"To Be" Making It All Worth While

Good morning friends,

Pour a drink of tea and enjoy this short read.

Do you make your bed in the morning partly because you look forward to witness how neat it is when you return home - ready to jump into later? Do you make your lunch the night before and lay out your workout clothes nearby to make life easier the following day? The answer does not have to be yes, all the time. I get tired or uninspired here and there but even if I lay out my clothes just once, I tried. Making little steps to feel good and do good can be a great reward. Though, it is time consuming and requires effort. All good things require effort. Being a good friend involves making plans and reaching out. Being an excellent student requires plenty of study days. Enjoying nature means stepping out there and soaking it in. We cannot be everywhere at once and it can be difficult to excel in all the areas of these humanly roles. Sometimes, a realm or two of our wellness wheel is gonna be depleted. I can feel like my time is being threatened when life gets too busy. I have felt guilty for avoiding a textbook or not seeing an old friend in some time. The length of our sunlight is squeezing into this window that makes me want to stop our Earth from spinning so we can get an hour or two more. That will take some time for me to figure out, so (grizzly)bear with me.

We have control of what we do everyday. We CAN say NO and ultimately, people don't really care. We also have control of when we turn off our Netflix, even if you don't feel like you do because your rear end is glued to the coach and you pretend you've lost the pause button. Doing the things that we want has got to come with a purpose, ideally be healthy for us, and feel rewarding. Lets dive into being a student for an example. I want to know all the actions, origins, and insertions of the shoulder muscles because that is super cool and I aim to crush my exams. Jumping into anatomy with surface level knowledge was daunting so you know how I tend to react when things get difficult?... avoidance and often a lack of self confidence. Simple formula: Put time in + 5 oz. of more time + repeat = confidence. Give a two day workout a try and you might already start feeling like the hulk. It's all in your mind! Working on something only improves your confidence & competence.

I had a moment of worry and fear one drive home this week; wondering what have I done going back to school? This is hard and ripping my calm vibes from under my relaxed shoulders. (not a famous "saying" but this is my creative writing time so, you're welcome). I do not want to be stressed having negative thoughts in the back of my mind. No one does! This week I wanted to address these reoccurring thoughts by

1. accepting these feelings (lame sauce but it is better to make them real > shutting it down)

2. acknowledging that the worry for the next 2 years can also be phrased in a more positive light: new beginnings, exciting material to learn, intend is to help people feel good, learning a life long skills, education is never a waste.

3. Ya, maybe you have been a student what feels like for far tooo loonnggg but the end is closer than you think.

4. your future self will thank you for this.

5. you can still have fun these two years. It does not have to feel consuming to the point that it restricts your life

6. you don't have ANYTHING holding you back: no demanding job, small infants demanding your presence, no desperate boyfriend (bless, the guy is working 23 hours a day, 7 days a week with the remaining 7 hours left to rest)

Lets talk about my boyfriend for a second. Behind his extremely good looks, is a hustling guy who would probably want more free time but he is building this glorious house. He is carving his future as we speak so he is sure making his life worthwhile. Shortly he will be reaping the benefits & I cannot wait for him to get to lounge in his efforts.

It is tricky to balance effort, effort, effort with peace and quiet. Hopefully we can all aim to get both into our day to feel good. Yin & yang <3

What are your yins? Consciously disengaging the mind from chaos is how I describe it. music, yoga, massages, running, meditations, and nature walks do that for me! I can tell when my body and mind would like to do these when I am winding through too much in my head. These activities are highly useful and productive in terms of regulating and lowering that heart rate of yours. I am purposefully going for a walk today and sitting in a meditation at lunch to settle in and break up my day. Join me at your own time!

love,

Zo