You know those lovely moments where you feel great and things feel effortless and easy?
You may have noticed ... they don't last.
The thrill of ...
The schedule going the way you planned...
Easily fitting in your workout, grocery shopping and self care...
Everyone in the family getting along in perfect harmony...
The laundry folded, dishes put away, house clean...
Having your meal plan in place, not rushing to the store at 4pm every day...
Getting to bed by 10pm and waking up feeling rested…
Enjoying a few hours of alone time…
Meaningful dinner with friends…
When you experience these things, it feels good, doesn't it?
But the good feelings don't last.
You will not reach a point in your life where things magically fall into place and stay there.
Life simply doesn't work that way.
Life is a day to day collection of experiences.
Some days may be filled with the 'perfect' moments (aka: I want it to stay this way forever!).
But, then there are days that are filled with everything but 'perfect' moments... days that threaten to distract and overwhelm you.
-The unexpected project deadline.
-Another meeting, added last minute.
-An extra 20 minutes in traffic.
-A full sports schedule for the kiddos.
-The aging parent who needs additional care.
-An injury or illness that has you sidelined.
-A sick child. A screaming child. A colicky baby. A sassy teenager. Siblings fighting.
-A disagreement with a loved one, that lingers for days or weeks.
-A case (or 2 or 3 or 10) of "I don't feel like it."
-A scattered overwhelmed brain that won't shut off.
-The piles of laundry, dishes and scattered papers.
And the list is endless...
So, I have two shifts that have made all the difference for me on how I experience my "day to day."
#1: Expect that "good feeling" moments don't last.
Enjoy them while they are there and realize they won't stay.
Expect things will sometimes come together and sometimes they fall apart.
I have days where I am full of energy and I have days where I need two naps.
I have days where I feel light and energized in my body and I have days where I experience a lot of joint pain and brain fog.
I have days where I feel creative and days where I stare at my computer with no inspiration.
I have days that are spacious and relaxing and I have days that are packed with responsibilities from morning until evening.
For me, it has been super helpful to lean into a concept called The 50/50.
50% of the time I experience positive emotions and things running well.
50% of the time I know I will experience a variety of negative emotions and things I wish I didn't have to deal with.
I've learned to be gentle and kind with myself as I learn to embrace the other 50 of the 50/50.
As a culture, we've made it our emotional goal to be happy all the time.
But deep down you and I both know this is not reality.
Embracing that life is a mixture of positive and negative emotions has been so helpful.
Embracing the concept that things come to together and fall apart has also been helpful.
When I embrace this, I'm more often able to experience my day-to-day
- without adding drama
- without being surprised by it
- without needing to judge it
- without needing to use food to numb or avoid the discomfort of it.
The second thing that has made all the difference for me is...
#2: Falling in love with the practices that nourish and support my well-being.
They are basic, friend.
-Sleep.
-Filtered water.
-Downtime and rest.
-Real food meals.
-Sitting down when I eat.
-Connecting with my husband.
-Hugging my boys.
-Sitting down to eat dinner as a family, as often as we're home together.
-Moving my body - in some way - most days a week.
-Taking a nap when I'm tired. Even when I think I should be doing something else.
-Reading, journaling and spending time with God in quietness and prayer.
Because I've fallen in love with these practices, I'm more likely to default to them when life hands me "stuff."
I've fallen in love with a good night's rest instead of staying up later.
I've fallen in love with eating foods that make me feel energized and nourished instead of foods that make me feel bloated and tired.
I've fallen in love with hydrating with water before I load up on other drinks.
I've fallen in love with sitting down to eat my meals instead of standing over the counter or eating in a rush in the car.
I've fallen in love with the rhythm of grocery shopping on Friday and cleaning the house Saturday morning, so I can relax into the rest of the week and not worry about the messes as they arise.
Even when the day to day doesn't go the way I want it to, I know that I will still show up to care for myself in these ways because this is what I do.
And it's a whole lot easier to do it when I like my reasons for it.
I’m also able to handle the day-to-day with more effectively when I’m rested, nourished and connected.
So... as the fall season ramps into whatever it does for you...
How do you want to be with it?
How do you want to relate to it?
Embrace the fact that "good feeling" moments come and go.
Find ways to fall in love with practices that nourish and support your well-being.
My weekend wish for you.
