Sabrina Renee

How to Be Okay With Change

Posted on September 19, 2022September 19, 2022 by Sabrina Renee

Expectations are a two-way street.

Expectations are the root of suffering. Without them, there would be no story to compare the present circumstance to, no other way it should have gone, and no ideal version of what could be happening if things were different.

Expectations invite more suffering by perpetuating narratives of what’s changed and what didn’t occur, taking us further away from accepting what is. And further away you move from acceptable, the further from the present moment you become.

It’s natural to create expectations for ourselves and hold them for others. Expecting life to unfold in a particular way, people to behave accordingly, or treat you in a certain way because that’s what you would do, or how you’ve always received something. It happens, humans are creatures of habit which ultimately leads to assumptions.

The thing is, people are constantly seeing life through their own unique lens, one which is cultivated by different memories, experiences, and beliefs. Two people can be looking at the same exact scenario while seeing things from completely different perspectives because of the hue of their lens.

One can see problems where another sees opportunities. Expectations are no different; where you expect something to happen you can also invite a fresh perspective to welcome change.

Inviting Suffering Unknowingly

There is a connection between what is causing you suffering right now and an expectation that has been placed upon someone or something. When something happens, someone hurts you, something didn’t go right, chances are there’s an expectation that things “should” have gone differently, better, a particular way you’d imagined in your mind.

The deeper you dig into the narrative of what should have happened, the further away you pull from alignment and the present moment. If you’re constantly focusing on circumstances of the past that can’t be changed, on people and places that can’t be controlled, or stories the mind creates, you’re wasting precious energy.

But by choosing to recognize the expectations you’re holding onto, the ones that hold you back from being with changes unfolding now, you’re moving with the current flow of energy. Instead of focusing on what could have been, you’re standing in what already is, and that’s the place decisions are made.

Dropping expectations isn’t easy, but it is possible once you begin to notice where they have a hold on you. If you’re gripping onto a story rather than reality, focusing on opinions rather than facts, clinging onto the way you believe things need to go rather than accepting the way things are, you’re going against the ebb and flow of life.

When you find yourself holding onto what isn’t and pushing away what is, it’s time to drop expectations because they’re not serving you.

Learning to Be Okay With Change

The only constant you can count on is change. Change from within, change all around, change from the people in your lives. Time is always moving forward and although you don’t have to accept that truth, it doesn’t stop it from being true.

Just because you grip tightly to what once was doesn’t mean it still is, it simply means you haven’t moved into the present moment and have decided to hold onto past expectations. That’s what it means to live a life of resistance.

Deciding to be okay with change doesn’t necessarily mean you’re comfortable with it, or even that the change is something you’ve wanted. Being okay with change is less about your opinion of it and more about acknowledging reality as it shows up. Whether you choose to respond with resistance or acceptance change is inevitable, but the prolonged suffering that accompanies that change is entirely up to you.

There are plenty of opportunities that come up in your life to drop expectations. You’ll begin to notice them once you recognize all of the expectations already set in motions, the ones you hold for yourself, others, and life in general. Some expectations get so deeply embedded that it becomes something you identify it, that’s where the challenges come in.

It’s simple, but not easy. It’s possible but difficult. You’re either rooted in what’s expected or moving toward alignment, and you can always choose again.

How to Notice Change and Expectations

To sum up, there are two states of mind this blog focuses on: autopilot and mindfulness. The difference between the two is clear: mindfulness is to bring your presence to something, to pay attention, whereas autopilot is not paying attention or tuning out.

Autopilot isn’t a negative state of mind, but it is one that doesn’t require awareness. Without awareness there’s a lack of presence freeing up your thoughts and energy to be floating elsewhere. If you’re not bringing intention to what you’re doing, there’s a chance you’re just going through the motions.

To practice mindfulness is to bring awareness to those motions, those choices, those habits and day-to-day tasks. It’s not about doing anything differently, quicker or slower, but doing it with a sense of presence and awareness. Noticing what you’re doing and paying attention to how it’s done. This is the practice that will lead you to recognize expectations.

You can learn to be with discomforts rather than push them away.

