Friday Musings—29/12/23

I hope you had a great Christmas, whatever that may mean to you.

I had a really nice lunch with my family. We enjoyed the food, focusing more on quality than quantity, shared a few laughs, listened to music, went for a walk, and had tea with my bf. I also took my mom's dog for a walk in the morning and had a close encounter with a donkey and three ponies, which put me in a good mood for the rest of the day 😃

On Boxing Day, I went to a small lake outside Turin for a walk and some duck-watching in the morning. Then, I spent the afternoon attending a course on nervous system regulation. I've actually been thinking about putting together a "Self-Care Challenge" as self-care has been one of my main focuses this year. I've learned a lot on the topic and would like to share some of that knowledge in a format that leads to action. Let me know if that's something you'd be interested in.

Moving onto a few things I enjoyed this week.

 Mindfulness gone mainstream

I recommend you dive into this great interview with Jon Kabat-Zinn, the author of Wherever You Go, There You Are, which helped pioneer the mindfulness movement in the United States. A wide-ranging discussion on what mindfulness is (and is not), on whether "McMindfulness" is an issue, and on why activism is synonymous with mindfulness or heartfulness.

An amazing standing routine

Lately, I've gotten into the habit of starting my day with some standing yoga, which I also use as a reminder to set my intention for the day. A few days ago I came across this quick routine, which has probably become my favorite so far. In just ten minutes, it gets you all loose and energized, and puts a smile on your face. It's also accessible to all as it doesn't require a mat or a previous knowledge of yoga poses. If you decide to give it a try, let me know if it works its magic on you, too. And of course, you can do it at any other time of the day too, whenever you feel the need for a quick reset.

Light exposure: a balancing act

The results of the world’s largest study on the effects of light exposure on mental health. A reminder that we should aim to increase our exposure to natural light during the day and be especially mindful about our exposure to artificial light at night (within the limits of what work or other life commitments will allow, of course). Whenever I make an effort to spend some time outdoors, especially in the morning, I really see a difference in terms of my mood. Also, I've noticed that reducing my exposure to the blue light from electronic devices in the evening helps with my deep sleep (although I still use them way too much and my deep sleep is still pretty bad!).

Quote of the week ✍️

"Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are". (Chinese Proverb)

As always, I welcome your insights or questions in the comments. You can also send me an email or book a free call to talk about where you're at in your life and where you'd like to go. Please don't forget to share this with someone who may be interested; it's an easy way for you to support my content-creation journey.

Enjoy your weekend and TTYS

ML

PS Bonus pics from the lake