Note: This is a guest post I wrote for AMSDaily. Check them out! -Catia

As a pastor, I think a lot about Faith and also about how to care for myself in a job that is both amazingly rewarding but also, at times, profoundly draining both physically and emotionally. Two weeks ago I wrote about the basics of Self-Care (Self-Care 101) and how I began thinking more seriously about caring for myself and practicing good Self-Care on a daily basis. But how does this relate to Faith and Spirituality? At the heart of Spirituality is the idea of the Sacred. In my Christian tradition I understand each human and the environment to be Sacred because we are created by a loving God. It’s easy sometimes for me to look around at name everyone else in my world Sacred, Loved, Blessed and Beautiful and forget that I, too, am all of those things. Self-Care helps me to celebrate my own Sacredness and worth before God. And a reality of practicing Self-Care is that it takes time.If we are going to practice Self-Care we have to set aside intentional, focused time to do so. Interestingly, it has also been my Faith tradition that has helped me the most in learning to do this:

Sabbath is a concept that originated with the Israelite people thousands and thousands of years ago. It was codified and written down, after passing through oral tradition, probably sometime shortly after the Jewish captivity in Babylon ended and the Israelites got serious about writing down their stories and laws. In the simplest, Biblical sense Sabbath is a day of rest practiced in imitation of God, who is said to have rested on the seventh day after creating the world. Jewish law forbids nearly any kind of work from sundown on Friday through Saturday. It also asks that people stay close to home, eschew much technology and is traditionally celebrated with long, ritual-filled family meals, visiting with close friends and neighbors, drawn out theological discussion and quiet books and games. I have always been intrigued by the concept of Sabbath and Sabbath keeping. As a Christian we normally practice Sabbath on Sunday and don’t traditionally keep Jewish Sabbath law (such as staying close to home), but I think there are pieces of the Sabbath tradition in Judaism and in Christianity that can be revolutionary for our own Self-Care and sense of the Sacred in our lives.

My question: What does Sabbath do for us? How does it help us maintain and deepen our Spiritual lives and practice good Self-Care?

Time: Interestingly, today people think they work far more than their counterparts in the 50’s or 60’s. If you ask the average person if they feel stressed, overworked and busy….well, just go ask your neighbor and I bet you will hear a resounding Yes! It’s interesting, however, that in scientific studies when people have been asked how much they work and how much time they have for leisure, people today over-report how much time they work and always express that they wish they had more time for leisure. When asked to keep a time-diary of every activity in a day, the reality of how people spend their time doesn’t match up to what they report: people aren’t working any more than we used to and have plenty of time for leisure. So why do we FEEL so stressed? I wonder if the amount of leisure time we spend on media (TV, Ipods, Computer, Netflix, Instant Messaging, Facebook….) takes up much of our leisure time but doesn’t give us the feeling of rest and fullness of life that other leisure activities do (like visiting with friends, writing hand-written letters, long walks outdoors, family-cooked meals and staying at the table chatting for hours with a glass of wine). I also believe we live in a culture that values business so much that we are all swept up in a mindset that we have to be busy to be worthwhile people. I recognize that their are real strains on our time, and many of us have to work odd hours and many jobs just to make ends meat. And this is where Sabbath comes in: Sabbath asks that we TRUST that the time we have is ENOUGH. To practice Sabbath, to set aside a day of the week to not work asks us to believe that there is plenty of time for the things that matter to us and plenty of time for work. It also asks us to trust that if we don’t get everything done….it isn’t the end of the world! We are still valuable, wonderful people created in the image of God! This is afundamental attitude shift. Our culture relies on the mantra: there is never enough time so run, run, run! Sabbath’s mantra: there is plenty of time for the things that matter most in life. 

Faith: I believe that God had a real purpose in modeling Sabbath for us and later asking us to be people who keep Sabbath. It’s not about rules and regulations. Sabbath, as Jesus points out later, isn’t something God designed so that we could please God…it’s something God designed for us. God perhaps foresaw that we would become a people obsessed with productivity, technology, fast-food and drive-thrus. And Sabbath is the anti-dote. In our Faith life and our Spirituality, trust is an important thing! Learning to trust God and be comfortable with vulnerability is a life long process. And I believe Sabbath is one tool in helping us do that.

Sabbath gives us time and space for wonder. 

Sabbath lets us rest and honor the bodies God gave us. 

Sabbath opens us up to appreciated the deep human relationships God created. 

