We all have those days. Tired. Exhausted. Stressed. Feels like nothing is every going right. Dreams fading. Life seems to be knocking down our door and all it’s bringing with it are punches to the throat. Yeah- those days.
So how do we get through those days? What plan do we have that will allow us to center, to breathe, to rest? How do we hang on to those dreams and desires and longings for a life filled with more peace and less stress? I have those days…..you have those days……and here are 3 great habits that will help you not only survive those days of difficulty but, more importantly, learn from those days of difficulty!
Habit #1- Journal your thoughts and emotions
I’ve been journaling, off and on, for almost two decades now. I have kept many of these journals especially over the past decade. It’s amazing to read the journals from my past. Two years ago. Five years ago. Ten years ago. What always surprises me is that I made it through every single difficult day. Secondly, to see my growth and maturity over time is astonishing really. I’ve evolved as a person. I’ve grown in my knowledge. I’ve allowed my belief system to become more compassionate, understanding and open to life and others. Journaling your thoughts and emotions not only offers us healing during the moment, it also offers us evidence of who we were, who we are and a path to who we are becoming. THIS is powerful. Journal as often as possible. And hang on to those journals. Some entries are shorter than a tweet. Some are paragraphs and some become the next chapter in your life book. Regardless…… JOURNAL!!!!
Habit #2- Move your body
Moving your body is the most underrated form of healing I can think of. So many people never move their body. More never push their body. Walk. Run. Jump. Dance. Lift. Just do something that gets your blood flow going, your body moving and your mind awake. Moving heals you. Our bodies were not meant to be stagnant. They were not meant to sit for hours upon hours without some form of function. So move! If exercise scares you then simply call it moving! You don’t have to have a gym membership to take a walk. You don’t need a physical trainer to do some sit ups. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to take a class at your local community college! Moving your body can be free or it can cost exactly how much you want to spend. Just MOVE!
Habit #3- Take part in something creative
Maybe you like to write poetry. Painting still life your thing? How about playing music? Maybe reading and unleashing your imagination is where it’s at for you. Those cabinets you like to build? Oh, you like to volunteer at the local shelter? Find that thing that unleashes your creative spirit and gives you hope and do it.
Make time for the thing that brings you to life within. These are the activities, the sacred actions, that heal our spirit and help us through those difficult days. Life isn’t easy friend. It’s often chaotic and hard and bloody and trying and scary. So do the things you love that fill your soul with satisfaction and joy.
After all, we all have those days….don’t we?