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Year after year, when the tree and the decorations have been put away, I find myself making the shift to adopt better habits as we slide into January, thankful for the blessings from the year before.
2020 marks the biggest health crisis many of us have survived, and taking cues from what we learned in the year that was can only help us navigate our lives mindfully. If the goal is to live with greater purpose, perspective in mind, and the understanding that we are all connected, this was the year to learn it and apply it as we move forward.
Here are seven habits that I choose to take away with me from 2020.
Quiet Time
Starting each day with a devotional became second nature while in those first few months of quarantine. In fact, at one point, I found myself in 3 different bible studies a week. I needed to cling to the hope that He would see us through the craziness of what was happening. I looked for The Word, to help me.
Discussing the challenges we meet as mommas, wives, and women with my sisters in Christ has been wonderful in deepening my relationship with Our Creator. Studying the word lends a mirror to myself and my own understanding of the way things work. Looking up instead of looking around, is something that has helped me greatly in coping with the more challenging side of 2020.
Check out: Abide
Nurture Your Creativity
Writing has always been cathartic for me. I would often start with a gratitude journal every year, to simply count my blessings. It’s the perfect daily reminder to be thankful, record my ideas, check-in with myself, and nurture creativity.
Perhaps this is the time to take that creativity a step further, and write the stories down that can be shared when the pandemic has long passed. Perhaps this is the time to consider writing that part of your story that would speak to others…
Check out: MasterClass by David Sedaris
It All Starts In The Gut
Since late last year, I have been taking care of myself in a more holistic way. Through acupuncture, colonics, an elimination diet, and IV therapy, I have been addressing how I feel physically and emotionally.
With my weekly appointments, and adding probiotics to my nighttime routine, I have been able to manage my stress and the symptoms of a leaky gut, which absolutely has a direct effect on how I feel physically.
Once you understand the cause and effect of what we put into our bodies, and eliminate what makes us feel ill, it’s one step closer to clarity.
Make an appointment: Centro Holistico
Check out: We Nourish
Let It Go; Digitally
The benefits of decluttering will do more than just Spark Joy! Get rid of what is superfluous not only makes space for more but helps with basic principles for happiness!
Here are just a few benefits to clearing out what we don’t need:
- You become more mindful.
- You detach from material possessions.
- Improve concentration and focus
- Increase in productivity
- Less stress
- Discovering your purpose
- Confidence in decision making
- Better health
- Finding happiness
But more than this-one way to be even more mindful includes cleaning up your social media and your friendship circles, too. Spend time with and follow people who make you happy, inspire you to do more, and who speak to your soul. Stop following those accounts that complain, incite anger, spread gossip, and make you feel bad about yourself.
Contact: Spark Joy Philippines
Choose Really Good Stuff
Paying close attention to the beauty and health products that I use for the family is just as important as what we put into our bodies as well.
Em Sulit has been making home remedies for years, and I am inspired by her commitment to keep her family safe with the products that she began making awhile back. You can trust that what Em is putting out there for others does not have synthetic fragrances, hormone-disrupting chemicals, or other nasties. EVERYTHING is natural, 100% organic, and biodynamic. Em will not “short change her family nor any of the ingredients that go into the small batches, and those who can avail of the products that she puts out there, reap the rewards right alongside her husband and her kiddos.
One of the bundles that caught my eye when shopping on her website was the Home Bundle. This is another aspect of how I take care of my family and how the energy in our homes can affect the way we feel.
Look at: Really Good PH
Invest In Your Health
We all know that physical exercise has benefits beyond building muscle and stamina. I have been attending pilates classes with different studios on and off since 2016, as I realized it was kinder to me and my injury-prone ankles and hips.
Besides being an amazing form of exercise that builds core strength, it is a sustainable way to meet my need to “sweat it out” without much risk for injury, if you have the foundation of form. Working one on one with a certified coach makes it easier to modify each session for the best personalized progress. I think this is another aspect that I truly love about this exercise regimen: building a relationship with a coach who can guide you through the forms which will build strength, flexibility, and improve posture.
Having the option to attend classes and one on one sessions in a studio that is ready to address the new health and safety protocols, or in the comfort of my own home, certainly reinforces the idea that health is wealth.
Get in touch: The One Life Studio
Give Back
There is nothing that more that feeds the soul than the capacity to give back. You have heard the saying “You get what you give?” Well, this can apply in so many more ways than a single relationship. Community service and volunteering have always been something that my father nurtured in all of us. I suppose I realized when I was a teenager that we were all connected, and that kindness matters.
Kindness matters a lot. This is why we invite kids, teens, and even adults to volunteer for Best Buddies Philippines. We are shaping future generations with the understanding that everyone has the right to be included, that everyone counts, and that different is not less.
We are educating companies about the benefits of integrated employment and that everyone needs a friend. We offer social opportunities and activities to individuals who are often left out, bullied, and most of the time, not even counted.
So, if I attend the #BBPSaturdaySeries where so many individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience joy, the hope of friendship, and the feeling of being included, I can continue to cling to the hope that Best Buddies is making the world a better place.
Look for ways to give: #BBPSaturdaySeries with Best Buddies Philippines
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