Sabbath gives us time to be in God’s creation, and to experience the beauty and transcendence in our world.

…..I could go on and on and on 

6 ideas for your own Sabbath: 

1. Try to set aside one day this week, preferably Saturday or Sunday (Sabbath was meant to be celebrated with others, so finding a day where your family and friends will be present can be helpful) to be free from work, too many chores, meetings, etc. Etc. My rule of thumb: If it causes me stress or worry, I put it aside on the Sabbath. I created a Sabbath Basket: I put my homework, stressful papers, to-do lists etc. Into the basket on Saturday night.

2. Quit before 10 p.m. the night before. Sabbath is dependent on getting lots of rest. Go to bed early and don’t set the alarm if you can help it. When you wake up in the morning, do something inspiring right away. For me: I love a good cup of coffee with classical music and my favorite novel. Or taking a very early morning walk in the Environmental Center by my house (with that same cup of coffee). I often call a friend and ask if they want to walk before Church and chat.

3. Limit technology. More and More I find that the mandate to “stay close to home” that many Jewish people follow is perhaps smart. Technology opens worlds for us, which is a beautiful thing, but perhaps one day a week it’s ok to shut things off and focus on the space and relationships that are before us. Can you do without your computer for a day? Iphone or Ipod? What about your Car? Can you walk to the places you need to be and enjoy the sights and sounds?

4. Say No. You will have to say No to somebody or something if you choose to keep a Sabbath. Sometimes I say “no” even to GOOD things, like Workshops or Parties. I do try to see some friends or write letters to family/friends on the Sabbath, but I am an introvert and I try and honor that on my Sabbath day. Saying No to chores, too, can be ok! Can you do them on Saturday?

5. Plan Ahead. This is the most important key for Sabbath Keeping! If you are a student, in order to keep Sabbath you have to do homework and work on Saturday. If you are a parent, you have to do the laundry and chores on Saturday. This can be hard, but it’s like any habit, the more you practice it the more used to it you get.

6. Make a list of Sabbath Activities. Sometimes, without my usual technology or homework, I get a little stir-crazy by 6 p.m. I keep a list of my favorite things to do on Sabbath, that I don’t have time for others days of the week, so I can look at it and get excited about new and fun activities. I try to ask myself: what does my body and mind want to (or need to) do in this moment? Also: napping is always a good plan  Some suggested Sabbath Activities: Walks, Drawing in Nature, Reading novels, Writing letters, Cooking a new kind of food, Painting or other artwork, Walking to the coffee shop and getting my favorite treat, Games with friends, Coffee with friends, Yoga, Lovemaking/time with your Significant Other, Calling family far away, Bubble Baths, Baking treats, Home spa treatments….

Enjoy your Sabbath this week my friends. The best way to start Sabbath is to just try it! Once you try it, if you are like me, you’ll be hooked!

Peace and Grace,

Catia

A week ago I was bundling up in my winter coat and braving some significant wind to get to my car and get to school. And today? Woodchuck and I just came in from laying in our bathing suits on a blanket outside for an hour, in 80 degree weather. We were both rewarded with faint tan lines!

Yesterday I knew it was time to bust out the ice-cream. Now I really enjoy eating healthy. I have appreciated the ways my cravings have changed over the last months that I’ve focused on eating fresh, home-cooked foods and lots of healthy snacks like fruits and nuts. As much as I care about the health of my body, I also, however, care about the health of my soul and yesterday as the sun shone down and Jovie, our dog, was happier than she’s been in months, I just knew that this was an ice-cream on the porch kind of afternoon. So I went to the store and bought myself a little carton of strawberry and one of chocolate hazelnut! (Two flavors, it was really a splurge day!) 

And I savored that treat.

It was a treat, after all. And I firmly believe in treating myself, but doing so because it’s good self-care and it makes me happy, not because I have an addiction to sugar (so many of us do) or use food to mask emotions. And when I do have a treat, I try to use every Savoring Skill I have to make the treat and the memory of it last as long as possible. This works for awesome, special food and for thousands of other kinds of experiences.

What are Savoring Skills? If you watched the TED Talk I posted a few weeks ago on Positive Psychology, you’ll have noticed that Martin Seligman mentioned Savoring Skills as an important way to boost happiness. When we use Savoring Skills we are, essentially, focusing on the moment (and the tastes, sights, scents and emotions of the moment). In many ways we could say that Mindfulness is very similar to Savoring. Savoring, too, I believe is a skill we can learn and practice over time. Martin Seligman suggests as practice designing a “Beautiful Day”: a day full of our favorite things and new, wonderful experiences and using that day to practice Savoring Skills and Mindfulness.

