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How to Feel Grounded in Life

9:13 am by Seeking Joyful Simplicity 1 Comment

10 ways to feel more grounded in life
Being grounded means you feel focused, centered, and present, able to make good decisions even in the midst of chaos, you feel a sense of purpose and clarity. When life is difficult, learn how to feel grounded using these 10 strategies.

Being Grounded

Feeling overwhelmed and off-balance, trying to manage when life feels chaotic and out of control can leave us feeling frazzled, anxious, and struggling. Sometimes we react to life circumstances from a place of groundedness, feeling capable and calm, despite the chaos. Other times we feel like a leaf in the wind, being blown about, our emotions at the mercy of the events around us.

“Dig deep & pull the roots of confidence from the ground of your being, standing firm in the raging storm until sunlight blossoms inside you.” 
― Curtis Tyrone Jones

Being grounded in life allows us to feel focused, centered, and present in the moment. And even though we can’t always control the events happening around us, we can choose how we respond.

Being Grounded in Life:

  • You feel focused, centered, and present
  • You have the deep inner feeling of being good enough
  • You feel secure and solid in who you are
  • You know you will be fine no matter what happens
  • You feel a sense of purpose
  • You have a sense of clarity and are able to choose your response to the events happening in your life
  • You are able to feel and express your emotions without them spiraling out of your control
  • You trust yourself
  • Being grounded is about understanding the kind of person you want to be and making decisions that support your best self

So how do we practice the art of groundedness when the challenges of life come hurtling at us?

Use these 10 strategies when you feel stressed, overwhelmed, worried, tense, or uncertain.

  1. Breath focus – coming into your body is the fastest and most effective way to reground yourself. The easiest way to do this is to practice focusing on your breath. Try this method – inhale slowly to the count of four, pause, then exhale slowly to the count of five. Repeat four times and feel your body and thoughts slow.
  2. Experience with all your senses. This is another way to come back to the body. Take a moment to pause and experience the moment with all your senses. Notice the sounds, sights, physical sensations, and scents around you.
  3. Progressive muscle relaxation. This is an excellent way to come into the body as well as notice the areas holding tension. By first noticing, then releasing, you can relax and let go of both the physical and mental tension. CLICK HERE for a downloadable PDF with simple instructions.
  4. Remember 5 positive experiences in the past week. We can instantly change our thought patterns and body tension from worry and tension by focusing on the positive. I have used this technique with my coaching clients and repeatedly seen results. Think back over the past few days and come up with five positive experiences – it could be as small as the friendly cashier at the grocery store to something more significant like a supportive phone call from a friend. The point is to focus on five positive experiences to help break the tension/worry/negativity pattern.
  5. Gratitude. Take a few minutes and write down or say aloud 10 things you are grateful for
  6. Ask Questions. If you are struggling with worry – ask yourself, “What event on the horizon is making me anxious? Why is this making me anxious and what’s the worst that could happen?” And then follow up with, “What’s the best that could happen?”
  7. Shake things up with Movement. Movement is a powerful way to instantly change our physical and mental pattern. It can be something formal like a few yoga poses, taking a walk, or as simple and silly as jumping jacks or dancing to a favorite song.
  8. Unplug. Even if you can’t completely unplug, take a break free from all social media and news. Set a time limit for yourself – a specific time during the day, or better yet, set aside an entire day or several days. Notice how you feel.
  9. Spend time in nature. See if you can walk barefoot in the grass. Use all your senses – listen for the sound of insects, the feel of the breeze on your skin, can you smell the fresh cut grass, what do you see?
  10. Visualization and grounding. Try this technique – Either from a standing or seated position, press your feet firmly into the floor. Visualize the tension and worry draining from your body, pouring into the ground. What color is it? See and feel it moving down your body from head to toe. As the negative energy drains, notice the feeling of lightness that takes over.

Okay, so my challenge for you is this – choose one or two strategies to practice feeling grounded. Practice it daily (set a reminder for yourself!) If you practice now, it will be easier when life throws challenges at you.
What strategies will you use, or do you have your own? Leave a comment and let us know!

