When was the last time you did something that you could feel was filling up your soul in the exact moment you were doing it?
My husband and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary last week and we got to go adventuring together (sans children). We hiked and climbed and rested in nature for hours.
I got to stand in the freezing water at the bottom of a huge waterfall as it's mist touched my face. I felt like I could catch my breath and simply BE while the deep wild rhythms and extravagant beauty of nature filled me up. I could feel my face smiling and I remember thinking "I want to bottle this feeling forever."
Depending on what's going on in life, sometimes it can feel like we drift away from ourselves, we find it hard to catch our breath and maybe we even forget the things that breathe life into our soul altogether.
Our trip reminded me of some things I love (and truthfully really need). Things like being in nature without an agenda or time limit, things like fun and delight, things like time with my husband, things like adventure and pushing myself physically in new ways, things like deep rest.
I wonder if you know or remember the things that fill you up?
It can feel really foreign to imagine doing things differently when it feels overwhelming and we're just trying to get through each day as it comes. I get it. I also know that we don't necessarily have to go on epic trips to experience these things (although, that's nice too).
We can choose to include these things in our every day life, little by little, inch my inch.
Do you enjoy nature? Can you find 5 minutes to put your feet in the earth & breath?
Do you feel like you need more space in your head? Can you put your phone down for 5 minutes and write a bullet point journal instead?
Do you want more fun? Can you book in a dinner with friends, play a game, watch something funny or simply choose to have more fun?
Can you plan a bush walk once a month or sign up for a 10k running event or go to bed earlier?
This might sound harsh, but no-one else is going to take the time to make sure all our needs are being met, especially if we don't know what they are ourselves. I'm on a journey of rediscovering and finding new parts of myself, it's exciting, and while I'm supported by people around me, I am also the only one who can do the work in figuring out what the next version of myself will be - and that includes figuring out the things that fill me up and doing more of them.
Action: Write down something that helps you feel more like yourself Make a plan to incorporate it today Send me your thing so you've committed to it.
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