Here are some of the Savoring Skills I use and find most helpful—feel free to add more ideas in the comments section! A number of these come from the book: Savoring, A New Model of Positive Experience.

1. Do one thing at a time. If you read any personal development or happiness project blogs, you are going to get a little tired of the word focus. But here it is again: focus. We can’t savor things we aren’t truly focused on. Multi-tasking interrupts flow, that state of pure positive engagement, self-forgetfulness and “being in the swing of something” that psychologists describe. If you want to savor an experience, stop doing anything else and focus.

2. Take a picture. Happiness is boosted when we anticipate an event or experience (though be careful not to have high expectations!), are fully present and mindful during the event, than take time to remember, review and savor it. Taking a picture, even of fairly ‘mundane’ sights in your day can actually increase your appreciation for the event, place or situation. For instance: The other day I noticed that I always sit in the same, light-filled, window-graced table in the library and I tend to set up the table with my computer and books the same way: so I took a picture! Now whenever I see that picture or think about going to study I have a new appreciation for how nice the library is  I always take a camera along on my daily walks and photograph anything beautiful or neat I see. I have a new appreciation for my neighborhood and have a great collection of pictures from my walks!

3. Journaling. This is something I want to grow in! By reflecting on your days in a reflective journal (or an art journal, poetry journal, etc.: so long as you could say it isreflective) you are re-living positive memories and processing difficult events, ultimately bringing meaning to them both. In terms of Savoring, Journaling is a particularly wonderful way to recall small, beautiful moments from the day (like sitting on the porch and enjoying 2 flavors of ice cream!) by describing all the sights, smells, tastes and feelings. If you are a writer, reflective Journaling is a tool to practice skills of description, dialogue and to gather ideas from your life and experiences (I also go back to review my journal for preaching ideas!)

4. Tell someone. By describing to someone what you’ve experienced you can Savor the experience and remember all the great things about it. Another person may even point out other wonderful moments and ideas that hadn’t occurred to you! I called Woodchuck and we laughed together about my 2-flavor splurge and how Jovie was going nuts over the squirrels in the yard!

5. Humor. Injecting humor into an experience is a great way to make it memorable and positive! Enough said 

6. Do a “sense scan”. To re-focus myself on an experience I’ll do a “sense scan”, asking: what am I tasting? What am I hearing? What does my skin feel like/are there any interesting textures around me? What am I seeing (particularly, what is beautiful in my sight right now)? How is my heart/mind/body feeling? I also try to take 3 deep, focused breaths to bring myself into the moment. 

7. Search for Spiritual or Theological Meaning in your experience. For example: my experience eating ice-cream reminded me that, though I don’t believe the primarypurpose of life is pleasure, that pleasure is a gift from God and something that I am gifted to be able to experience. I reflected on the beauty of the changing of the seasons. I reflected on my own belief’s in moderation and how proud I am of having eaten healthy lately. I reflected on where my ice-cream came from and sent a ‘thank you’ prayer to the cows, farmers, farm-hands, dairy processors, truck drivers, and Kroger workers that made it possible for me to enjoy this moment. I remembered one of my most important mantras: “Food is Gift”. I also remembered and prayed for the Apple farmers who are deeply worried they will lose their crops because of this heat wave and the possibility it will yet freeze. I reflected on how important living in a diverse, vibrant and struggling neighborhood is to me as I watched my neighbors walk by and waved. All of this Spiritual reflection enhanced my awareness and gratefulness in the moment. 

8. Be Grateful. Can you name 5 things you are grateful for in this experience or moment? Ice Cream, a healthy body and stomach, a soft and furry dog, the beautiful sunshine, living with B & G and experiencing their beautiful Garden and Yard, the beehive in our yard coming alive and the wonderful honey we will harvest, Fiona-the adorable 6 year old next door who always comes over to pet Jovie, the financial resources to afford this treat without guilt……….etc. Etc. Etc. 

Here’s so practicing Savoring in all that we do! May your experiences today be memorable and wonderful!

Friends, I write this post as someone who has spent much of the last week feeling drained, fatigued, exhausted and plumb tuckered out! By Saturday evening I realized I was running a low-grade fever, and by Sunday a high-grade one: so perhaps that contributed to my nagging fatigue all week long.

