We've been talking a lot lately about being busy and how to be more productive in the limited time that we have during our activity-filled days.
Today, I'm going to move in a completely different direction and talk about how we can slow down and how to Find your Peace.
I'll admit it. I'm strung pretty tight (and if you know me at all this is pretty darn obvious). I am high-energy, high-activity, and sometimes, just plain high-anxiety.
So, in the midst of such a busy life, how do I find my calm, how do I find my peace?
- Peaceful wakeup routine
- Wake up before the kids. This was a hard lesson to learn and even harder to implement. I am not historically a morning person and one of my kids is so this required a dramatic schedule shift. But, getting up earlier allows me to ease into my day a little bit without being bombarded with a litany of demands the second I open my eyes. And the joy of sipping a hot cup of coffee in silence is incredible.
- Skip Social Media. I don't allow myself to jump on any Social Media until after my morning routine. No email either for that matter. Time is precious and while I love those things they tend to take on a life of their own. So, I schedule times for social media breaks and set a timer for when I am on there.
- Wake up with Jesus
- I have an app on my phone that I use as my morning alarm. It opens with a quick, 5-minute bible study that I read first thing. You can check it out here.
- Once I get out of bed, I love to head down to my favorite chair and do another quick devotional. Sometimes I don't get to this but when I do I really enjoy the additional infusion of peace into my morning. My current devotional is Jesus Always by Sarah Young. Each day has literally a 3-minute reading but those quick minutes really help get my mind calm and focused to tackle my day.
- The next devotional on my list is New Day, New Start by Brandie Manigault. I haven't started this one yet but Brandie is a local mom and I've heard some of the devotionals from her book so I'm excited to dig into it. If you want to check it out you can find the book here, and you can follow her on Facebook here.
- Exercise
- I'm a new exerciser (ha - looks like that is actually a word- nice) and only really started focusing on being active about two years ago now but the difference it makes in my anxiety level and attitude is amazing!
- My goal is to exercise early in the day most days of the week so I benefit from the attitude adjustment all day long.
- This can be as simple as walking the dogs to doing yoga in my living room to doing a workout online (I like this one) or actually heading to the gym - it all counts and it all helps.
- Get outside
- My happy place is outside in sunshine. My goal is to be outside for at least a few hours each and every day. Thankfully, having kids makes this super easy and keeps everyone happy.
- Pool, park, going on a hike, getting to the beach (my favorite!!), camping, taking a bike ride all help to center me and keep my happy and peaceful.
- If, heaven forbid, I can't get outside, I fake it. I will put nature sounds on my phone, plug in my headphones and imagine those waves I hear crashing are right in front of me. It's crazy but it really does work as a decent stand in when I can't break away.
- Peaceful Bedtime ritual
- No electronics for at least 30 minutes before bed. This helps me get in the mindset of sleep and helps me start to slow down a little bit.
- I take the time to think of 5 things that I am grateful for that took place that day. Ideally you would want to write them down but honestly, I typically don't. But, I will say when do I take the time to put a pen to paper and consistently keep a gratitude journal I am so much happier (note to self - start doing this again).
I hope these little tips help you find some extra peace in your days. And please share what you are doing already to find your peace! What are your sanity savers? Please comment below - I'd love to learn from you and I know other people would as well.
As always, thank you so much for spending this time with me. If you found value - please share it with the people you think could benefit as well.