Wishing you peace and comfort,
~ Michelle

More on Living With Intention from Seeking Joyful Simplicity

A Better Way to Start Your Day – How to Start Your Day with a Positive Attitude
The Most Important Thing – Having the Courage to Live with Authenticity

Filed Under: Living with Purpose, Simple Living

30 Personal Development Books for Women That Offer Practical, No-Nonsense Advice

7:47 am by Seeking Joyful Simplicity 2 Comments

Can we really change our lives just by reading a book? I believe so. Good books are like good conversations - you can gain insights into your own life by listening to the experiences of another. If you are a believer in life-long learning and personal development, you may enjoy this list of 30 personal development books for women

In the words of Dr. Seuss,

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go. 

No-Nonsense Personal Development Books for Women

Can we really change our lives just by reading a book? I believe so. Good books are like good conversations – you can gain insights into your own life by listening to the experiences of another. If you are a believer in life-long learning and personal development, you will enjoy this list of 30 personal development books for women that offer practical, no-nonsense advice.

From confidence and self-esteem, the mindset of money, health, relationships, and spirituality, there’s something for every woman on a journey of growth, self-discovery, and life-long learning.

Spirituality

 

The Alchemist ANNIVERSARY EDITION Edition by Paulo Coelho published by HarperCollins (2006), Pauolo Coelho.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho continues to change the lives of its readers forever. With more than two million copies sold around the world, The Alchemist has established itself as a modern classic, universally admired.

Paulo Coelho’s masterpiece tells the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found.

The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories can, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path, and, above all, following our dreams.

 

Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl.

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl’s memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of others he treated later in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it,

Confidence and Self-Esteem

 

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are, Brene Brown

In her ten guideposts, Brown engages our minds, hearts, and spirits as she explores how we can cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, “No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough,” and to go to bed at night thinking, “Yes, I am sometimes afraid, but I am also brave. And, yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.”

 

The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance—What Women Should Know, Katty Kay

Following the success of Lean In and Why Women Should Rule the World, the authors of the bestselling Womenomics provide an informative and practical guide to understanding the importance of confidence—and learning how to achieve it—for women of all ages and at all stages of their career.

 

Confident You: An Introvert’s Guide to Success in Life and Business, S.J. Scott and Rebecca Livermore

Introversion can be a good thing. Without introverts, society would be full of outgoing and social people but a lot fewer artists, analysts, scientists, doctors, writers, engineers, and designers. On the other hand, the world often celebrates and rewards extroverts, often leaving introverts out in the cold.

Instead of trying to make you an extrovert, the goal of “Confident You” is to help you capitalize on all the positive aspects of being an introvert, while helping you overcome the less positive aspects of introversion.

Happiness

The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking, Oliver Burkeman

Oliver Burkeman introduces us to an unusual group of people who share a single, surprising way of thinking about life. Whether experimental psychologists, terrorism experts, Buddhists, hardheaded business consultants, Greek philosophers, or modern-day gurus, they argue that in our personal lives, and in society at large, it’s our constant effort to be happy that is making us miserable. And that there is an alternative path to happiness and success that involves embracing failure, pessimism, insecurity, and uncertainty―the very things we spend our lives trying to avoid. Thought-provoking, counterintuitive, and ultimately uplifting, The Antidote is the intelligent person’s guide to understanding the much-misunderstood idea of happiness.

 

Finely Tuned: How To Thrive As A Highly Sensitive Person or Empath, Barrie Davenport

As a sensitive person, you may believe you’re weak and less resilient than others. This belief may have been reinforced all of your life, but nothing could be further from the truth. Highly sensitive people and empaths are gifted with unique skills making them more creative, intuitive, conscientious, and empathic.

 

The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World (Art of Happiness Book), Howard Cutler, MD and The Dalai Lama

Through conversations, stories, and meditations, the Dalai Lama shows us how to defeat day-to-day anxiety, insecurity, anger, and discouragement. Together with Dr. Howard Cutler, he explores many facets of everyday life, including relationships, loss, and the pursuit of wealth, to illustrate how to ride through life’s obstacles on a deep and abiding source of inner peace. Based on 2,500 years of Buddhist meditations mixed with a healthy dose of common sense, The Art of Happiness is a book that crosses the boundaries of traditions to help readers with difficulties common to all human beings.

Life Passion and Purpose

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose (Oprah’s Book Club, Selection 61), Eckhart Tolle

Tolle describes how our attachment to the ego creates the dysfunction that leads to anger, jealousy, and unhappiness, and shows readers how to awaken to a new state of consciousness and follow the path to a truly fulfilling existence.

Illuminating, enlightening, and uplifting, A New Earth is a profoundly spiritual manifesto for a better way of life—and for building a better world.