Still: I struggle with fatigue. Despite countless visits to doctors, a seriously robust vitamin regimen and 8 hours of sleep a night: I still struggle. I write this post, then, as a fellow fatigue warrior. I am always trying new ideas for having more energy, being more alert, stabilizing blood-sugar, and fighting fatigue. After years of experiments I have come to some conclusions about what works for me and what doesn’t, and I think it’s time I begin sharing those conclusions with you.

The Basics: 

Drink a lot of water. More than you ever thought you would need to. Buy a water bottle. Start the morning with a big glass (I’m working on creating the habit of filling my water bottle at NIGHT so it is ready first thing to drink from).

Sleep. Really, enough said. Set a bedtime and stick to it. Studies show that it’s best if you wake up and go to sleep at roughly the same time every day (within 30-60 minutes). Also,don’t look at computer/tv/ipod screens within 30-60 minutes of sleep. They seriously suppress melatonin needed for sleep!

Exercise. The most effective way to boost energy when you are feeling sluggish. If you don’t want to suit up and drive to the gym, a 10-20 minute brisk walk will certainly do it. Listen to some tunes or practice mindfulness walking: really notice the sights, sounds and smells around you. Check out the awesome bark on that tree or the bird’s nest built over your neighbor’s door…

Beyond the Basics: There are some days when these three things, and others (taking vitamins, eating a low-sugar diet and protein rich breakfasts, yoga for internal regulation and strength) just don’t quite cut it. Well all know those days when it seems like we are doing everything right and still feel lethargic and sluggish. So here are 5 slightly off-beat ideas I’ve tried that I’ve found actually do help: some in smaller ways and some in more significant ways.

1. Smell Things. You’ve heard 100 times to “Take time to smell the Roses”, well, there is something to that! Certain scents stimulate our brains and do help us to be more alert and awake. I’ve found that taking a brief (2 second) moment to pause and enjoy the scents in my life, especially as I’ve tried to surround myself with energizing scents, really does give me a boost of alertness and wellbeing in the morning. Scents I find particularly awakening: mint (I have mint and tea-tree oil shampoo),  cinnamon  (I found Amish Cinnimon Soap I use, I also love Good Earth Sweet & Spicy Tea which has a lovely dose of cinnamon and awakening scents!), citrus (have an orange in the morning and really sniff it! I also have Burt’s Bees Citrus Oil that I rub on my body for an extra kick!), coffee (studies show that just smelling coffee can increase alertness! So sniff those beans before you brew!), lavender (again, studies show this scent can increase alertness–a candle or heated oil works well, also body spray or lotion), ginger (ginger tea anyone?).

2. Change your Socks. I read once that changing your socks once or twice throughout the day was a real boost of freshness and energy. It seemed a little crazy, but simple enough, so I started doing it. If I was going to be at school/work all day I would just throw an extra pair into my bag. I especially found that coming home from a long day and changing my socks (and pants, I have a comfortable pair of yoga pants I love to change into after work!) really did boost my alertness and even energy. Another tip: When you change your socks, take the time to really stretch out your toes. Stand on tip toe, bend your toes back and forth. This gets blood circulating which is another huge tip for boosting energy!

3. Wear bright colors, decorate with bright colors, and color.On days when I’m feeling bla, just like it actually boosts happiness to just force yourself to smile for 3 seconds (and and this boosts energy too! Try it!), I find it really boosts my energy (and confidence) to dress in bright colors and/or wear my snazziest, sexiest outfit. If those around me see me as bright, energetic, fun-loving, or just plain cute, it helps to actually feel that way! Living in a space that is bright is certainly also an energy booster. Can’t paint? No problem! I have a fun card someone made me with old paint chips that brightens the area above my desk. Try a brightly colored picture, poster, buy flowers!, I’ve even just made sure to populate my mug shelf with brightly colored mugs! Lastly, color a picture. I know, we aren’t 6, but working with colors and art seriously increases focus and can be a significant force to helping achieve some inner calm. Just take 10-20 minutes to color a mandala or, if you want, a Winnie the Poo book! (If you have kids, this is a great way to connect with them! Have an afternoon parent-kid coloring contest and populate the fridge or a special living-room gallery with the work!)

