ever since I was a kid, I loved doodling and drawing. During the first two years of University this little getaway hobby of mine pretty much came to a stop, since for some reason I thought it was useless since I wasn't a particularly good artist. Together with note-taking, when the opportunity is there and I think of something: I make a doodle in my notebook! It's fun, there's no measurements of quality or success attached to it. 

The result: mind. is. clear.

Something-like-meditation-but-not-entirely
In the evenings, when all my tasks have been fulfilled and I catch myself mindlessly scrolling through social media, I first slap myself for doing that (not actually but you get what I mean), I light some candles, I grab the book I'm reading and I just lie down. I listen to my own breathing, I welcome the feeling of discomfort, and I just think and listen. I do this for about 10 minutes every evening before I start reading. It's absolutely great and I never expected myself to enjoy it as much as I am. 

Result: I'm fully focused on the book that I'm reading and I fall asleep like a brick.

These little tricks have helped me so much in feeling more balanced, being able to place my thoughts, feeling less tired, being more patient and more positive in general, and strangely enough: I've become more productive and efficient.

So, if you feel like it: share your moments! 

Happy holidays everyone.

Liefs.


Artwork by Anita Jeram

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Words from the Heart | 2015

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