I feel like most of 2017 has been on vacation! Portland/Seattle, Hawaii twice(!), Pittsburgh a handful of times & hopefully exploring Florida a bit more to finish out the year!
Vacations are just good for the soul….don’t you think? A chance to get out of the mundane, auto-pilot filled stretch of days (#life) & explore somewhere new…..or even a place you’re fairly well acquainted with only to discover more to love about the area! #wanderlust 💔
I have a serious case of Wanderlust….not only do I love vacationing to nearly any city/sate/country but I absolutely LOVE being immersed in the culture/ way of life—like when John & I move to new cities, EVERYwhere has it’s own vibe. Its pretty fun. Tell me about your experiences in different cities?!
Anyway, the point of my post was actually for a recipe—but instead lets talk about meditation & how to make slowing down a habit in our go-go-go society.
Do you meditate? Do you take time to just sit, not letting your thoughts wander to chores/dinner/work stuff? I’m pretty sure I’ve been meditating before I even knew what meditation was! Haha. But seriously, we live in a society where we can control everything with our fingertips. We have constant access to these devices that keep us connected via various platforms to friends, family and coworkers, favorite restaurants & shopping. How many times have you been doing something to mindlessly get pulled down a completely different rabbit hole?! I’ll be cleaning the house minding my own business when I decide to log into my bill pay, you know, make sure the house bills are good & next thing I know I’m researching the best doggie parka because I noticed some Hotwire ad for a pet-friendly trip to Switzerland & now my poor dog is preparing for a fictional family vacay to the alps. What?! And I wonder why there are not enough hours in the day.
Extreme or not, my point is that we are constantly being pulled in different directions. It’s natural to let our attention shift to the crying baby when you’re trying to complete your assignment for work/school. But we catch a glimpse of an email, recipe, chore list & before you know it you’re doing 15 things at once. Our brains aren’t meant to function like that. We’re wired to be focused on one task, while maintaining awareness. What does that mean? It means that by creating a practice where you stop, drop & breathe even for just 3 breaths this will help slow blood pressure, bring greater peace of mind, reduce stress & increase self-awareness. Let’s be honest who couldn’t use a healthy dose of that? Meditating can even help cultivate discipline– a trait I feel like so many of us endlessly strive for. I mean, it ain’t easy to sit & do absolutely nothing for 5 minutes. If you can do that, you can conquer the world (or whatever else is going on in your life).
Next time you catch yourself making dinner thinking about work, or playing with the kids wondering if the car payment was the 7th or 17th stop & bring your attention back to what you’re DOING. Tidying up the laundry room? Smell the detergent in the air, feel the soft blankets you’re folding, listen to the wind blowing outside. It sounds cheesy, but I promise next time your mindlessly doing a task, challenge yourself to use as many of your 5 senses as you can to help guide your thoughts back to this moment.
If all else fails, book a vacation! When I’m on vacation I’m so busy taking in my surroundings I don’t have time to think about mundane. Getting out of your day to day agenda & into a different city will certainly wake up your senses to enjoy the beauty & life that’s passing us by.