 

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, Sheryl Sandberg

Sandberg is chief operating officer of Facebook and coauthor of Option B with Adam Grant. In 2010, she gave an electrifying TED talk in which she described how women unintentionally hold themselves back in their careers.Written with humor and wisdom, Lean In is a revelatory, inspiring call to action and a blueprint for individual growth that will empower women around the world to achieve their full potential.

 

The Success Principles – 10th Anniversary Edition: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, Jack Canfield

The Success Principles will teach you how to increase your confidence, tackle daily challenges, live with passion and purpose, and realize all your ambitions.

 

A Year with Rumi: Daily Readings, Coleman Barks

The Sufi mystic Rumi offers insights into the divine within us and around us. Delightful.

Mindfulness and Habits

Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life, Jon Kabatt-Zinn

Dr. Kabat-Zinn has taught this two-thousand-year-old Buddhist method of relaxation to thousands of patients. Through mindfulness, one makes every moment count. By “capturing” the present and living fully within each moment, one can reduce anxiety, achieve inner peace, and enrich the quality of life.

 

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, Eckhart Tolle

A word of mouth phenomenon since its first publication, The Power of Now is one of those rare books with the power to create an experience in readers, one that can radically change their lives for the better.

 

Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results (Volume 1), Stephen Guise

You can succeed without the guilt, intimidation, and repeated failure associated with such strategies as “getting motivated,” New Year’s Resolutions, or even “just doing it.” In fact, you need to stop using those strategies if they aren’t giving you great results. They don’t work because they all require you to fight against your subconscious brain (a fight not easily won). It’s only when you start playing by your brain’s rules and taking your human limitations seriously–as mini habits show you how to do–that you can achieve lasting change.

 

The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM), Hal Elrod

What if you could wake up tomorrow and any—or EVERY—area of your life was beginning to transform? What would you change? The Miracle Morning is already transforming the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world by showing them how to wake up each day with more ENERGY, MOTIVATION, and FOCUS to take your life to the next level. It’s been right here in front of us all along, but this book has finally brought it to life.

 

Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, Brene Brown

Walking into our stories of hurt can feel dangerous. But the process of regaining our footing in the midst of struggle is where our courage is tested and our values are forged. Our stories of struggle can be big ones, like the loss of a job or the end of a relationship, or smaller ones, like a conflict with a friend or colleague. Regardless of magnitude or circumstance, the rising strong process is the same: We reckon with our emotions and get curious about what we’re feeling; we rumble with our stories until we get to a place of truth; and we live this process, every day, until it becomes a practice and creates nothing short of a revolution in our lives. Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness. It’s the process, Brown writes, that teaches us the most about who we are.

 

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, Charles Duhigg

At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, being more productive, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. As Duhigg shows, by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.

Simple Living

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, Marie Kondo.

With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house “spark joy” (and which don’t), this international bestseller featuring Tokyo’s newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home—and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

 

Choosing Simplicity: Real People Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Complex World, Linda B. Pierce

This ground breaking work goes beyond the books that tell you how to simplify your life. This book reveals what has happened in the lives of real people who have done it. Based on the author’s three-year study of over 200 people from 40 states and eight countries, Choosing Simplicity is a delightful and rich blend of real-life profiles and guidelines on simplicity. Interwoven throughout the stories are the author’s insights and lessons to guide those who want to explore simplicity and to sustain those who have already embarked on this journey.

 

The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own, Joshua Becker

Most of us know we own too much stuff. We feel the weight and burden of our clutter, and we tire of cleaning and managing and organizing.

While excess consumption leads to bigger houses, faster cars, fancier technology, and cluttered homes, it never brings happiness. Rather, it results in a desire for more. It redirects our greatest passions to things that can never fulfill. And it distracts us from the very life we wish we were living.

In The More of Less, Joshua Becker helps you…

• Recognize the life-giving benefits of owning less
• Realize how all the stuff you own is keeping you from pursuing your dreams
• Craft a personal, practical approach to decluttering your home and life
• Experience the joys of generosity
• Learn why the best part of minimalism isn’t a clean house, it’s a full life

The beauty of minimalism isn’t in what it takes away. It’s in what it gives.

Finances


Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence: Revised and Updated for the 21st Century Vicki Robin

In an age of great economic uncertainty when everyone is concerned about money and how they spend what they have, this updated edition of the bestselling Your Money or Your Life is an essential read. Millennial Money‘s Grant explains: “The premise of it is that you exchange your time for money. And when you start thinking about how many hours of your life it took to save up the money to buy something, you really start thinking twice about your purchases.”

