Lessons From My 32nd Year of Life

Today is my 33rd birthday, and for me, birthdays mean reflection. Reflecting is so important to me because it helps me move through the world with intention. This past year, more than ever, I have dedicated time and energy to getting to know and understand myself. While it certainly wasn’t easy or comfortable a lot of the time, the lessons I’ve learned with stick with me for the rest of my life.

• How to practice self-care When the quarantine began on my birthday last year, I was already on my way to developing a self-care routine, but it was certainly a back-burner priority for me. One of my patterns from as young as I can remember has been to put the needs and wants of others ahead of myself, and of course, this included self-care. That has shifted during the pandemic. Part of it is because working from home has offered too much flexibility and I’ve learned to set boundaries, and another part is that I’ve really been working to internalize the belief that I am valuable and caring for myself matters. Here’s how I’ve practiced self-care in the past 12 months:
  • Learning to meditate with the help of Headspace (https://www.headspace.com/): I really put this to use last week for an MRI of my brain. Claustrophobia came to visit and I acknowledged that fear from the mindful observer standpoint- it was AMAZING!
  • Daily journaling: I write first thing in the morning to clear my mind.
  • Daily walks in nature: I get out the door as soon as I finish my daily journaling.
  • Adopting an intuitive yoga practice.
  • Prioritizing sleep! I’ve slept more in the past year than EVER before and it definitely makes a difference.
  • Began practicing EFT: I’m not sure of the impact yet as I just started before my birthday, but I’ll keep you posted!
  • Taking cold showers: I’ve been working to reset my nervous system and cold showers are one way to do that, especially after some time in the sauna.
  • Spending time in the infrared sauna: I purchased a portable infrared sauna to support detoxification after mold exposure.
  • Practicing affirmations: I found that affirmations have helped me to rewire my brain, especially around negative thoughts. It’s a lot easier to single out negative thoughts and challenge them because they don’t align with who I’m striving to see myself as.
  • Drastically reducing my work schedule: I cut 20 hours out of my weekly work schedule, which is a LOT!
  • Paying attention to what I’m feeling and what I need: A huge perk of the pandemic has been time. Time to slow down, time to listen, time to explore, and time to respond.
  • Eating clean: While I’ve eaten clean for the past 8 years, this is the first time I’ve really tuned into how food impacts my body and cut out foods I have a reaction to even if they’re clean.
  • Practicing intermittent fasting: I didn’t love this at first because it was quite hard, but I’m hoping it’s been helpful for reducing inflammation and insulin resistance while increasing cellular repair.
• The importance of acceptance I’ve lived most of my life in a state of resistance and control out of fear, but this year especially, I’ve learned that there are SO many things we can’t control. Aside from the pandemic, I’ve experienced a decline in my health for the first time in my life and it’s been overwhelming frustrating. I’ve never eaten so clean in my life and yet I’ve gained 20 pounds this year. Unfortunately, it’s not something I can easily repair with diet and exercise like society wants us to believe- this is hormonal, thanks to the chronic mold exposure in my life.
• “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast” I learned that the Navy SEALS have this saying and instantly loved it. It made so much sense to me and it’s helped me to slow down in the small moments of my life instead of rushing from one thing to the next. I used to panic when I saw one or two minutes on the clock before my next scheduled appointment, but now I can slow down and savor those two minutes for what they are without fear or anxiety. It preserves the smooth flow of calm throughout my day.
• Self-trust can be built It seems that many parts of us that are thought to be fixed or part of our personality are actually open to input. Self-trust is one of those areas and it’s rather simple to build by making and keeping promises to yourself. Neuroplasticity backs this up- we can always create new neuropathways in our brains with intention and consistency.
• Action brings clarity As a recovering perfectionist, it can feel insurmountable for me to start new projects sometimes because I want them to be perfect, and that’s not a reality when we start new things (or EVER, really!). The only way to get clear on what you want to create or build is through action, so here I am, taking action in building my blog that I’ve dreamt of for the past decade!

I’m looking forward to building on all of these lessons learns as well as experiencing all of the new learning and growth my 33rd year will bring.

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