You can learn to be where you are instead of the story in the thinking mind that should have unfolded.

You can learn to be okay with change instead of putting up a fight of resistance at every turn.

You can learn to recognize when expectations have their claws deep in your beliefs, so you can practice mindfulness, turn off the autopilot, and make deliberate choices that bring you closer to acceptance.

Being okay with change really means being with the change, rather than being with the thoughts of what “would have been” easier, simpler, better, etc. To be okay with change is to be with what is, to be with what is present in your life.

The more you practice noticing your automatic habits, choices, and movements throughout the day, the more opportunities to practice mindfulness will surface. It’s in these moments of mundane everyday instinctual choices that you can invite intention and a fresh pair of eyes.

The difference between autopilot and mindfulness is your presence, a shift that happens in an instant, a choice that’s always within you. May you have the courage to make that choice today and may it bring you closer to a more peaceful version of yourself.

**Check out the full live stream on Dropping Expectations and Being Okay With Change**

Mindfulness, Practices

Become Aware of Your Posture

Posted on September 11, 2022 by Sabrina Renee

Understanding Body Language

Body language is a language of nonverbal cues, often expressing more than one had planned on sharing through their words. It’s as if their thoughts and inner experience were telling a story through the body, with or without their awareness.

Chances are you’ve heard a little bit about body language and may even understand some basic movements, such as having your arms crossed over your chest indicates being closed off while having your hands stacked in fists on both hips indicates a sign of confidence.

While being closed off may come off as more instinctual in certain circumstances, standing in confidence, for instance in front of a mirror, maybe a deliberate practice to elevate our mindset.

In this post, I’ll be sharing information specifically on being mindful of your posture and how it may relate to your state of mind. For a more in-depth understanding of the science of body language, check out this article 16 Essential Body Language Examples.

Noticing Your Body Throughout The Day

As with all mindfulness practices and techniques, the first step is to choose something to shine your awareness onto. Today you can anchor into the intention of paying attention to your body, specifically the neck and shoulder area, giving yourself the opportunity to let go of some extra tension.

Noticing your posture throughout the day opens your awareness to what is already happening within your body. By noticing how the body is positioned, feeling, or being supported, you are also dropping out of the busyness of thoughts and into the physical sensations happening right now. Not to mention the added benefit of helping your back and hip alignment long term, especially if you’re sitting in front of screens or living a mostly sedentary life.

Proper posture may be a challenge to keep at first but in the long run, will benefit your overall physical health. It will also appear a bit different for each person because of all body shapes, sizes, and capabilities but everyone can essentially follow these general guidelines.

A healthy posture appears as one standing or sitting as tall as possible for the shape of their back and comfortably, having their shoulders rolled back without holding tension, and dropped away from the ears, chest upright without being pushed too far out.

As a reminder, practicing mindful awareness isn’t about judging yourself for inadequacies or jumping on the urge to change whatever it is you’ve begun to notice. Mindful awareness it’s about turning on an inner light of awareness with a sense of curiosity and compassion while opening yourself to accepting what is already and considering more supportive approaches in how you respond.

A way to raise awareness of your posture is to think about the way you spend most of your day. Start by observing how active you are or how often you are seated throughout the day. Here are a few prompts you can ask yourself:

Am I on a computer or phone looking down at a screen? How often? What is my posture like while I do this?

If I am sitting most of the day, how supportive is the back of the chair or the firmness of the cushions beneath me? Is it comfortable? If not, how can I improve my seating?

Do I experience any discomfort in the neck or shoulder area throughout your day? If so, am I taking any breaks to move, shift, or release any tightness throughout the day?

How can I be more present with my posture and my body going forward?

Connecting Thoughts and Posture

After practicing mindful awareness of your posture throughout the day, you may find your awareness expanding on its own toward other parts of your experience. The ultimate goal of noticing posture may be to change or improve it over time, but that isn’t necessarily the intention.

By choosing to become aware of your posture more often, you are also noticing how your body is reacting to different environments and stimuli. One connection in particular that can be made is the one between your posture and your thoughts.

