Day 9/60 of self care Today is a travel day which means the routine stuff is more difficult to work in.. but it is still being worked in. To add to it, though, I’m going with something small.. a tiny hack I saw on instagram for how to release tension from the scalene muscles in your neck. I’ve realized recently that one of the places where I am stuck has to do with letting new folks into my life. I had some experiences a few years back which really played with my sense of comfort and trust in engaging with someone I don’t have any shared connections or context with. I have come to realize that I no longer want to meet folks without some shared connection (work, friends, well known acquaintances of someone I know) In this day and age where the default ways we often meet involve no shared context, that poses a lot of challenge for me. I don’t want to change my boundary around this but how do folks gain comfort with new connections (in the “you are who you say you are”, “someone I know vouched for you” sort of way?)

Day 8/60 of self care I compared a black and white photo taken today to one taken 10 years ago, and I noticed a lot more fine lines under my eyes. Some of that is to be expected, but today’s well-being addition is to be more diligent and routine with using eye cream and hydrating around my eyes. Maybe that’s a little vain.. I really don’t mind aging that much… but I would also like to preserve my skin health as well as I can and this is an easy spot to show some love.

Diggin’ this

Day 7/60 of self care. I was noodling over the hack for today. Someone suggested a gratitude journal entry a day, but honestly, gratitude journaling has never quite been that helpful for me. I’ve tried writing in a journal and doing it as social media post challenge .. and I tried doing it just as a daily reflection. I think it just has no additional effect on my emotional health as a formal practice. Or maybe, it’s not the thing I need more of? I dunno. I think my hack is going to be to try a twist on the idea - to make a pain journal. You write down something painful every day, but leave two lines below it. After a month, you write down what you learned from the painful thing and after 6 months, you write something good that happened as a result of the painful experience. I’ve never tried this approach but it seems very learning oriented, and I am wondering if that will make it a more resonant as a practice for me. Do you journal or anything similar? What have you found value in?

Day 6/60 of self care Last year, before I moved off of TikTok, I was really inspired by this woman who talked about her weekly relationship checking with her partner (I think this link takes you to one of them:

TikTok - Make Your Day

I had wanted to use that as inspiration for bringing more emotional intimacy into all of my types of close relationships— and her style feels more authentic for me. But, having said that, this is something I don’t know how to do (yet) really and so far, I can say that it seems to make for a healthier, richer connection with others but it’s really hard. And gosh, just scary. But I suppose a future goal for a future relationship would be to work towards this. Anyway.. Just a morning observation. Today’s hack is adding some lower back and outer thigh stretches into my routine. My back pain has returned after a long hiatus and I am so hoping that I can solve this by doing the same stretches as before (and maybe just try and keep doing them as a routine).

Day 5/60 of self care. Lighting candles or incense every day. This is a little indulgence but making my space smell nice every night brings so much simple joy, and there is something magical about candlelight. Plus, I looked for more movies like Practical Magic last weekend (and then perused some self-help book releases) so all the recommendation engines started sending me book recommendations that could be lumped into the “heartbroken witch” persona. I suspect this will just ratchet that up a notch 😂

Day 4/60 “Leveling up” Today I’ve been giving some thought to some of the areas where I have self-limiting beliefs. I was inspired by the idea of both intention setting and affirmations, but what I really need to push out the front door are very specific self-limiting beliefs. So the practice would be to take one (from a list) and reframe the belief and then make the related affirmation, mantra, declaration, etc. One thing that I already am doing in my morning routine is making my bed. Sooooo.. I am thinking that I should “stack” this new habit on top of that one in my morning routine. How do you guys tackle those demons?

Saying adios to this work week like

Day 3/60 “Leveling Up” Today’s 3 minute routine hack is adding a 6 point lymph system drainage massage routine to my morning. This involves massaging the clavicle, neck, armpits, abdomen, and groin (in that order) and then doing a few jumps up and down. My hunt this weekend is for hacks that incite or encourage joy and for things around skincare. 2023 has been a year transitioning from a sort of walking hibernation back to normal life, so now I’d like to focus on adding more joy and playfulness in 2024. And I have ridiculously dry skin. 😂. So send me your life hacks for joy, play and healthy skin ❤️

Made some artsy fall-themed focaccia bread and some spicy sweet potato soup yesterday. It felt very nourishing and a little creative. My great grandmother used to bake a fresh loaf of bread every weekend. Lately I’ve wondered whether I should set a goal next year to try the same practice. So much has changed this year, I’m taking a look at what’s ritual and routine and what I might like to incorporate slowly. Always growing. Day 2/60 of “leveling up”. Doing this wall yoga pose at least once a day (probably before bedtime). It is supposed to circulation and sleep quality. I don’t have high blood pressure or anything like that to watch, so this seems like a safe (and enjoyable) little routine hack. Let me know if you have any small life back tips I should think about adding to a routine.. think things that take 5 minutes or less. How are you caring for yourself this fall?

I felt some gratitude for my health lately when I realized that a year ago, I felt fatigued and mentally fuzzy all the time… but after much time tweaking some vitamins and supplements, I have my energy and ability to focus back. To use that as positive momentum, I’m going to try and make 60 small changes and tweaks between now and the end of the year (with appreciation) Day 1/60: Starting the day with warm water with lemon (courtesy today of the Dali llama 😂) Folks swear by this tweak for aiding digestion and being kind to your kidneys.

Good things: 1. Having health insurance 2. Finishing (and enjoying) the book I’ve been reading for an eternity 3. Remembering to do my exercise challenge 4. Feeling like I can talk candidly with my manager 5. Being reminded randomly of past hikes and beautiful outdoor spaces

This song, but imagine it’s meant for the first contact with aliens.. *giggles*

What is one thing you would try if you knew for sure that anything you try would fail?

This week’s good things: 1. Really good long catch-up calls this weekend with three of my closest women friends. 2. The lingering warmth from a really good week last week 3. A clean apartment! Feels amazing! 4. My dog and trusty companion and sidekick turns 4 tomorrow. So much ❤️ for this sassy little creature. 5. I feel so deeply satisfied that this is the last week of summer. I am content with the end of summer this year.

Today’s good things: 1. The beginning of my next volunteer journey. Hopefully this one can grow and change with me as the future unfolds. 2. The arrival of a new card game that I might take with me on my travels. 3. I am looking forward to seeing family and friends over the next few weeks 4. Feeling ready for that “back to school” style reset that mentally comes at the end of summer. I feel like I have a lot of the building blocks I need, but the next step will be to organize them , make tweaks, prioritize, and get started. 5. A new cheap white basic t-shirt. 6. A head full of ideas of hikes to do and things to explore this fall as the weather cools 7. A trivia set I feel clever about (even if I don’t know how it will be received yet) I have been thinking I should keep a notebook of ideas and open questions. I sometimes feel like if I took the kaleidoscope of things I’ve started and just turned them a few degrees, I’d find a really cool pattern where only random shapes appear now. Things feel so close.. and yet so far.. from sliding into sync.

First step toward being a local disaster action team member completed!

Today’s inspiration

How do you envision your future?

(2/2) or that’s just me trying to justify today’s plant indulgence