I feel like I’m taking crazy pills
Throw some salt over your shoulders.
I am a ritualistic person. I think rituals are great anchors to our habits. They serve as the foundation to our lifestyle and to our life. There’s something so sacred about the prep time right before you start any project because it signals your mental, psychological and physical state to get ready.
Your overall well being on any given moment varies depending on your state of mind. For instance getting ready for a boxing workout versus a meditation practice require different setups from each other. Setting the tone is a huge part of any activity because it can dictate the outcome and the results. Mood-setting impacts how you perform a certain task. Think about the music you play when you’re hyping up for a competition. It’s not quite the same when you’re relaxing for a massage.
Rituals are a bit like intention setting too. Or to some degree a bit of a superstitious belief. This is especially salient among sports fans who believe wearing a certain team jersey will bring their team luck. As for me, my favorite ritual is taking my extra sweet time with my coffee every single morning staring blankly into the void. It might seem like I’m deep in thought but truly I’m just giving peace the space to come into my day before life gets chaotically in the way. Nothing beats the first morning brew to set the tone of the day in a quiet and calming way. I hope to maintain the sacred ritual this week as I keep my bearings while I wrap up my last few days in Porto before embarking on my journey up the road to Santiago.
Be well.
Kat✨
Some recommendations and discoveries that I hope can help you be a little bit better and kinder this week:
How to be better for yourself…
🧹 Detox | Out with the old and in with the new! Take time to reassess what’s not contributing to your overall wellbeing and adjust accordingly. There is a Buddhist saying, “ you can’t fill a cup that is already full.” If you feel overwhelmed, drowning or overburdened, sometimes the simple act of purging, cleaning, tidying, and organizing really does help clear the mind. At least it does for me. So the next time you’re feeling stuck, Mari Kondo your life. Clearing stagnant energy in your physical environment can do wonders to your mental health and well-being.
How to be better for others…
🤯 Manage | Overachiever much? When we outperform and exceed expectations on work projects, we often get rewarded with well, more work. Be mindful of this especially if you’re inundating others with extra work for a job well done. Just because they’re super good at something doesn’t mean you pile them on with even more work. Manage and prioritize responsibilities across individuals. And remember if other people can’t meet your expectations, that’s a you problem. It’s not other people’s job to meet your expectation. Everyone has their own threshold. So keep yours in check. Your relationships will thank you for it.
A road well traveled: Reflecting on lessons from traversing life
This week’s journal prompt is inspired by Paolo Coelho. The first words I transcribed on my new travel journal in calligraphy: Stop being who you were and change into who you are. Are you still holding on to an outdated version of yourself? If so, what are you afraid of letting go?
Wellness in brief: news and stories
Would adding warning labels on social media platforms help?
Shopping for a therapist? Start here.
What’s this functional freeze and what does it look it?