4. Rest. And when I say rest, I do not mean reading, watching TV, playing a game. I take my cue here from my best friend who suffers from Fibromyalgia and has had to seriously alter her lifestyle to live within what we call her “energy window”. She learned the hard way that when doctors prescribed her to rest it mean laying down, eyes closed in a dark or quiet space for no less than 15 minutes.That’s it. The only thing she lets herself do, and only on days that she already feels good, is listen to an inspiring podcast or some gentle, classical music. I’ve learned so much from her about what makes good rest, and I think we all could benifit from one or two 15 minute quiet real rest breaks every day. My friend has also taught me a lot about Pacing: tracking when you have the most energy in a day and when your energy is low and learning to schedule and do the most important things when you have the most energy. This seems like a simple concept, but most of us don’t do it. This is why I’m working to do MORE in the mornings and allow myself to rest between 2-4 and in the evenings. Would you consider tracking your energy levels (say on a scale of 1-5) for a week, recording them every 2 hours? It might be revelatory!

5. Spend 20 minutes pursuing a dream. We all have dreams, interests and passions that go un-pursued of the course of a day, week or month (and, for some of us, our whole lives). One of the most effective ways to boost energy and feel good about yourself and your dreams is to just set everything aside for 20 or 30 minutes and pursue that dream or passion. Maybe it’s just reading about that dream PhD program you really want to go for, maybe you’ll actually work on that painting you started 3 years ago, maybe you’ll open that book you’ve been dying to get to, maybe you’ll watch TED talks or see what others in your field are doing, perhaps you’ll send a risky but awesome e-mail asking to meet with someone or seeing if someone would be willing to meet with you. 20 minutes is actually plenty of time to take a positive step forward towards pursuing your dream, and you will feel awesome about it for the rest of the day!

(Bonus: #6–Make a Rockin’ Energy-Filled Playlist! Music really can boost energy! Compile your favorite energy-boosting songs and play them loud! For an added energy boost: dance wildly!)

Lastly, there is no magic formula. After years of fighting fatigue, alongside friends and family who also struggle, there comes a point when you realize that you really can try every trick in the book and there will be days you are still  just plain exhausted. And that’s ok. It’s not a reason to give up. But realize: there is no magic formula. The same goes with food. I know men and women who have eaten healthy and exercised often their whole lives and who still get cancer and have lost their battles. And I know men and women who haven’t ever exercised and have practically lived off of ho-ho’s and have lived into their 90′s. It’s unfair, sure. And it’s not an excuse to not eat healthy now. BUT we can’t base our lives around looking for the perfect way to fight fatigue or be cancer-free. Really: that’s the fun in life, too! We experiment! We learn from what doesn’t work! We research and try new things! And if you find yourself purely exhausted today or tomorrow, that’s ok too. It’s not your fault. Take a fatigued day (or even week!) as an opportunity to practice great self-care, spend more quiet time with l

oved ones and learn to be instead of always do. (See: Knowing When to Stop)

May you have an energized and glorious day! This week I’m commit

ting to resting (in the closed eyes, quiet room way) for at 

least 30 minutes a day. This is a new habit for me and I’m excited to see how it boosts my energy and helps me feel more calm throughout the day. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Peace and Grace,

Catia

Related articles

• My favorite list: 55 Ways to Get More Energy (zenhabits.net)
• How To Avoid Fatigue In Your Daily Life (shouldknowit.wordpress.com)
• Why Am I So Tired? 10 Causes of Fatigue (women.webmd.com)
• Fighting Off Fatigue (everydayhealth.com)
• Fighting Chronic Fibromyalgia Fatigue (webmd.com)
• Adrenal fatigue (drbobghelfi.com)
• Fatigue (jenlynn401.wordpress.com)

March means Spring is nearly here. At least, it means we have survived the worst. (Let’s ignore that there’s a storm and blizzard predicted for my city tonight…) It also means I am heading into the third month of really focusing on Happiness and making changes in my life to be happier, healthier and better connected to loved ones.

In March I am focusing on Friendship, but continuing to think about energy. Energy, after all, is foundational to Friendship. When I don’t have enough energy, I am not a very good friend. I don’t have the gusto to go to First Fridays, or stay out late watching a movie at someone’s house, or invite people over for a home-cooked dinner. So I’m holding both Energy and Friendship this month, knowing that they inform each other and grow together.

7 Resolutions for March: (some of these might sound familiar)

1. Do 3 kind, unexpected or out-of-the-way things for friends Daily. (I keep 3 rubber-bands on my left wrist in the morning and move one over each time I do something special for a friend). E-mails, Cards, Poems, Chocolates, Dinner, Car-Sharing….I’ll be posting more this weekend on my ideas for fulfilling this Resolution!