In Your Money or Your Life, Vicki Robin shows readers how to gain control of their money and finally begin to make a life, rather than just make a living.

 

Sacred Success: A Course in Financial Miracles, Barbara Stanny

Barbara Stanny, the leading expert on women and money, has helped women take control of their finances for two decades—and she knows there is much more to success than how much you earn. In her work with powerful, successful women over the last 20 years, bestselling author and financial educator Stanny has found that most women’s problems with money have little to do with money itself, but rather with their fear of, or ambivalence toward, power. Instead of pushing women to pursue financial success in the traditional fashion, Sacred Success seeks to redefine power from a feminine perspective.

More than a financial guide, Sacred Success is a primer on power for women—a tutorial for taking charge of your life by taking charge of your finances, and not only growing your money but creating a deeper, richer, and more meaningful life. Best described as “A Course in Miraclesmeets the Wall Street Journal,” Sacred Success gives you a proven process that uniquely blends the practical, psychological, and spiritual work of wealth.

 

All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan by Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi

You work hard and try to save money, so why is there never enough to cover all the bills, to put some away in your child’s college fund, to pay off your credit card debt—or to relax and have some fun, for once? In the New York Times bestseller All Your Worth, mother/daughter team Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi—authors of the acclaimed The Two-Income Trap—tell you the truth about money. The authors lay out a groundbreaking approach to getting control of your money so you can finally start building the life you’ve always wanted. The result of more than twenty years of intensive research, All Your Worth offers you a step-by-step plan that will let you master your finances—for the rest of your life.

The secret? It’s simple, really: get your money in balance. Warren and Tyagi show you how to balance your money into three essential parts: the Must-Haves (the bills you have to pay every month), the Wants (some fun money for right now), and your Savings (to build a better tomorrow). No complicated budgets, no keeping track of every penny. Warren and Tyagi will show you a whole new way of looking at money—and yourself—that will help you get your finances on track so you can enjoy peace of mind for the rest of your life.

 

Worth It: Your Life, Your Money, Your Terms, Amanda Steinberg

Worth It outlines the essential financial information women need—and everything the institutions and advisors don’t spell out. Steinberg gets to the bottom of why women are stressed and anxious when it comes to their finances and teaches them to stay away from strict budgeting and other harsh austerity practices. Instead, she makes money relatable, while sharing strategies she uses herself to build confidence and ease in her own financial life. Through her first-hand experiences and the stories from other women who’ve woken up, Steinberg’s powerful and encouraging advice can help women of any age and income view money as a source of freedom and independence—and create bright financial futures.

 

Health

The Adrenal Thyroid Revolution: A Proven 4-Week Program to Rescue Your Metabolism, Hormones, Mind & Mood, Aviva Romm, M.D.

Weight gain, fatigue, brain fog, hormonal imbalances, and autoimmune conditions—for years, health practitioners have commonly viewed each as individual health problems resulting from a patient’s genetic bad luck, poor lifestyle choices, or lack of willpower. Patients, too, have turned to different doctors to alleviate their specific symptoms: an endocrinologist for a thyroid problem; a gynecologist for hormonal issues; an internist for weight, diabetes, and high blood pressure; a rheumatologist for joint problems, and even to therapists or psychologists.

While these ailments may seem unrelated, Dr. Aviva Romm contends that they are intrinsically connected by what she calls Survival Overdrive Syndrome, a condition that occurs when the body becomes overloaded.

The Adrenal Thyroid Revolution explains SOS, how it impacts our bodies and can lead to illness, and most importantly, offers a drug-free cure developed through Dr. Romm’s research and clinical work with tens of thousands of patients. In as little as two weeks, you can lose excess weight, discover increased energy, improve sleep, and feel better. With The Adrenal Thyroid Revolution, you can rescue your metabolism, hormones, mind and mood—and achieve long-lasting health.

 


You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay

Excerpt from You Can Heal Your Life:

Life Is Really Very Simple. What We Give Out, We Get Back

What we think about ourselves becomes the truth for us. I believe that everyone, myself included, is responsible for everything in our lives, the best and the worst. Every thought we think is creating our future. Each one of us creates our experiences by our thoughts and our feelings. 

