Now that summer is almost here, life seems to be coming back into focus. The past few months have been a bit of a blur with school, work, dance rehearsals, and trying to fit in some time for friends and family.
I noticed this exhaustingly fast pace, interestingly, only as it began to slow down. Last week, I was sitting in my living room with two of my friends. It was raining and we were talking about our plans for the upcoming week. We made tentative plans to cook dinner together the next day. While halfway focused on this conversation and halfway focused on my social media feeds, I happened upon a video. It was one of those accidentally-viral clips of someone's pet doing something weird and hilarious. I instantly and almost involuntarily let out a long, loud laugh. It wasn't a polite or fleeting laugh. It was an ugly belly laugh. It felt good, and the feeling remained in me, like I had released something that had been weighing on me. While I was catching my breath, my friend said, "Wow, I haven't heard you laugh like that in such a long time".
I instantly wondered why.
Why can't we, in the middle of our hectic lives, let out a good laugh? Why can't we stop and breathe and just note the goodness in our lives, or focus on our own wellbeing for a moment?
It's something I'm now striving to do for myself. It's something I want all of my loved ones to know and take advantage of. It's important to stop, take a second, and let go. Let go of the tension in your shoulders. Let go of the seriousness in your face. Let go of the one thought that has been dragging you down all day. Let go of negativity and hold tightly to positivity.
It's simple, and it can be done in very simple ways, like:
- lighting a candle in your workspace
- stopping everything for five minutes to have a coffee break
- stretching
- scheduling a self-care session (Manicure, spa treatment, face mask at home, using an essential oil diffuser, etc)
- calling a friend just to talk
- calling your mom just to talk
- Writing about your day
- Writing about your goals
- Creating something
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