The more you practice paying attention to the quality of your posture each day, the feel of your neck, and the weight of your shoulders, you may also gain insight into the quality of your thoughts that accompany them.

As the basics of body language teach there are two main forms of language: open and closed. As you begin to notice whether you are contracting or allowing any given experience, you may also recognize the thoughts that are guiding the feelings in your body.

For instance, catching yourself in a negative or stressful thought pattern may lead you to notice that your shoulders are scrunched toward your ears, tightening the muscles around the neck. Or maybe your environment triggers a pattern of stress and tension, ultimately causing you to tense up your body in some way.

Once you’ve noticed the connection between what you’re thinking and how your body is reacting, you can decide how to respond. A simple way to return back to a state of openness is to take a deep breath, release that tension with an exhale, and move forward with a bit more clarity than before.

It’s within these quick glimpses into how the body responds to thoughts that you can deepen your mindful awareness practice, while further understanding your reactions and responses to the world around you.

Try This Practice Today

Your posture is an important component of mental and physical alignment. The more you practice noticing the connection between your thoughts and physical sensations, such as posture and body language, the more intention can be brought to the way in which you respond.

The thoughts and physical sensations you experience correspond more often than not. Your mind and body are in constant communication so it’s important to check in with yourself throughout the day and tune into inner that conversation.

When the mind is not disciplined it is likely the body isn’t either. Be prepared for distraction as it is the nature of the mind to fluctuate, while also bringing a sense of loving awareness by directing your focus back to the body.

Carve out a few minutes today to practice awareness of your posture. Try this:

Take a few moments to settle into your seat or wherever you’re standing
Close your eyes or soften your gaze away from anything in particular
Tune into the feel of your body, your posture, your neck, and shoulder area
Now imagine a string at the top of your head leading all the way up into the sky
Take a deep inhale to straighten out your back, chest out, shoulders up
On the exhale gently drop your shoulders while keeping an elongated spine
Refocus your mind on the present moment
Repeat this practice as many times throughout the day to realign and begin again

This practice can be something you do the moment you wake up, in between transitions throughout the day, during moments of stress, or anytime you’d like to tune back into the body. My favorite thing about this practice is that it’s practical and visual, while you’re tuning back into your body (the physical) you’re also imagining what alignment looks like (the mental).

A simple practice for bringing you back into your body and the present moment, with a dash of imagination, that can be as long or as short as you’d like it to be.

Let’s Review

The body speaks through physical sensations and non-verbal cues, some of which you may even be unaware of, and it can often indicate a larger message. The words spoken may not tell the full story of what’s happening, while body language speaks volumes about how someone is feeling at that point in time. Whether they are closed off or more open, feeling comfortable or tense in their body, these bodily cues offer deeper insights that paint a bigger picture.

In order to get a better understanding of the energy you’re giving off, it’s important to start by noticing your body language, more specifically your posture. The area of the shoulders and neck could tell a lot about the “weight” one may be carrying physically, mentally, or emotionally. It can also shed some light on their response to stress during day-to-day activities and responsibilities.

By taking the time to practice tuning into how often you have proper or poor posture, you may also gain insight into the quality of your thoughts. There is a strong connection between what someone is thinking and how their body is responding to those thoughts. Since the mind is considered the intelligence center while the body is considered to be a vehicle or vessel, it’s important to be mindful of the connection between the two.

Cultivating a mindfulness practice around your posture will eventually expand your awareness of thoughts, thought patterns, and the amount of time spent on autopilot or in the thinking mind. While the ultimate goal may be to improve posture, the intention is simply to begin noticing what’s already happening. Adopting an attitude of non-judgment and loving awareness will help you stay consistent with your mindfulness practice.

By noticing posture you are intentionally tuning into the body, therefore dropping out of the thinking mind even if just for a few moments a day. These moments matter and over time add up to a significant investment through the journey of inner work journey.

May you have the courage to tune in today, and remember you can always come back to the here and now.

Mindfulness, Practices

Overcoming Distraction with Mindfulness

Posted on September 4, 2022September 11, 2022 by Sabrina Renee

Are you struggling to overcome the distractions showing up in your day-to-day? Have trouble staying focused because your thoughts are pulling you in multiple directions? Finding it difficult to keep your attention on what’s in front of you?