 

Hashimoto’s Protocol: A 90-Day Plan for Reversing Thyroid Symptoms and Getting Your Life Back, Izabella Wentz, PharmD

Diagnosed with Hashimoto’s at twenty-seven, pharmacist Dr. Izabella Wentz knows first-hand the effects of the disease, as well as the value—and limitations—of medication. The key to improved health, she argues, involves lifestyle interventions. In Hashimoto’s Protocol, she outlines a proven treatment that has helped thousands heal and many others feel better—in as fast as ninety days.

Grounded in the latest science, Hashimoto’s Protocol is the first book to offer a proven protocol by an acknowledged expert in the field to treat this condition and help sufferers reclaim their lives.

 

Relationships


Women Who Love Too Much: When You Keep Wishing and Hoping He’ll Change, Robin Norwood

Inspiring, practical program for women who believe that being in love means being in pain. Presents a clear, comprehensive, 10-point recovery plan for women who are addicted to the wrong men for the wrong reasons.

 

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts, Gary Chapman

Dr. Gary Chapman’s approach to showing and receiving love will help you experience deeper and richer levels of intimacy with your partner—starting today.

The 5 Love Languages is as practical as it is insightful. Updated to reflect the complexities of relationships today, this new edition reveals intrinsic truths and applies relevant, actionable wisdom in ways that work.

 

What are your favorites? Leave a comment and let me know what I missed!

~ Michelle

Pin it for later ~

Can we really change our lives just by reading a book? I believe so. Good books are like good conversations - you can gain insights into your own life by listening to the experiences of another. If you are a believer in life-long learning and personal development, you may enjoy this list of 30 personal development books for women that offer practical, no-nonsense advice. From confidence and self-esteem, the mindset of money, health, relationships, and spirituality, there's something for every woman on a journey of growth, self-discovery, and life-long learning.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Living with Purpose, Simple Living

A Few Thoughts on Grief

10:20 am by Seeking Joyful Simplicity Leave a Comment

Grief and grieving, healing from loss
Grief and grieving, healing from loss

It’s been 14 years since the abrupt loss of my mother. Here are a few thoughts on the deeply personal process of grieving.

Thinking about mom. How I started out for my run that morning but felt compelled instead to check in on her. Finding her still in bed, a bleeding cut on her forehead. Her skin bright orange from the jaundice. She was so weak. Afraid, but still stoic. Taking her to the emergency department. The crash cart outside her room. The day in the ED. Not really knowing exactly what was going on, but knowing it was serious.

As they prepared her for transport to Norfolk General I said, “I’ll see you later mom.”

Those were the last words I ever spoke to her.

Seeing her on life support. Thinking, “Man, she would be pissed if she knew this was happening to her.” Mom was fiercely independent, and the idea of being dependent on anyone, ever, terrified her.

The hum of the machines pumping oxygen into her lungs. The dialysis technicians chatting as they worked around her. I wanted a moment alone with my mom, but they wouldn’t stop talking. They seemed oblivious to my sorrow.

Leaving with my sister Melody to take a break for lunch. Coming back and being told she passed as soon as we left. “It’s common, it happens a lot,” the ICU nurse told us. “It’s like they wait for the family to leave before passing on.”

It’s strange the random thoughts that pass through your mind when confronted with sudden death. Feeling so detached, and then a sense of guilt. “Shouldn’t I be crying, weeping, overcome with grief?” Of course in the moment, you manage as best you can.

In the following weeks and months, I had real difficulty with expressing my grief. Each time it took hold of me, it felt so overwhelming I thought I would drown in it. So, I would try to let it out, a little at a time, but always quickly squashed it back down.

Part of this was practical reasons, after all I had young children to care for. Between work and family, I didn’t feel I had space for my grief. I had to “keep my shit together.”

And so I went on with life as usual. My coworkers noted how little affected I appeared to be (knowing intuitively that I was suffering.) And of course, my husband found my grief to be an inconvenience. (This would turn out to be the beginning of the end for our marriage.)

All these years later and I still haven’t properly grieved for my mother. I suppose I don’t really know how. It’s uncomfortable. There are other emotions I would much rather experience. Things I would prefer to focus on. But I know it’s not healthy. I need to honor my mother’s memory, respect my grief and the mashed up mix of emotions I have for my mom – love, respect, admiration, disappointment, anger, sadness, loss, confusion…

“I think I will take some time and do that now,” I think to myself. As if grief is something you schedule time for. Turn it on, then turn it off. Is this right? It is my brain trying to control something that is by nature uncontrollable. It’s like trying to control water or air – it always finds ways to escape and go where it wants to go. Sometimes in trickles or puffs, sometimes in torrents and windstorms.

