Suaimhneas: Living Goddess

Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.

Allen Saunders

I have been on a journey for a long time to simplify and live a more intentional life, to improve my health and wellness so I can not only live a long life, but an active one.

Along the way I have adopted some positive habits and changes that I believe have improved my health and wellness and increased my life span. I quit smoking. I rarely drink soft drinks. I always take my coffee or tea black. I drink lesss coffee. I consume less sugar and salt. I eat more fruits and vegetables. I sleep better.

I have made some progress, but I am not nearly done. I still need to shed the pounds of a whole other person off my body, for one thing.

Structure

In recent years, I’ve been learning more about the positive impact of habit stacking, having routines and structure, and I have worked with planners and apps and other tools in order to create and maintain routines and a daily structure of positive habits. But I haven’t reached a place where anything has become unshakeable and unbreakable.

I sail along very well as I climb the moutain and race across the peak, but when I hit the next valley the wheels come off and I derail, often gravitating back to the bad habits that have been my auto-pilot for most of my adult life … fast food, alcohol, television binge watching, late night treats, sleeping less, falling into a depression …

I want to get to a place in my life where my routines, structure and positive habits actually help me to navigate through the valleys more quickly and easily. Rather than getting overwhelmed by my emotions and mindlessly trying to escape them through food, drinks, and television, I want to quickly get to the place where I always get eventually anyway, the place where I am present with my emotions, acknowledging and processing them.

I am not there yet. Again, I have made some progress. I’ve been able to navigate some valleys in a matter of months rather than a full year, but they weren’t that deep, and because everyone in my immediate family is still living, I know some of the deepest valleys are yet to come.

Habit Stacking

I know I am a happier, more productive and more present human being when I embrace positive habits, follow a routine and have structure to my days. But, I also know that I tend to get bored with the apps, resent the timers, and burn out from constantly pushing myself.

I want to live freely, spontaneously, creatively! Any new habits that I lean into or routines that I put in place really need to feel natural for the me that always has been, as well as support the development of the me that I hope to become.

That’s why I purposely added “Go outside” twice to my Best Life Practices list. I enjoy being outside, especially this time of year. The crisp air, singing birds, and rustle of the wind invigorate me. I love watching the squirrels scamper and the deer feed off the tall grass in my backyard. After so many years of feeling trapped in an apartment, surrounded by people and houses with no tranquility, I appreciate Mother Nature’s serenity.

Because it supports who I am, going outside should be easy to do, if I give myself permission to step away from the desk with the gentle reminder that going outside is such an important life practice for me that it’s on my list twice!

The simple act of going outside can add so much value to my day … a mental break, feelings of gratitude, creative photo opportunities, wonderment, laughter, joy, exercise in extra steps, and fellowship with my family if I wander over for a visit, which I most often do when I go outside. The very simple activity of going outside could potentially check half of the Best Life Practices boxes in one move. In theory, at least. Afterall, I am conducting an experiment and the trials haven’t begun yet.