In the world of smartphones, social media, and instant gratification, you are surrounded by an infinite number of distractions. Beyond the screens of entertainment and minute-by-minute updates, there’s also the issue of the untamed mind being programmed to swing from thought to thought.

It’s within the nature of the mind to wander, anticipate, think, or keep moving in some way or another. Rather than resisting the ebb and flow of your thoughts in times of distraction, it may be a more powerful practice to direct your attention outside the mind and into the body.

Noticing You’ve Become Distracted

All change starts with awareness, becoming aware of what is already happening or unfolding in the present moment. Shifting your attention from the mind and into the body first requires becoming mindfully aware of where your attention has been placed.

To be mindful of distraction is to notice it with acceptance of what’s caught your attention or how long you’ve been distracted; it’s letting go of expectations and assumptions about the process of learning to focus.

Distraction is the mind’s reaction to a lack of direction. If you want to focus you need to choose something to anchor your attention into. By tuning out of the thinking mind, which often moves at a rapid pace, and tuning into the body, which can be tangibly experienced through physical sensations, you are able to anchor your attention into a feeling or even the breath.

Grounding Into The Body

The mind may be where distraction takes place but the body is the vehicle that plays it all out. In other words, while the mind is taking you on trips to the past or into the future, the body is often left unattended in the present moment. If the mind wanders long enough it’ll find itself circling negative emotions, which elicit sensations of constriction or tension in the body.

For instance, when you have an anxiety-producing thought you may clench your fists or maybe it feels like your chest area got incredibly tight. This is the body’s response to your thinking. The longer you stay distracted in the mind, the further from grounding into the body.

Grounding begins with an anchor, the breath being a wonderful place to start mainly because it’s always waiting in the present moment for you. Paying attention to the breath is also a neutral focal point, an example of the ebb and flow that’s happening within your body. Whether you’re tuning in or not the breath will continue to flow, but it can offer great insight once you are paying attention.

Let’s go back to that anxiety-producing thought. Along with a tight chest and clenched muscles you may notice you haven’t exhaled in quite some time. If you are breathing you may notice it’s shallow and quick, rather than deep and smooth. The quality of your breath cycles, inhaling and exhaling, is an indicator of your levels of stress or calm.

Practice Tapping Into the 5 Senses Mindfully

While the breath is one of the most powerful and profound ways to choose focus over distraction, it also may be challenging for those who have never done breathwork or meditated before. Another way to ground into the body is to tune in through your 5 senses: touch, sight, smell, taste, and hearing.

This is a common practice offered to people suffering from high levels of anxiety as well as stress, frustration, or moments of overwhelm. By having a tangible and practical focus on each of the senses, it may be easier for you to shift from overthinking to simply paying attention to the present moment.

The beauty of this practice is that even if you ask yourself these same questions each time you feel overwhelmed, you’ll get different answers each time. Just like mindfulness, each moment is a fresh unfolding of something new.

Ask yourself the following questions changing the number of senses as you please:

What is one thing I taste right now?
What are two things I smell right now
What are three things I feel right now?
What are four things I hear right now?
What are five things I see right now?

By tuning into your senses you are automatically grounding into your bodily sensations. Your bodily sensations are leading you out of the thinking mind and into the here and now. It’s in the here and now that you can make shifts in your attention by deliberately deciding where to focus your energy, and making more focused choices.

Let’s Review

If you’re having difficulty focusing or battling distraction, you most likely won’t be able to think your way out of it. To do anything mindfully is to bring your full awareness to it, without judgment, anticipation, or expectation for things to be different. Therefore, choosing to become aware of what being distracted looks like for you is a good place to start.

Once you’ve noticed distraction in the mind you can also notice how it may be showing up in the body. For some, this may look like tension in the muscles, while for others it may show up as constricted sensations of tension. However distraction arises within the mind it’s a wonderful opportunity to become aware of the body. Rather than resisting the fluctuations of the mind, it’ll be more beneficial to bring attention toward the body and work from a practical focal point.

