Where is Your Calm Place?
CALM
Calm. Just hearing the word can make one want to close your eyes, take a deep breath in, then EXHALE. That exhale feels sooo good, doesn’t it?
What does being CALM mean to you?
Let’s get curious about helping your gain some calm in your life today, right now, in this moment as you are reading.
IDEAS FOR CALM
Here are 3 Ideas for Helping You Find Your Calm Place:
1. Get Curious About Time – YOUR Time
Do you really need more time in your day? What are you trying to accomplish through each and all of the tasks you do each day? Today? Now?
We all have tasks we HAVE to do. Of course. But what percent of our time are they, really? Maybe it is 100% - but do you really know? When is the last time you checked?
What if you could find 5% more time just for you? There are 24 hours in a day. Say 17 hours of awake time (assuming you get 7 hours of sleep – 8 would be better). That’s 1,020 minutes. 5% of that is 51 minutes. That’s almost 1 hr! What would you do with that extra time?
To help you wrap your head around your time, here’s an exercise:
Take 30 seconds and write down each task you have on your mental “To Do” list today. Or simply count the ones you already have written down. How many are there? What level of confidence do you have that you can get to them all?
Next, identify why each item is there. Ask youself:
How important is this task? What happens if I do NOT do it?
What Need – not thought, not feeling – is that task fulfilling within you?
After you are done with your list ask yourself – honestly! - Is there a better way?
Brainstorm 5 ideas for how you can improve this list.
Implement at least 1 of your ideas.
Taking control of your time can help decrease your stress and increase your sense of calm.
2. What Grounds You?
Often unconsciously many of us do activities our bodies and minds find calming and supportive.
Watering the plants. Baking fresh bread. Playing with your pet or your kids. Sewing. It could be anything. Listening to music. Going for a walk outside. Walking around the office with a cup of coffee for 5 minutes. Chatting with a friend.
What are those little things we don’t give much thought to?
Here’s an exercise for you:
Make a list of these small doings.
Spend a week noticing them and writing them down on a Sticky Note or in a Word document. Could be just a couple words.
At the end of the week, take a few moments to review them.
Intentionally schedule at least one of these calming periods into your day.
The more we notice calming actions, the more we appreciate them and the more likely we will repeat them. Once they are in our consciousness, we can use them as part of a coping strategy when we get anxious.
Get to know what calms you.
3. Harness Nature.
When did you last go for a walk in the woods? The smell of the earth, the beauty of the trees, perhaps the babbling of a brook. It feels so good. What is it about nature that pulls at our inner being?
It has a name - Biophilia is the innate human instinct to connect with nature and other living beings. It’s why even looking a photos of plants feels good.
Take a few moments to harness nature and the tranquility it provides.
Go for a 10 minute walk outside.
Have an indoor houseplant on your desk – a durable one like a parlor palm or a ZZ plant or a dracaena. Watering it 1x/week feels nice. Watch how it gradually grows a new leaf. Nature keeps its own calendar.
Notice the birds. What color are they? What are they doing?
Look for butterflies.
Sit on a park bench.
Go to a farmer’s market and notice the fresh produce. Ask the farmer what their best vegetable is. Pause to notice its color, its firmness, its scent.
Watch a sunset.
Maybe one of these can be a new strategy for calm?
A great book if you are interested in learning more about the connection between nature and health is Your Brain on Nature by Eva M. Selhub, MD and Alan C. Logan, ND. Reading is calming, too!
COACHING CALM
Invest in a deep dive to explore what might help bring more calm into your life by booking one of my Single Consultations.
See where calm fits into your personal well-being vision through a package that helps you discover your inner drives and needs.
Thanks for stopping by my blog!
