This time of year, many places in America "fall back" which results in an earlier nightfall than the long lit nights of summer. While this time of year often causes people to struggle to muster up the energy to keep up with the constant rhythmic chaos of life's demands, it's an important opportunity to assess the meaning of this lack of energy.
We need to look at our origins prior to artificial lighting and how this has led us to believe this is the rule rather than the exception. We once were a society that rose with the sun and slept with the stars. The coldest and darkest months were a time of rest and focusing inward. This time of year can be a great opportunity for just that. It doesn't likely mean ditching the nine to five entirely, but here are some ways to embrace inward focus without fully submerging. In other words, being able to practice and focus on much needed self-care while also maintaining careers, relationships and other tasks.
1. Eat a rainbow of color offered in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables.
2. Stay hydrated, lack of hydration surprisingly can zap one's energy.
3. Push yourself to get some form of physical activity either within or outside the home. It's important to embrace the idea that any bit of physical activity outside of one's normal routine is beneficial. Aim for five minutes a day and go from there!
4. Find creative outlets within the home, such as writing in a journal. Utilize these outlets to process and discuss what a "focus inward" means to you. Again, this is a great place to start small, you don't have to aim to write a novel or any wonderful piece of literature. The goal is to write something meaningful to you and process your feelings.
5. Embrace stillness, curl up with a book or watch a movie. Focus solely on plan at hand. If the plan is to read a book, do just that for a set amount of time with no other distractions, such as electronic devices.
6. Allow time for re-assessment of your experiences and life, which will hopefully lead to a better understanding of oneself and what you need. Within that, think about the upcoming year and choose one word you would like to use to define it. Think about what would need to change in order to accomplish this.
7. Incorporate some form of meditation, start small. Start with two minutes daily. This can include being still and pushing intruding thoughts from the mind. Most people who begin this process find that even two minutes can be challenging. If this is the case for you, start smaller. It's all about finding what works for you specifically.
8. Continue to socialize, even when this is challenging and you don't feel like you have the energy to do so. It's important to push through these feelings, often times when we give into these feelings it's easy for this to become the prevailing pattern.
9. Conversely, make time to tune out. Choose a day or time frame once a week to disconnect from your phone.
10. Get outside.
Balance is a key ingredient to anything we choose to take on in our lives, unfortunately, this is often something with which we struggle. Without balance it is easy for us to submerge and to engage in less effective ways of coping that result in potentially detrimental effects on our lives. You deserve to focus on your self-care, remember that. In balance!
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