Grounding into the body can be done through the vehicle of the breath, which is always in the present moment, as well as tuning into the 5 senses. By asking yourself to bring your attention to what you can smell, hear, taste, touch, and see you’re more likely to overcome distraction because it’s happening in the mind. Although you may not keep distractions at bay for a long time through this technique, it will be long enough to interrupt the cycle and provide your mind with a direction of focus.

The 5 senses can be the path into knowing your body and listening to its wisdom on a deeper level. By practicing this exercise during moments of stress, frustration, or overwhelm you’ll be developing the muscle of direction, which will ultimately weaken the muscle of distraction in the mind. Rather than fighting your thoughts or trying to change the fast past thinking mind, tuning into the 5 senses is a great way to get to know the body with loving kindness.

Practicing mindful awareness of distraction isn’t about taking it away altogether, but choosing to recognize its hold on you so that you can make a more deliberate choice. Remember, peace is always one choice away, that choice is always yours to make, and that choice begins with self-awareness.

**Check out this episode on How to Overcome Distractions and Negative Thoughts**

Uncategorized

Start Small. Keep Going

Posted on May 1, 2022May 4, 2022 by Sabrina Renee

It’s May 1st! The sun is shining a little brighter now and it’s also the beginning of mental health awareness month, a perfect time for self-reflection and slowing down. In this blog, I’ll be sharing some unique personal habits and practices that help me keep my mental health at optimal levels.

Please know that these things work for me and may not be your jam. That’s okay, I still want to encourage you to find what works for you. Most of these ideas came after lots of trial, error, guesswork, and being completely burnt out. My hope is to save you time, make you laugh a little, and possibly offer some tips on how to keep yourself sane and grounded.

Check out this 4 minute video on how to treat yourself better.

What to do for the mind

Stillness and stimulation both have their significance and time to shine in my life. This means there are moments I can truly benefit from stilling the muddy water of my thoughts and allowing the inner turmoil I’ve stirred to settle. And it also means there are times when I need to stimulate my mind so it doesn’t fall into unhealthy patterns of thought/belief. Knowing when to meditate or play a video game isn’t an exact science, but there are a few key signs I look for to let me know

Meditation or stillness of some kind is the answer to overstimulation. So if I’ve spent hours around crowds, in front of screens, or even hyper-fixating on activity and losing track of time, I know my mind will benefit from resting. The constant movement becomes so familiar to me that at times stillness feels foreign, even wrong because my mind wants to keep going. That’s a pretty loud sign it’s time to chill, unwind, and decompress.

Stimulating the mind and focusing attention on something creative is the answer when I find myself in repetitive patterns that aren’t getting me anywhere, a long time of focusing only on work tasks, or I’m in a state of boredom. If I don’t redirect myself toward something that will stimulate my mind and give me something that’s interesting, challenging, or solution-based to do, I’ll most likely start moving from autopilot. It’s from this place I lose motivation, binge television shows, and find myself on the internet for hours with no destination.

If you’re looking for a sweet green juice try pineapple, green apple, and cuccumber!

What to do for the body

Movement and nourishment are the two choices I’m often neglecting when it comes to taking care of my body. I’ll just throw hydration in with nourishment because not getting enough water could seriously depletes me from the inside out, causing problems with focus and energy.

When I’m not doing yoga, going for walks, or exercising of any kind my mental health begins to decline rapidly. But it’s also really challenging to stay on top of my fitness habits. One of the hacks I’ve found that really improves my mood, elevates my energy, and gets my body moving all at once is dancing. I throw straight up dance parties in my living room when the weather isn’t great for a walk or I don’t have the stamina to work out. Listening to a playlist of my favorite songs through my headphones , or more recently tribal drums, and just letting my body do what it intuitively knows how to do. No judgement, just movement for at least 30 minutes breaks up my day and helps my body stay fluid.

And then there is nourishment, putting healthy food and drink into my body often keeping energy high and lethargy low. Some days I’m at the top of my game, other days I’m struggling to remember to drink more than 8 oz of water. Once the day gets away from me though it’s hard to reign it back in, so my practices start first thing in the morning with a green juice and some water, sometimes tea. My morning is reserved for fruits and veggies only, trying most days to keep caffeine and bread after 12pm. This way I ensure I’m getting nutrients, vitamins and minerals first thing and start my day strong.

