Three "aha" moments this month
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is credited with the famous quote, “The only constant in life is change.” I can certainly attest to this as with every season, every year and every new day I am growing, stretching and evolving. Every once in a while, I find myself wishing for a “pause” to catch my breath and just coast for a minute, but for the most part I’ve learned to welcome change as a means of continuous renewal.
The other day, I was reflecting on some “aha” moments I’ve had just this month. Through trial and error, struggles and challenges, and some enlightening conversations, I’ve made a few new tweaks to my habits and routines that have been really quite helpful. Remaining open to change prevents stagnancy and aids us in accepting and even embracing each fluctuating chapter and stage of our lives.
Here are three such tweaks and insights I am currently implementing:
1. Getting dressed first thing in the morning
I love waking early to have some quiet prayer and journaling time before my morning gets started. For years I’ve done this, curling up on the couch with my coffee, in my robe and pajamas. I started noticing however, that I was struggling to get moving and get my walk in and house chores done. I felt sluggish which made me procrastinate or skip the walk and chores all together, which then affected my mood and ability to engage with projects and people throughout the day.
About two weeks ago, I decided to change things up by putting on my walking clothes and tennis shoes as soon as I got out of bed, rather than staying in my pajamas for my prayer/journal time. Honestly, for such a little and easy tweak it’s made a pretty big difference. I feel less lounge-y and more energized, ready to tackle my morning tasks so I can thrive in the afternoon.
2. Surrender rather than try and control my feelings
On our January podcast we interviewed Dr. Ioana Popa, a certified Christian Spiritual Life Coach and Trainer. We asked her about burnout and it was such a valuable conversation, one I am still thinking about and processing. Here is a link to that podcast, it’s a good one!
Anyway, we talked about the difference between striving and leaning on God. Striving to “overcome” my own anxious or negative emotions was leading to mental exhaustion. Instead, I’ve been working on allowing those emotions to rise and fall like waves without overthinking them, and turning immediately to Christ “as is” and leaning on Him for rest.
3. The right tools make all the difference
In our Six Weeks to Sanity Course (launching Feb 5th!!), our organizer extraordinaire, Presbytera Stacey Dorrance, reminds us about the importance of having the right tools for the job. Last week I invested in an extendable duster, a dry floor and ceiling mop, and a Branch Basics cleaning starter kit. I also created a cleaning caddy containing gloves, microfiber cloths, cleaning brushes, my new Branch Basic non-toxic cleaning sprays, and some garbage bags. Rather than having all our cleaning supplies scattered throughout the house, I consolidated everything into one main floor closet where they are easily accessible.
Refreshing and organizing our cleaning supplies makes it feel so much less daunting to wipe up spills and wipe down countertops, as well as sweeping, dusting and mopping as needed. I much prefer cleaning a little bit every day to spending hours on cleaning on the weekends.
New perspectives and healing discoveries are available within every big and small transition!
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