2. Continue to Move. Like my Simplified Morning Routine, I’m simplifying my resolutions: all I ask of myself is that I move daily. Walk, Yoga, YMCA, Spinning, Running, Weights….for whatever it is. However long. (Confession: I took a “before” picture of myself today, something to refer back to as I continue to build habits of healthy eating. How will my body change? I don’t know. And in some ways I don’t care—I believe I’m beautiful just as I am, but am intrigued at how my habit changes may affect my body).

3. Write. I want to continue working on the draft of my Novel (I finished a large section on Thursday, yay!). I also want to involve others. I’ve have e-mailed pieces out to friends and other writing colleagues for editing and conversation. Make writing social. 

4. Speak French. It’s getting close to when I leave for France and Switzerland. It’s time I start really trying to pull together my language skills in writing and speaking (and continue to build them!). I want to spend more time visiting with my friend who grew up in France to work on my skills and offer her company (she lives alone and is 86!)

5. Blog. Enough said 

6. Knit. Planning to finish my shawl this month.

7. Rise Early. This one will continue to take some work and dedication. I would like to try to go to bed and wake up nearly the same time each day (yes, also on weekend! I really struggle with weekends now), or within 30-60 minutes of the same time each day. I’ve been able to rise consistently between 6 and 6:30 but would like to move towards rising at 6 or between 5:30 and 6. I just love free and open mornings where I can Move, Write, Drink water and Coffee and feel energized and open for the rest of my day!

What about February? 

In many ways, February wasn’t easy. It was hard moving back into school/work after a month away and continuing with my resolutions. It was a lot of give and take, on and off. What I found most helpful was never giving up on my Resolutions Chart. The chart holds me to things. I also learned that Grace is key. Off-days are just that…Off-days, they don’t mean I’m lazy! I work hard and do a lot! I am a wonderful, productive person. I am also growing, bit by bit, and learning to love the journey! 

Another wonderful TED Talk with huge insight into Happiness, Flow. The speaker, renowned Positive Psychologist Martin Seligman, describes how in he focuses not on making miserable people less miserable, but average people happier and more effective in their lives (and nurturing what he calls “High Talent”, or Giftedness).

Some highlights (because yes, I was so enthralled, I grabbed for a pen to write down all this wisdom!)

• He contrasts The pleasant life/The good life/The meaningful life and how we enter into each (and which is most significant for overall happiness)
• Know what your highest strengths are (see authentichappiness.org to take quizzes to find out). “Know your highest strengths and use them for something higher than you.”
• Want to create more happiness? 
  • Have a Beautiful Day (design a beautiful day for yourself and use mindfulness and ‘savoring skills’ to savor the day and remember it)
  • Do a Gratitude Visit: visit someone who has had an impact on your life and tell them so. 
  • Have a Strengths Date (use you and your partner’s greatest strengths and create a date to highlight and celebrate them!).

Enjoy! I am So Grateful for the wonderful resource of TED Talks. We live in an amazing world—I don’t have to leave my bedroom to find incredibly engaging lectures, and reading, on new and fascinating topics.

We have this idea that everyone should be totally independent, totally whole, totally together spiritually, and totally fulfilled. This is a myth. In reality, our lack of fulfillment is the most precious gift we have. It is the source of our passion, our creativity, our search for God. All the best of life comes out of our human yearning-our not being satisfied. Certainly Scripture and religious tradition point out that we are not to be satisfied. We are meant to go on looking and seeking.

-Gerald May

Such encouraging words. I’m reminded today that nothing is truly an ends, but the joy we find in life is the joy along the journey. Perhaps it has been far overstated (and far too little heeded), but the longing of the journey is itself the destination. Enjoy your journey, today, friends. May you rest in your own sense of dissatisfaction and use that urge and pull to create beauty out of your life!

I am a doer. I do so many things in a day: Yoga, Writing, Walking, Classes, E-mails (lots of them), Talking to Woodchuck, Reading, Writing Papers, Church Meetings, More E-mails….this list could be endless I’m afraid. I feel proud of all that I accomplish because of my doing. And I look around and see that so many people around me (including many of my friends and colleagues) are also wonderfully accomplished. Still, in this world of doing and accomplishments the words I hear most often in small-talk conversations around me are: tired, busy, exhausted, sluggish, should, need to, not enough time, ‘went to bed at 2 am’, woke up late, more coffee!!, so much to do…

A few years back I posed some important questions to myself: If I want to be accomplished, do I have to sacrifice my sleep/rest/sanity in order to do so?  Can I have free and restful evenings, calm productive mornings and good sleep while still remaining caught up in my field of work and education? 