Filed Under: Living with Purpose, Simple Living

Learning to Let Go

7:29 am by Seeking Joyful Simplicity 4 Comments

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.
~ Havelock Ellis

 

Flower Seed 2

 

Walking the gardens, I notice the changing beauty. The flowers have shed their colors, the red berries are in full bloom, and the plants are releasing their seeds. It seems there could be a message for us here.

Last year I learned to see autumn in a new way. The world circles the sun, but our lives are never the same as we spiral in and out of the seasons. I am learning to pay attention to the changes within as well as the external.

 

Seeds1

 

Despite the death and decline abundant in the garden, I am surprised at the amount of beauty, why had I never noticed these passing flowers before? In the process of dying, they transform and release, carrying seeds forward for the next generation. Feeling a general sense of unease within myself, the plants remind me perhaps I too have things to let go.

 

Dried Flower 1

 

Our ancestors knew to acknowledge the transitions between the seasons, but their celebrations were spiritual, not commercial like ours. We mark our calendars with our designated holidays, some historical – Columbus day and Veteran’s day, some religious – Christmas and Hanukkah, but these have been overshadowed by commercialization.

The decreasing hours of daylight causes physiological changes within our bodies which we attempt to overcome. Modern life doesn’t allow for us to slow down, and so we resist the signals our bodies send and muscle our way through the “holiday season” hectic and demanding based on unrealistic expectations set for us by the media and advertisers.

Let’s readjust our expectations, shall we?

Perhaps we can find small ways to slow down and acknowledge the signals nature and our bodies are sending us. Can we find a way to take time for deeper contemplation? What significance does this season carry for us personally?

Are there things we can let go of? Unresolved anger, unexpressed grief, unacknowledged fears?

Learning to Let Go

Sometimes we hold onto our problems because they have become a part of our sense of identity. Perhaps this explains why we often hold onto our pain far beyond its ability to serve us. I do believe it is possible to learn to let go of past anger, shame, fear, and pain. In doing so, we release the hold our past has on us so we can live better in the present and create a more positive future.

Last fall, I talked about the tradition of allowing time to grieve during the season of autumn.

I don’t believe there is ever truly an end to grief, it becomes a part of us as we experience the loss of those we love. But if we don’t fully acknowledge our feelings, they can cause health problems. We cannot separate our health from our emotions. Each feeling is expressed in our bodies as a chemical-electrical response. Our bodies know our feelings, even when we refuse to.

Moving through the days of autumn, feeling the internal change with the season, I am reminding myself what truly matters. I am learning to let go, accept things as they are, and making time for those I love.

With love and affection,

Michelle

*Thank you Chris, for sharing the beauty with me.

Filed Under: Living with Purpose, Simple Living

Avoid Homestead Burnout – Stop Trying to Do It All

12:20 pm by Seeking Joyful Simplicity 5 Comments

The aroma of fresh baked bread, jars of home canned goodness lining the pantry shelves, a beautiful meal created with ingredients from the garden, and the sounds of happy chickens in the yard. If you are on the homesteading, self-sufficient living journey, these are the moments many of us dream of.

 

The aroma of fresh baked bread, jars of home canned goodness lining the pantry shelves, a beautiful meal created with ingredients from the garden, and the sounds of happy chickens in the yard. If you are on the homesteading, self-sufficient living journey, these are the moments many of us dream of.

 

Homesteading Dreams – Avoid Homestead Burnout and Stop Trying to Do It All

The aroma of fresh baked bread, jars of home canned goodness lining the pantry shelves, a beautiful meal created with ingredients from the garden, and the sounds of happy chickens in the yard. If you are on the homesteading, self-sufficient living journey, these are the moments many of us dream of.

The dirty truth

The reality of course, includes laundry hanging on the line with a thunderstorm approaching. The chickens in the yard are the last three of a dozen, the others killed by a marauding fox, and the vegetables on the table required hours and hours of back-breaking work. Dishes are piled high in the sink and the floors haven’t seen a broom or mop in ages.

Too often the images we see spread across social media don’t show the dirty truth about homesteading and self-sufficient living. We end up setting too many high expectations for ourselves, become discouraged, and end up with homestead burnout. I know, because I am feeling it.