Start small with your habits

Taking care of your mental health is a long-term venture that wants you to make tweaks and changes as often as necessary. Whether you incredibly in tune with your mind-body or you’ve begun paying attention for the first time, your efforts toward wellness are like deposits into your future. Keep going, keep figuring out what works, let go of what doesn’t, and remember the point is to improve your mental state not add chaos to it .

Here is a list of simple small habits to either start paying attention to or begin implementing to improve your mind-body wellness:

Notice your mood today.
Sit in a sun spot to recharge.
Dance your stress away.
Look up at the sky and take a break from working.
Take a walk.
Drink water.
Journal your thoughts.
Be still in your body.
Pause for a deep breath.
Notice how your body feels.
Read a book that captivates you.
Find a podcast that keeps you interested.
Say some affirmations in the mirror.
Have a cup of tea.
Clean or organize your clutter.

Let’s Recap

This blog is a quick glimpse into my small habits that help maintain optimal levels of mental and physical wellbeing. It’s not about having the perfect health and doing the “right thing” when it comes to your mind-body wellnes.

So whether you have been on top of all your mind-body needs, or you’re just becoming aware of how to take care of yourself, small habits lead to big changes. It’s the consistency of self-awareness and deliberate action that builds the momentum toward the changes you want to create.

Practicing self-awareness and observing your behavior are active steps toward growth and healing. You can accomplish anything you put your mind to, just remember to focus on what can be done today while connecting to the bigger picture of tomorrow.

Start small, keep going, make your mental health a priority today.

Personal Growth

These Habits Are Keeping Me Grounded

Posted on April 24, 2022April 25, 2022 by Sabrina Renee

There’s been a good amount of change over the past couple of months that has thrown me off kilter a few times. Locating to a different town in a different part of the state has something to do with that. You know that feeling of staying at a hotel? It feels like nothing is yours so you tend to keep everything in its place. Or at least I do.

Now that I’m entering the fourth week of living here this place feels like our home. One of the things I noticed that makes that possible is blocking out time for whatever needs my attention. It’s so freakin simple but when I don’t do it everything gets complicated.

Time blocking my responsibilities and disciplines helps ground me into my purpose each day, especially because these days have been filled with time. For the past 6 months I’ve taken time away from my business to focus on my values, truths, and the conscious lifestyle I’m building. When there are classes, meditations, and programs on your task list it can be easy to know what to do next because it’s reliant on someone or something outside of me.

In my opinion, it’s easier to show up for outer accountability than it is when I’m doing it for myself. Without having a job outside the house rather than taking care of my home and family, I’m literally flailing with no guidance. Enter time management.

If you’re like me, then from time to time you suffer from time blindness a.k.a. having no concept of the hours in the day and how much you can realistically get done. That shows up for me on the days I think I can get food shopping done, clean the kitchen and bathroom, cook lunch, wash the produce and marinate dinner all within 3 hours.

It’s crazy when I type it out but honestly, my brain thinks I’m the little engine that could, as long as I’m thinking it can be accomplished. Even if all of that is possible to get done in such a small time frame, there’s no need to rush juggling so many tasks.

So what’s the solution to time blindness, rushing, and pushing through your responsibilities?

Thanks to one of my best friends for pointing out this insanely obvious trick when planning your day: put it into zones! All of my daily and weekly to-dos are categorized by a zone for instance creativity, shopping and prepping, teaching, cleaning, etc.

Rather than thinking about how many hours I have left before, during, or after a task, I dedicate a specific amount of blocked-out time to each task. Following this routine makes sure my day is filled with realistic responsibilities, instead of building a wishlist of never-ending things.

One of my core time blocks is for contemplative and meditative moments. The minimum amount of time blocked off for this is an hour, this way there’s plenty of time for yoga and reading while ending with a nice seated meditation. If I have time on my side that day I’ll spend a little more time on the cushion before starting my day.

