90 Days to Holistic Wellness

As we “grow up”, we often forget who we are and what we enjoy. We lose ourselves to our roles in life.

This week is all about finding some time do something that stimulates your mind and excites your soul. It is important to routinely do things that we enjoy, things that bring joy to our lives and that when missing, leave us depressed and just a shell of who we could be. Life is short, make it how you want it, right?

Study after study show that getting lost in an activity that we love and enjoy significantly increases our level of happiness. Positive psychologists call this “flow”. Feeling fulfilled and joyful requires spending some time in the flow…doing what brings you joy. Have you ever been busy in the garden, planning a project, working on a craft, building or painting, or anything really…only to find that you completely lost track of time. You were just so “into” what you were doing that you didn’t realize you missed a meal or that hours have passed? When that happened, you were “in the flow”.

You may realize, as you sit down to create this goal, that even after doing the exercises above, you still don’t know what you like to do anymore or what you might even be interested in learning! So start with what you know or just try something new. I’m not suggesting you run out and enroll in college to get your Master’s degree in basket weaving…. I’m suggesting you think for a moment about something you used to do when you were younger and start there.

Ideas: -You used to love art class? Grab a pencil and a sketch pad or stop at an art store for some paint.

-You used to read mystery novels? Stop by the library and pick up a new release.

-You played guitar? Tune it up and play.

-You used to whip up gourmet meals before the kids came along? You used to love building things out of wood? You loved helping your Grandmother in the garden? You used to jog or play baseball? See how you can reconnect with one of these interests.

Still completely void of inspiration?

-Ask your friends or co-workers what they like to do.

-Check out the community education sessions near you to see if anything sounds remotely interesting.

-Find a park nearby and just get out in nature for a bit and see if you can find some inspiration there.

-Turn on the radio or checkout an online radio player such as Pandora and search down music that you like.

-Go online and take an aptitude test to see what might interest you.

Once you have decided on what you are interested in trying, you have 2 tasks to accomplish this week. First, is to obtain any supplies you might need. You may need to schedule a trip to a store or library; or find the time to rummage through the basement or garage, etc. The second task is even more important; you need to set aside the time to actually do this joyful activity! This is where people fall down on this goal, the follow through. It doesn’t have to be a big time commitment, just enough to accomplish your goal. Schedule it in your calendar and keep it!