In an effort to avoid burnout, I am reminding myself to slow down and stop trying to do it all. I know I need to set smaller, more achievable goals, learn to let some things go, and make time for taking care of myself. There is so much I love about this lifestyle, and I don’t want to give it up in frustration and overwhelm.

If you are suffering from homestead burnout, don’t give up the dream! Consider these six steps to create a better balance.

Step One – Set Realistic Goals

Decide what it is you value most – a well-stocked pantry, growing more food, cooking from scratch, DIY projects, saving money, raising animals, or learning new skills.

Write a list, then put a number next to each one, with number one going beside the activity you consider most important to feel successful as a homesteader. Then give a number for each item from most to least important.

Sometimes we set goals for ourselves based on what others are doing, and the misguided belief that we should be doing the same. Be realistic with yourself – what do you really want to be doing, have the skills to tackle, and are able to devote an appropriate amount of time to?

Use this to guide you in setting realistic goals. Sometimes, when we see in writing everything we are trying to accomplish, reality hits us. We can take a step back and evaluate what truly feels most important on our homesteading journey.

For me, growing food for the family is important, but gardening is a lot of hard work. Instead of trying to do it all, I now focus on growing a few foods that take less time but save us money all year. You can read my strategy – Best Foods to Grow to save Money – when you don’t have a lot of time.

 

The images we see spread across social media don’t show the dirty truth about homesteading. We set too many high expectations for ourselves, become discouraged, and end up with homestead burnout.

 

Step Two – Decide What to Give Up

As much as we’d like to do it all, there are not enough hours in a day.

Of course, as I determine which goals and activities are top priority, I am also deciding what to give up. Sometimes we need to abandon certain ideas altogether, as they will never be a good fit for our lifestyle (raising and butchering our own pigs is one example that will likely never happen for us.) But maybe some things simply need to be saved for later (raising goats and learning to make cheese.)

Instead of struggling because we feel the need to do it all, we make the conscious choice to let some things go, at least for now. We are giving ourselves more breathing space in this way. It’s okay, we really don’t have to do it all.

Step Three – Do What You Love

 

The images we see spread across social media don’t show the dirty truth about homesteading. We set too many high expectations for ourselves, become discouraged, and end up with homestead burnout.

 

Once you have decided what is most important to you, created realistic goals based on your priorities, and given yourself permission to let some things go, don’t forget to include time for the things you love, even if they are not directly related to self-sufficiency.

Living a well-balanced life means being intentional in how we choose to spend our time. After two and a half years, I am finally realizing I can’t afford to put off happiness until later. We were so caught up in building our homestead, creating infrastructure, and trying to accomplish greater self-sufficiency, we weren’t giving ourselves time to do the things we love.

Be sure to make time for the things you love, and start doing them today.

 

Step Four – Share Resources

 

The images we see spread across social media don’t show the dirty truth about homesteading. We set too many high expectations for ourselves, become discouraged, and end up with homestead burnout.

 

Since you can’t do it all (none of us can!), consider creating a barter. This doesn’t have to be something formal, just as simple as finding a friend who does a few things really well, and agreeing to share for some things you do really well.

Perhaps you love making sourdough bread and your friend makes a super amazing blackberry jam every summer – offer an exchange! Or maybe you have a great harvest of winter squash this year and want to trade some butternuts for a neighbor’s home-made applesauce.

We have a great relationship with our neighbors, and we often share resources. Creating community is an essential part of living a self-sufficient lifestyle that often gets overlooked.

 

Step Five – Keep  a Homestead Journal

 

The images we see spread across social media don’t show the dirty truth about homesteading. We set too many high expectations for ourselves, become discouraged, and end up with homestead burnout.

 

Even if you already have a homestead binder for gardening notes and such, try keeping a homestead journal to track your goals. This is a great way to see the progress you are making, re-evaluate what you are doing, and offer insights into what truly brings you satisfaction.

Sometimes when we are caught up in the busyness of daily and seasonal activities, and so focused on what needs to be done, we lose the ability to see how far we have come. Keeping a journal with goals and highlights of our seasons, we can look back and better appreciate all we have achieved.

 

Step Six – Take Care of Yourself

We can easily get so caught up in the never-ending tasks of managing a home and pursuing a more self-sufficient life that we forget the most important thing of all – taking care of ourselves. Self-care involves the obvious things like eating well, staying hydrated, and getting the rest we need.