Yes, Yes and Yes. 

The key is this: knowing when to stop.

Tonight for example: I’ve had two very long days of classes, and because I left some things to the last minute I’ve been working non-stop between classes. Regardless, last night–even though I had maybe 20 more minutes of work left to do–I turned off the light at 10:30 because I knew I wouldn’t do my best work tired and I could eat a simple breakfast in the morning and get to class early to finish. and tonight: like it said, it’s been a long two days. So I’m resting. I had dinner out with a dear friend, came home by 8 to finish a film I have been wanting to see for a long time, will finish this blog post and then crawl into bed, perhaps with a book, and let myself fall asleep naturally.

I could: keep answering e-mails (I’m still a little behind), catch up on my French vocab cards (also, technically behind), start reading for my next class, work on a sermon…..this list, as well, could be endless. 

There will always be something else we can do. But we must stop. And it is paradoxical, but stopping and resting more often actually means being more productive when we are choosing to work. And not only more productive: more alert, less muscle tension, fewer headaches, and an overall calm spirit.

Knowing when to stop fundamentally changes our relationship with time. We are no longer bound by it. We don’t use time, we experience time. Practicing stopping, a ceasing of our work and resting, helps us see that time is indeed for us and not against us. By practicing stopping and resting, we cultivate trust. Trust that there is an abundance of time instead of a shortage. Trust in ourselves as we listen to what our bodies and minds need. Trust in the future.

Next time you are feeling tired, overworked, and overscheduled (and when you hear words like busy, exhausted, no time coming out of your mouth), ask yourself whether you need to stop for a while. And do it. Stop. Just be. As much as we value productivity and accomplishment, we all ultimately have deep intrinsic worth as beings not as doings. Let’s celebrate that by being, and experiencing the joy that is rest.

There it is. My simplified morning routine.

Here’s where it came from:

1. Drink: I’ve been reading, and believe, that drinking water (preferrably with lemon) first thing in the morning can help with early energy. Dehydration is one of the leading causes of low energy. I want a simple morning routine that “primes” me for an energetic day. I start drinking by using fresh lemon water to swallow my supplements (a habit I’m proud to say I’ve really engrained in myself the last few months) and then finishing a full bottle of water by 10 or 11 a.m. (yes, this contributes to a significantly increased need to go to the bathroom, but I swear it’s worth it.) I also drink my coffee nearly first thing and then call it quits on caffeine for the rest of the day.
2. Move: I want to get my body awake and moving first thing. I am making a goal to start my morning, right after I get out of bed, with a quick (3-5 minute) Yoga routine from Eckart Yoga (f.y.i. I don’t do the ‘tapping’ part, but I enjoy all the rest and adapt as I see fit). I found this simple movement really helps me to feel excited for the day as I get in the shower. Beyond that: I try to spend 20 minutes to 1 hour moving in the morning, usually before I write because that gets my brain flowing (the order of my morning routine is flexible, however). This can include: exercise class at the YMCA, walking through the neighborhood (especially if it is sunny out!), yoga in my room (maybe I’ll add running one of these days!).
3. Write: I’ve been struggling most with getting a solid 30 minutes of focused time to write and edit fiction daily. This is an important goal for me, but it also requires a lot of mental energy that I struggle to muster once it is later afternoon. Practicing my most difficult habit to maintain before anything else will help me maintain the habit as well as go into each day feeling joyful I’ve accomplished an important task. (What I don’t like about this: being on my computer 1st thing. Oh well! I’m learning to use my Macbook for connection, productivity and creativity–not wasting time and flitting around.)
4. Eat: This isn’t a hard one for me  The trick is to stop my activities 30 minutes before I need to be at work/school. I need at least 15 minutes to eat, and even though I only live 4 minutes from either Work or School (less than a mile either way) I really do need 15 minutes to get my things together, get in the car and then unpack/settle in at class or work. I also want to eat while sitting down, and focusing on my food! 