Also, out of behavioral habit, I take out the parts of my juicer and assemble them first thing in the morning. It technically falls under the block of food and prep, but over time it’s become a constant opportunity for a mindful practice, connecting me to the fruits and veggies.

For my mental health to reach or stay at an optimal level, my mind and body need my attention first thing in the morning. If my first precious moments are given away to the lives and desires of other people,It’s my way of setting a foundation of focus, discipline, and groundedness so that if/when the day gets away from me I’ve got a morning practice to remind myself of. This is also why I put my juicing or breakfast time in with morning rituals, mindful consumption is a great way to take care of yourself.

Next, I block time out for “homemaking duties” which change from day to day but for the most part have the same rotating responsibilities. Some days I’ll block out 9-11 so that I can shop, clean, prep, and then make lunch, while other days are chill when all I need to do is sweep the floors and wipe down counters. It’s not so much what has to get done that throws me off, I can deal with things changing day-to-day, it’s not blocking off time to do it.

Seriously if I know what to do but haven’t been given time restraints, well then nothing gets done or what could easily take me 20 minutes will now extend to four hours.

Another block I use is study and creativity, giving me ample time to write, record, edit, read, teach and do all of the fun little practices that help my creative mind expand. When it comes to studying or learning a new subject I like to give myself about 90 minutes otherwise, I’ll stop paying complete attention and start drifting into space.

But for creativity, I like giving myself a few hours because after years of creating content and shooting videos I’ve learned that the more warmed up you are the better the footage. Rather than being rigid while recording just to get it done sooner, I choose not to feel rushed in the creative process, nor do I want to hurry up and memorize meanings while learning whatever topic I’m currently studying.

I love learning, especially now that I design my own curriculum, so why would I want to rush into knowing what I could slowly be learning?

Feeling calm, grounded, and present are important intentions used when showing up for each block. Whether I’ve done it a hundred times or I’m doing it for the first time, each task deserves my undivided attention with a fresh pair of eyes. Unless there is a time to start and stop, my mind will be wandering into all of the other things that need my attention.

And you know what? That’s okay.

It’s taken a really long time to accept who I am and how I operate, instead of trying to fix it. It isn’t easy for me to remain disciplined on things, no matter how much I logically understand their significance and meaning. Making juice because it’s healthy or meditating for my mental health doesn’t happen without an immense amount of effort, will, and consistency.

Of course, there are days when I fall off track, and rather than beating myself up for falling short, I focus on not extending the days to weeks. Because at some point I have to stop beating myself up and start building myself up, it’s as simple as how to respond when things don’t unfold according to my plan. It’s in these moments that the practice of mindfulness is ready to help me ground, center, and begin again.

TLDR: Let’s recap

This is what’s currently working wonders in my life so I wanted to pass it on.

Time management hack: break it into zones and stick to timelines. If you know creativity takes more time than cleaning, schedule accordingly and give yourself a break. Just because there’s 24 hours in a day doesn’t mean each moment needs to be planned out.

Learning to factor in my challenges: Recently I’ve been accepting some of the neurodivergent challenges I’ve had all my life. It’s brought me to the empowering point where I accept what cannot be changed, focus most of my efforts on what I’m great at, and leaving room for where I tend to really struggle. Since building it into my routine I anticipate obstacles with a welcoming point of view: sure it sucks that I have a short attention span but that won’t stop me from honing in improving focus with daily zones.

Focus on the comeback, not on the fall-off: This piggy-backs off of factoring in my challenges. The more aware I become of my patterns the more accepting I am when I find myself playing them out. For instance, if I plan too many activities in a short span of time and completely overstimulate myself, I’ll focus less on why I did this for the millionth time and focus more on how to ground my mind-body back into the present moment.

And now it’s your turn for weekly insights:

What areas of your life could you block out more time for?

Maybe it’s something major like a deep cleaning or studying for an important test.

Maybe it’s something smaller but just as important, like a self-care day or making that hair/nail/massage appointment.

Whatever it is, there’s something about you that deserves your attention. So this week notice some of your habits, get curious about their level of effectiveness, and practice some self-compassion for just how much you’re getting done.

Until next week friends, enjoy your moments.