But self-care also means we are addressing our emotional and spiritual needs as well as our physical needs. Spending quality time with those we love, relaxing in nature, and pursuing our passions require time and energy. If we are so exhausted from our homesteading efforts, we cannot enjoy our lives and our health suffers.

Hopefully, the process of deciding our priorities and setting realistic goals, giving ourselves permission to let some things go, making time for the things we love, journaling our progress, and taking time out for self-care will give us the peace, joy, and contentment we imagine when we think of the homesteading life.

With great affection,
~ Michelle

 

Filed Under: Living with Purpose, Simple Living Tagged With: homestead burnout, stop trying to do it all

Living in the Moment – Finding Peace in Nature

7:31 am by Seeking Joyful Simplicity 2 Comments

Do you find yourself just going through the motions, essentially living on autopilot? Are you having trouble finding joy in life? You know the best remedy I have found? Remembering to live in the moment and spending time in nature.

Sometimes we get so caught up life’s dramas, don’t we? We slide through our days preoccupied with unhappy thoughts, fretting over the past, worrying over the future, and despite our highly connected world, we feel deeply disconnected from ourselves.

It’s too easy to live a distracted life. It’s easy to forget our personal priorities and fall into the habit of letting life carry us along.

But there is a simple thing we can do to find more peace and clarity. It’s so simple, we often forget just how important it is. Spending time in nature.

Consciously making the decision to take care of ourselves and find joy in the simple things can help us reconnect to our values, and offers a sense of calm in the often frantic pace of life.

We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts.
–William Hazlett

 

Sometimes we get so caught up life's dramas, don't we? We slide through our days preoccupied with unhappy thoughts, fretting over the past, worrying over the future, and completely unaware of the life we are living. Do you find yourself just going through the motions, essentially living on autopilot? Are you having trouble finding joy in life? You know the best remedy I have found? Remembering to live in the moment and spending time in nature.

 

Spending time in nature is a simple way to nurture ourselves. To remind us how small our lives and our worries really are. Nature connects us to something grand and beautiful and spiritual.

Our physical, emotional, and spiritual health is deeply connected to the world around us. We forget this as we rush through our lives. Spending time in nature is part of slowing down and living more joyfully.

Finding Spirituality in Nature

It has been many years since I visited a church. Raised in a catholic family, I enjoyed the beautiful rhythms and rituals of the catholic mass. I felt closer to my creator when I was in church.

I was thinking of spirituality in my life recently, and realized I have found a new church. Outside surrounded by the sky, clouds, and trees is where I feel closer to the creator.

There comes a sense of majestic awe, love, and gratitude for the abundance in my life. These things are intangible, and cannot be measured in sermons, or hymns sung.

Years ago, I found comfort and nature is where I spent my days weeping for the loss of my father. Walking through a quiet forest, my heart full of grief, I found peace. When my mind is cluttered with sadness, anger, fear, or worry, nature brings me back.

 

Do you find yourself just going through the motions, essentially living on autopilot? Are you having trouble finding joy in life? You know the best remedy I have found? Remembering to live in the moment and spending time in nature.

 

 

Do you find yourself just going through the motions, essentially living on autopilot? Are you having trouble finding joy in life? You know the best remedy I have found? Remembering to live in the moment and spending time in nature.

 

If you find yourself feeling lost, overwhelmed, and disconnected – find a quiet place in nature to walk or just sit. Make the conscious choice to nurture yourself in this way.

When your mind is cluttered with sadness, anger, fear, or worry, let nature bring you back to joy.

I go to Nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put together.
–John Burroughs

Where do you find your peace and sanctuary?

~ Michelle

 

Filed Under: Health and Wellness, Living with Purpose, Simple Living Tagged With: finding joy in life, finding spirituality in nature, living in the moment

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Hello and welcome! Seeking Joyful Simplicity is about creating space in your life for the things that matter most - abundant health, joy, and contentment. With a holistic approach focused on self-reflection, simple foods, and herbal support, I offer a practical approach to living with purpose and vibrant health. Want to learn more? Start here…

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The information provided here is not intended to replace professional medical advice and care. It is simply my perspective for you to consider as you make good choices for you and your family’s health. The use of herbs is a time-honored approach to strengthening the body and maintaining health. Herbs, however, can trigger side effects and can interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, you should take herbs with care. The information provided has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not meant to diagnose any disease, nor is it intended to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Seek the support and care of a physician and/or complementary care practitioner you trust, and above all, listen to and trust in yourself. Be well!

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