{ my feet / seaside }
After the crazy that was last week, I have been intentionally trying to fit more quiet into my day (well, to be honest, I had been trying for the last few weeks of March too – but with not much success). That has meant a few things to me:
1. Getting in some quiet meditation in the morning, usually picking a scripture & some soft music for about 10-15 minutes.
2. Making a little extra time for morning yoga – I’ve found that starting my day with intentional movement is incredibly relaxing.
3. Putting away my phone (as much as possible) when I sit down to dinner, and leaving it out of sight for the rest of the evening.
4. Something chill before bed: a cup of tea, some time at the piano, reading a magazine.
That third one is the hardest ever. I haven’t been perfect at all of these everyday, but I’ve noticed that if I get even two of them right, that my whole day is a bit more peaceful and happy. There are so many forces constantly trying to complicate our lives, I think we should provide at least a few opposing forces that attempt to make our days simpler. And it doesn’t have to be big and complicated – because that’s kind of the point, isn’t it?
When life gets a little crazy, what are somethings you enjoy to incorporate peace & stillness? I’m always looking for new ideas!
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Your ideas sound so great. I have a really hard time with the phone thing, too. You know, I actually took Facebook off of my phone and it has done wonders. There are times when I wish I could check messages or hop in if I’m in the waiting room and bored, but seriously, it really doesn’t give me much to use my phone for when it’s not there. So there’s an idea! I’ve also been reading a lot more, and I find that really calms me down. Have you ever read Shauna Niequist’s books? She really inspires me. You might like her stuff!
Anne, I actually don’t have the Facebook app either – but I do cheat and look it up in the web app :/ I think really the only thing that works for me is putting physical distance between me and my phone. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Thanks so much for the book recommendation – I haven’t heard of her but I am always looking for new books to read.
Our posts go together so well! 🙂 I’m hoping to be able to add some light meditation and yoga into my daily routines to help keep myself from stressing too much on the big things this week. Hopefully it really works for both of us! 🙂
Kory – They do! 🙂 I’ve found that the best way to do that is to just start small – at first, I couldn’t make more than 5 minutes happen, but I’ve been slowly adding time as I’ve practiced more. Also helps to have the room to myself and the cat distracted in another part of the house – haha.
These are all such great ideas! I’m a little partial to the first two especially, but I love that you’re trying to do them in the morning. I usually get around to both in the evenings, at least, but meditation and yoga are such wonderful ways to start the day. 🙂
Alyssa – it’s awesome that you are making time for them when you can! But I agree about the mornings – for me it’s easier to start the day on a good note, than to try to get out of a funk once the day is over! That’s why I’m been attempting to change up my morning routine a bit, and this week at least I’d say was a success 🙂
Those are great goals. I’m going to try and work some of them into my day tomorrow and see how it goes!
Thanks Kristiina – let me know how it goes for you!
Thanks for this post Annabelle. Stillness and relaxation continue to be much sought after, slippery, yet oh-so lovely ideals for me.
I often take solace in green: sitting under a tree or on the grass, taking a short walk somewhere serene with a natural view. When escaping the man-made world is just a little too hard, I try to sit quietly for five minutes and look out the window or stare up at the sky for a while.
Regular bath time is my ultimate meditation, although I love a real meditation session too. When life is a bit hectic, sometimes a track with my earphones is enough to help me take a step back. Ignoring facebook and my phone is important, but as you said, difficult. A good book for 15 minutes a day really helps me feel like I’ve escaped for a while.
Keep up the great posts. Love the new site too by the way- very pretty.
Nic
Nic- thank you so much!
Baths are one of my favorite winter-time relaxations, that is a good one, and one that I’d forgotten to mention as my brain is going spring-spring-spring right now 🙂 And connecting with nature is so important! I definitely try to make that happen as often as possible, and getting back into my regular running routine is helping a lot with that.
So good to hear from you xo