Favorite Breakfasts Lately: Plain Greek Yogurt with Kashi Go-Lean, Ground Flax Seed, Frozen Wild Blueberry’s and Honey. or Raw Almond Butter on a Wasa Cracker with an Orange or Grapefruit or Bannana.

I also eat Dried Cranberry’s and Walnuts for a mid-morning snack and a very small bar of Dark (ok, sometimes milk!) Chocolate in the afternoons.

Wake up Early: In many ways, this is the key to the entire morning routine. I’m struggling with how to decide whether having a free morning=sleeping in, or if I should keep to my wake-up times more religiously (there is something to be said about our bodies settling into a natural rythm). I also know I need a lot of sleep (8-9 hours) to feel energized, so I have to be careful that if I set the alarm clock for 6 a.m. I am getting into bed to read by 9 or 9:30. I take a very low dose of Melatonin 30-40 minutes before I want to fall asleep to help me get sleepy and fall asleep fast!

There is is folks, I remember my 4 steps by repeating: Do Magnificent Wonders Early. 

What about your morning routine? What habits/Happiness Project Resolutions do you need to start practicing first thing in the morning in order to be successful and consistent? Do you go to bed/wake up the same time each night or vary it based on your schedule and morning’s off? 

Half-Way through February? How, when and why did that happen!? (And when I say Half-Way, we are really considerably MORE than Half-Way through!)

I’ve struggled this month. In some ways its been lovely and glorious and I do believe I have been Happier. Returning, for the most part, to a regular school/work schedule has been fantastic. I love regularity and predictability. I enjoy the interaction with others that my academic and church (work) worlds foster. I appreciate that I essentially work at my own pace and on my own schedule right now, allowing myself the flexibility to pursue activities like French learning, Fiction writing and Exercise—all things I hope will continue to make me feel Happier and more fulfilled. Still, the return to my usual schedule had me re-assesing how realistic some of my goals were within a week, and some of my most important goals for this month (like creating the habit of going to the YMCA to exercise at least twice a week) haven’t panned out at all (in this case because the Y is being quite slow in processing the membership application I turned in mid-January!). I struggle to Write Fiction, work on French and Exercise all in one day—let alone keep up with my blogging (which is, in many ways, an immensely helpful source of reflection and positive strategies for my Happiness Project). Eating well and other measures to gain more energy go quite well in the morning, but Brownies have really been my downfall lately and I have found myself with less energy than usual, let alone more.

I confess, then, that I’m not sure what to do in this moment. In no way do I want to give my Happiness Project up, because I look at the past few weeks and see that I have so much more potential to work towards Happiness and Fulfillment and do I really want to give that up just to be…well…a little lazy? Are there ways I can be more realistic about the demands of School and Work and yet still make Writing and French priorities?

Last Monday was a wonderful day, a profoundly productive day. What contributed the most to the sense of accomplishment and productivity I felt during that day (though, again, I struggle to not totally equate Productivity with Happiness and let myself just rest sometimes….so that’s something to keep in mind) is that I woke up knowing I had some energy-sapping, focus-requiring tasks and decided to finish one of them first thing. No ifs-ands-or-buts. And I did. I had my entire Project Proposal for a Fellowship I’m a part of completed by 8 a.m. and something about that small victory made me want to continuecompleting projects and tasks throughout the day. I took breaks, I still squeezed in three hilarious episodes of How I Met Your Mother and some rest and reading. Overall, I felt really wonderful about the whole day.

And then the rest of the week took over, and here I am, Friday, having written only on two days of the week, done Yoga on two, Blogged on one.

How do I balance the guilt having a chart of tasks can sometimes engender with the inspiration such a chart and the expectations I’ve placed on myself can bring me? How do I simultaneously go easy through life and through my Happiness Project, while being serious about meeting my goals?

So, for the rest of February, my theme is ultimately Balance. Balancing the above-mentioned ways of approaching my Happiness Project and goals, and balancing my world between real habits towards Happiness and Productivity and some leniency and rest. One of the things I do note works for me (and I’ve noted this all along, but somehow find myself reluctant to always do it) is to focus on doing my most important tasks first thing.

1) Each day I will write down the 3 most important things I want to accomplish.

2) I will do one of those things before 8:30 in the morning. or if that’s not possible, I will Write Fiction (the hardest habit so far to being regularly) before 8:30 in the morning.

I also found this article by Gretchen Rubin’s blog helpful recently: Problem with Procrastination, Try This-Do Nothing

I’ll check in again next week.

Here’s to hope for the rest of February,

Catia