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Conversations with clients recently and my own day to day ups and/or downs, had me thinking about this question;
What Truly Makes Me Feel Good?
Not only taking time to ask ourselves that question, but also taking the time to dissect it and discover the answer(s) to best help ourself inside and out.
I discussed this topic to some extent in a post back in January . I've had several instances recently (personally and with clients) that makes me want to dive back into this topic deeper and put that question out there; What TRULY makes ME feel GOOD? How often over the past week, month or past few months have YOU asked yourself this question and taken the time to think about it??
Reminder - Doing something that makes you TRULY FEEL GOOD doesn't have to be extravagent. It can be as big as taking your canoe/kayak for a paddle somewhere or as small as enjoying your morning tea/coffee on the porch or sharing a 10min phone call with a best friend.
Ya know what!? Do it now. Write down everything that comes to mind, RIGHT NOW, that makes YOU feel good!! Before you read on....
NEXT QUESTION....
How often do you DO these things each day??
It's VERY EASY in our modern world to overload ourselves and take on too much in our day, which sets ourselves and our health aside in favour of everyone and everything else. That makes it all the more important to take a few minutes of your time to REALLY think about how often you DO some of these things you've listed EACH DAY???
NEXT QUESTION....
You may or may not have noticed (and it may not be this way for everyone) but I feel when we take the time to think about these things that make us feel good, it's not usually in a specific way. Let me show you what I mean by sharing a few from my list of things that make ME FEEL GOOD;
Morning Mindfulness Meditation
Going for a walk or run (especially in the woods)
Morning coffee, on the porch, with my book
Lift Sessions (strength exercise)
Mobility / Yoga Sessions
Getting to the cottage or back country camping
Moving my body in general (sports, exercise, paddling, fly fishing etc)
... to name a few.
Notice how they're all generalized?
For example;
-My morning mindulness meditation isn't specified by exactly what meditation I'm doing (guided, loving-kindness, breath focused...) or how long I'm doing it for (1min, 10min ....)
-My lift sessions aren't specified in regards to what program I'm doing, how light or heavy I'm lifting or how long a session is that day
-My time at the cottage or camping isn't specific as to doing "this" or "that" or even for how many days/nights
-Moving my body in general vs sitting on the couch or at my desk
... It's the ACT OF DOING these things (or other things that make me feel good) that IS the important PART and what makes me feel good!!! I recognize HOW GOOD I FEEL when I DO these things in my day. Sometimes this feeling is more prominent AFTER. Sometimes this feeling happens BEFORE or DURING. But ALL of these things make ME feel GOOD, which is ALL I WANT and FOCUS ON. And I'm pretty sure if you're reading this, you like feeling good too! So why don't we allow ourselves to more often??
Now that we have listed what makes YOU feel good...
We can now go back to the second question;
How often do you incorporate THOSE things (one, some or all)
into your EVERY DAY???
If the answer is "I don't", it's a wonderful place to start to help boost your mood, energy and improve your sleep among other aspects of health without stressing about what exercise routine you're "supposed to do" or "what diet is best". If this is you, remind yourself of the ACT OF DOING it rather than complicating things with numbers, stats, programs or "should do" mindsets isn't necessary... JUST DO WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE and ENJOY IT daily!
If your answer was "I do some of these things each day", check in with your overall energy and mood lately. Where are you at? Are you still dragging your butt more days than not the past couple weeks? If this is a 'yes', look back on your list and see if you can ADD some more "FEEL GOOD" to your days and/or adjust the "FEEL GOOD" activities now to more often in your day or perhaps a longer session of your chosen activity. Or perhaps you've realized you're not doing these things daily, but rather just a couple times per week. Maybe there is some time to fit them in more often throughout your days/weeks?
Or are you full of energy most days? If so, recognize that there is a high probability it's coming from a balanced lifestyle in your daily routines! Hold onto this practice because it's benefiting you and your deep health!
Finding our balance between responsibilities and play is crucial to longevity and health. It promotes not only balance and happiness, but also a work-recover balance as well.
Final Thought...
If this is hard for you...
If you can't think of what makes YOU feel good....
If you don't have some of these things in your daily routines and priorities....
THIS may be where you want to start to help benefit your health and wellbeing in a positive (and fun) way over and above starting some program, diet or routine that you TRULY don't care to do right now. When you do things you ENJOY and that make YOU FEEL GOOD regularly, the rest tend to fall into place more easily.
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