Celebrating Winter Solstice

Winter solstice is when the days are shorter, darkness settles on the Earth, the weather seems colder, and hibernation is ideal. However, the winter can be a time of rest, stillness, and reflection.

I remember growing up in Detroit, Michigan, where winter lasts longer than any other season. I vowed never to live somewhere that winter existed. And so I kept that promise to myself, finding myself running away from the brutal cold. But upon relocating to Virginia at the beginning of this year, I realized it was time to confront my resentment of winter.

Whether hot, cold, or warm, every season has a specific time. I knew that as much as I loathed winter, it was time to embrace its significant role in my life.

Through my self-discovery, I learn winter is a time when I can slow down, meditate and reflect on my growth. With the end of 2022, I’m deciding to celebrate the onset of winter and not travel for the holidays. I decided to go into 2023 refresh, free and focused.

Over the years, I spent so much time on autopilot throughout the year, barely taking time to pause. But the older I get I want more moments of reflection. The winter solstice can give you time to prepare for the upcoming year in a calm, relaxing, and rejuvenating way.

So before you take a resentful path towards winter, figure out how to use this time to refocus and plan for your 2023.

Three Ways To Revive Your Mind, Body & Soul

How often do you check in with yourself?

Have you been feeling out of alignment?

If so, maybe it is time to revive your mind, body, and soul. Often we let days, months, and years pass before we decide to reconnect with our inner being. And we find ourselves out of alignment after feeling the pangs of overwhelm, stress, or burnout. Life can feel rough, leading to dead ends and taking us off the path we desire to go. However, reconnecting to the spirit within can lead us to a road of fulfillment to get back on track.

In the last five months, my life has felt out of balance. Somewhere between relocating, dealing with unnecessary drama, and settling in a new place has made me feel abnormal. However, last week was the first time I felt like my life was taking a turn in a positive direction. The positive direction was a sign of everything calming down in my life. And I began to realize how reestablishing self-care routines, spending alone time, and creating a schedule for well-being is vital.

When we take a daily inventory of our emotions, we will bring awareness back to ourselves—spending more time reconnecting and disconnecting from things that disrupt us from living a well-balanced life.

Below are three powerful ways you get back in alignment, find fulfullment and honor your soul within.

• Put Yourself First. This new self-care movement has everyone finding ways to fill up their cup, but surface self-care isn’t enough. When you are intentional about asking specific questions to gain clarity, you will find that putting your needs (mental, emotional, spiritual, etc.) first will assist in moving in the direction of alignment.
• Go M.I.A. It is okay to disappear and not feel like you need to be in the midst of everything. When you take the time to regroup, it allows you to see things from a better perspective.
• Slow Down. When our life is disoriented taking time to slow down can guide us back to our place of fulfillment.

If you desire to reconnect with your mind, body & soul check out my free ebook on creating a self-care plan.

The Joy of Solitude….

Long holiday weekends are warrant for spending time in solitude. This weekend was no exception. After spending the last two months suffering from exhaustion all I wanted to do is simply nothing. I can honestly confess I am tired of going hard; doing more to get more to be more.

When I lived overseas I cherished life in slow motion. Since I’ve been back in the U.S. life on autopilot is the norm. I constantly battle with this insane concept. So, I decided for the next 30 days I will spend time replenishing my mind, body and spirit.

I will take intentional time to slow down and be present in the moment. It is refreshing to be still, marinating in life’s precious moments. Below, I made a list of  ways you can replenish yourself.

1. Read your favorite novel.

2. Take a lavender epsom salt bath.

3. Unplug from social media for a day, week, month or year.

4. Take a walk without your phone.

5. Sleep.

6. Meditate.

7. Get creative and color.

8. Go to the beach.

9. Watch a sunrise.

10. Watch a sunset.

11. Go to a bookstore.

12. Staycation; reserve a hotel room in your local town.

13. Binge watch your favorite Amazon Prime show or Netflix episodes.

14. Stay in your house all day.

15. Cook your favorite meal.

16. Listen to your favorite music streaming station.

17. Aromatherapy; buy some aromatherapy candles & burn them in your house.

These are just a few ways you can replenish your mind, body and spirit. I dare you to make your own list and spend a day, week or month in replenishment. How are you going to replenish yourself this summer?

 

 

 

Last Day of Summer….

Today is the official last day of summer and for most of us it is just another day. However, I believe this is the best time to spend it in reflection. Reflecting is a great therapeutic tool to slow down and gather your thoughts. In this process you can reflect on the last nine months of this year. You might decide to reflect on goals that were achieved, relationships that ended, new things that have entered your life and where you want to be at by the end of 2017.

Reflection is a good way to look at the past, embrace the present and prepare for the future. As you prepare for the autumnal equinox take this day to sit back, sip your favorite beverage and revel in the beauty of Fall.

How do you plan to spend your last day of summer? (Leave your comments below)

7 Ways To Reconnect With Yourself

How often do you check in with yourself? It is important to ask yourself questions to make sure your mind, body, and soul are aligned. Sometimes we go through our daily routine in life forgetting to check in with our self. We rush through each day just to get to the weekend to repeat the endless cycle. However, we never realize that stress or being burnout is due to us losing the connection with ourselves. When you begin to take a daily inventory of your happiness you will bring awareness back to yourself.  Spending time reconnecting with yourself is essential to living a well-balanced life.  Below are 7 ways to help you reconnect with yourself.

1. Breathe. Yes, breathing is a sure way to reconnect you back to your body energy. If you take the time to slow down your breath & breathe slowly it will help you calm down. According to an article in Living Strong, “Deep breathing relieves stress and anxiety due to its physiological effect on the nervous system.”

2. Go outside. Nature is a great way to connect yourself back to the beauty around you. The more you are aware of all the godly beauty it will refresh your soul. 

3. Meditate. Meditation is one great way to feel at peace, to clear scattered thoughts and bring you to a place of oneness. Even if you meditate for 8 minutes a day it will change your mental state. There are many apps that you can download to start your meditation journey. You can also sit in silence without any distractions to assist you on your meditation path.

4. Pamper Yourself. When was the last time you took some time to pamper yourself? 

Indulge a little whether it is take a spa day, getting a glass of wine, exercising or eating alone at your favorite restaurant understand pampering yourself will help you re-energize.

5. Read Your Favorite Book. Spending time to read your favorite book can help you escape from the chaos. According to Reader’s Digest,”snuggling up with a good read tamps down levels of unhealthy stress hormones such as cortisol, Weight Watchers recently reported.

6. Sit by the Water. I always felt that sitting by water has a calming effect. If you spend time at a body of water it will help you reflect on positive things.

7. Unplug. Unplugging from technology and social media can help you reconnect as well. Spending time to stay present in the moment will help you appreciate the current moment.I would also suggest not posting every moment on social media. Posting everything you do on social media can take away from the authenticity of the moment.

After practicing these seven ways you will feel less stressed and more connected with your mind, body & soul!

References:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/136646-why-does-deep-breathing-calm-you-down/ 

http://www.rd.com/health/wellness/benefits-of-reading/