Hello Beautiful, and welcome back to Mind Time- a space for you to take a moment out of your day to make your mind an even more beautiful place to be ✨
This week, we are talking about cultivating a beautiful fresh start for yourself, but before we jump into today's topic, we need to do our...
Self Check-In
Let's start by taking a deep breath...
Relax your shoulder and focus on the present moment.
Let's get started by checking in with our mental body...
How are you feeling, honestly?
Don't use any judgement with yourself here! Simply notice how you're feeling.
If you're comfortable, feel free to ask yourself why you're feeling that way.
Did something happen? Did something come to mind? Or did you just fall into this emotion
What's one thing you can do for yourself today that'll make your day at least 1% better?
It can be as small as stopping for a pumpkin spice latte ('tis the season! 🎃) or as big as carving out time for a solo date
What's one thing you've been holding on to that you could work to release from your headspace (Like one of those annoying gnats that keep flying across your vision...)
Now, let's go ahead and check in with your physical body...
When was the last time that you moved?
Let's get up and move! Take a moment to stretch it out, maybe get a couple of steps in, especially if it's been over an hour.
How are you feeling on your hunger and thirst levels?
It's time to take a sip of water and give yourself permission to eat, whether it's a snack or full meal, if you're hungry
Kimberly's Corner
Self-Care Activity of the Episode: Saying no in order to be there for yourself!
-> I know this is hard (trust me- it's still hard for me!), but it's SO important to say no and put yourself in some situations because that's how you're going to be able to run for the rest of the day/week/month/year.
Wellness Read of the Episode: "The Untethered Soul" by Michael A. Singer
->This book opened my eyes to SO much on the human experience and our body versus our soul and how we're often trapped in our minds instead of taking a step away from our thoughts. So- if you feel stuck in the cycle of your thoughts and want a unique perspective on the mind-body-soul connection, I HIGHLY recommend this book! (Click the title to purchase!)
Jam of the Episode: "Call Your Mom" by Noah Kahan
-> Anyone who knows me knows I'm a Noah Kahan STAN, so this recommendation should come as no surprise. "Call Your Mom" is such a beautiful reminder that we need to be there for one another and I-of course- can't recommend you give it a listen more. (Click the title to listen!)
A Fresh Start 💛
Any time is a great time for a fresh start, especially when you notice that your routines aren't serving you.
I know- it's easier said than done, but when you notice your habits aren't serving you, it's beyond time to make a change.
You see- there's two types of hard: The hard of staying and the hard of changing. While the hard of staying isn't always the hardest in the short run, it's always the worst in the long run because it typically harms you in becoming the best version of yourself.
I've learned this lesson in so many tough ways because I'm prone to allowing myself to get comfortable in my comfort zone and not make changes...
In this phase of my life, I'm trying to stop that and cultivate a life that I truly love & I truly feel is bringing me along the path to my highest self. So- anytime that you're feeling stuck or comfortable (but not necessarily in a good way) it's a great time to come back to this episode and come back to your true self and make a change.
Be sure to like, save, and share this post for yourself & your community so when you're ready for a fresh start, you have my four methods of starting a healthy change in your back pocket 🙌🏻
Step #1: Reflect on Your Current Life
Before we can make any change, we've gotta know what we're trying to change and why!
So, it's time to break out your journal or start a voice note, and paint yourself a picture of your current life with these prompts:
What are you loving about your current life? What are you hating about it?
Feel free to take yourself through a day/week in your life here- step by step
What do you want to call more/less of into your life? -> Set intentions
Let the first prompt's answers guide your intentions
Example from my September Intentions: I will stop working as a teacher by 4:30 PM 3x a week and will rest more this month
What do you need to detach from in order to live the life you're dreaming of?
Example: I need to detach from the outcome of a post as I allow it to affect my feeling of worthiness on social media
Make sure this journaling sesh, especially your intentions, are somewhere you consistently see them so they serve as your reminder of the things you crave in your life.
Step #2: Plan
Because of the journaling we've done, planning second is actually like backwards planning. You know the end goal- whether it's more rest or pushing towards success- now it's time to carve the path that'll lead you there.
As you're working on your plan, make sure you don't have too many non-overlapping paths for right now as too much change all at once leads to less success in pursuing your intentions.
For example, two of my intentions (as mentioned above) are to stop doing work for my teaching job at 4:30 PM and to rest more. These two intentions can overlap nicely as I can leave work earlier, come home and do what I need to do for my side hustles earlier, and get to bed earlier. If you don't have intentions that overlap like this, try to stick with 1-3 to focus on for right now.
Step #3: Start Executing Your Plan
You've got the dream & the plan, so it's time to go out there and start living the dream!
As you embark on this journey, be mindful of how you're feeling. What's working & what's not? Give yourself some time to settle into the routine, but if it's not working, go back to the planning phase and give it a tweak to better suit you.
To illustrate, right now, being done with teaching at 4:30 PM 3x a week should be easy because I have nothing after school. However, when I start my after-school clubs, I'll have my two days that I'm staying past 4:30 PM already, so I may need to adapt my goal to give myself some after-school time to work on what I need to to be more successful & less stressed while school is in session.
Step #4: Love Yourself Through it All 💛
This goes for both your successes and your failures!
Think about how you'd treat a best friend or a loved one if they told you about the successes and the failures that they're having or maybe how they were going to adapt their plan to suit them more.
This step is crucial because coming at your plans flexibly in a way that allows you the space to change as you need & the compassion with yourself that you need will cultivate a beautiful sense of self-love & self-appreciation that'll carry you through any season of change 🙌🏻
That's it my friend! Those are four surefire ways to make a healthy change in your life and, of course, as mentioned above, love yourself through it. Because when you treat yourself with love & respect, you'll get much farther with yourself- just as if you were treating somebody else with love & respect.
As always, I'm wishing you so much light & love 💛
If you'd like to listen for more a in-depth discussion to kickstart your fresh start, click here to listen to this week's episode!