The final few weeks of the year are often the time that we look back to review the goals we set in January. Many of us tend to focus on all that didn’t go as we had hoped or planned.  But in yet another unprecedented year, let’s review in an unprecedented way.  Re-view your progress through a different lens. Consider any or all the following:
 
Sleeping – Did you keep your bedroom cool, dark and comfortable? Great!
Did you get a few nights of decent sleep? Fantastic!
 
Eating – Did you eat some vegetables? Great!  Did you try a new food? Fantastic!
 
Moving – Did you take a few steps most days? Great! Did you bend, lean or reach? Fantastic!
 
Stressing – Did you breathe? Great! Did you step away from your work and relax? Fantastic!
 
Connecting – Did you see some family? Great!  Did you celebrate with others? Fantastic!
 
When you give yourself permission to re-view your healthy habits, we all can feel much better about our annual review.

When it comes to your well-being, embracing what you crave and deserve can be the game-changer you have been craving.  Consider embracing any or all the following:
 
Fun – Go ahead and lean into something that gives you joy.  Try not to overthink it and just go for it.
 
Change – It can be difficult to change our habits but by making a small change regularly you add a dimension of variety and value to your everyday.
 
Challenge – step right up and take a challenge, don’t make it too big and try and enjoy the ride.
 
Rest – slow down and give yourself a break – right now, go ahead and do it or possibly don’t do something.
 
Your story – Own your narrative, every chapter of it.  Our lives are a continuous source of material for making the most of our gifts and gaffes.
 
The moment – Be present, because this experience will be gone before you know it.
 
 
No need to brace yourself for impact, simply embrace what you need and feel the hug that you will be giving yourself and your well-being.

Life always has its ups and downs, but the past 18 months have given us all a free ticket for a roller coaster ride that has been like no other.  For some it has been a physical challenge, for others a social and or professional one.  But for all of us, the emotional swings have been unprecedented.  Acknowledging our shared experience is one way to manage the ride, others to possibly consider could be:
 
-Reach into your resilience reservoir.  If you feel as though you’ve been on a specific part of the ride before, you probably have.  Be mindful of that, and use your experience to get through or around it.
​
-Reconstruct how you interpret a situation or event in a way that can help modify your emotional response to it. Identify simple and effective things you can control and do to protect yourself and your loved ones from actual or perceived harm.
 
-Repurpose the situation by focusing on possible positive outcomes that might arise from it and that may serve to modify your emotional response to it.
 
Given the speed and intensity of the pandemic (and life) roller coaster, we never know what lies around the next corner, but our goal is not to deny the challenges or adversity we face but rather to try and cast these challenges in a new light and confront these situations more successfully.

​When was the last time you slowed down enough to honestly ask yourself what you need?  Not a future need, but an in the moment acknowledgement of, I need it now.  Being present with ourselves and identifying our true needs, can be one of the most powerful elixirs we can tap into to optimize our well-being.  Consider one or any of the following:
 
Do I need space?
Do I need sleep?
Do I need a shower?
Do I need breakfast?
Do I need a break?
Do I need a beverage?
Do I need a change?
Do I need comfort?
Do I need connection?
Do I need a vacation?
Do I need variety?
Do I need validation?
 
Asking yourself what you need, and listening to your answer, is a healthy  and self-compassionate way to find meaningful and impactful answers.

 
 
The Merriam - Webster dictionary defines August, when used as a noun, as the 8th month of the year but when defined as an adjective it means marked by majestic dignity or grandeur.  This month lets’ try to celebrate the healthy actions we already do for ourselves as opportunities to reframe them as moments to mark with a bit of majestic dignity and or grandeur.  Consider doing one, or all of the following:
 

• Drinking Water – raise your glass and toast yourself and the powerful action you are taking by hydrating. Cheers to you.

 

• Walking – adjust your posture as you walk and take in all the sights, sounds and scenery. Feel free to give a royal wave or two.

 

• Sleeping – sink into a bed that is welcoming with all the amenities that encourage both quantity and quality sleep – supple sheets, plush pillows, an accommodating mattress, comfortable covers all in a cool, dark environment. Think of your bedroom as a 5 star hotel.

 

• Snacking– designer pick-me ups can be yours by simply displaying and designing your daily snack(s).  Use funky or fancy plates, bowls, and cups to showcase a variety of colors, textures and tastes.

 

• Taking Time – scheduling time for yourself is key to your total well-being.  Make it happen without any rationale, excuses or information on what you may or may not be doing – that is a luxury we all can easily give ourselves

 
This month, recognize all you already do for your health and celebrate it and yourself with a bit of dignity and grandeur that you deserve.
 

Growing up. We commonly refer to those words when we think of or describe kids or our younger selves. What happens to that as we get older? Sometimes it feels as though our responsibilities might seem to be the only thing that keep growing. Recently, as in pandemic recently, many are focusing on the stress and trauma we ALL have experienced. Yet there is growth too, we just need to pause, reflect and build upon it. Consider one or all of the following as growth areas and or opportunities to build upon:
 
-Self-awareness – we may have recently learned to better identify and communicate what we need, want and deserve to be able to flourish.
-Social satisfaction – we may have recently realized that less is more, listening is meaningful and saying no is ok when it comes to our social interactions and options.
-Style – we may have found that comfort is king and that when we are comfortable, we can still contribute in an abundantly productive fashion.
-Strength – we have always had it, but we may have found that we had more of it than we realized and can tap into it sooner and more easily.
-Silliness – we may have felt that we shed more tears than laughs since March 2020, but our sillier selves may have recently begun to show themselves to a wider audience.
-Satiation – we may have gained a better understanding when we have had enough, (work, Zoom, partners, kids, technology, alcohol, etc.), and learned how to begin to be within our own boundaries.
-Stickyness – we may have identified that we are content in the place we are, be it our home, our jobs, our routines and we may have also discovered a few new areas that we will happily dwell in.
-Solutions (vs. Problems) – we may have shifted our approach to be more solution oriented, rather than only focusing on the problem – it was and can continue to be a positive state of action and mindset to reside.
 
We are all different, but we all have endured, evolved and engaged in ways that have nudged us all towards growth.

​It’s time to get out. We all have been in for so long.  Although in has brought out many great things, times and learned trust in ourselves and our abilities to survive, most of us are ready to get out. Consider getting into any or all of the following:
 
Outside – Walk, skip, saunter, leap or run right out your front door, go ahead and do it now.  The healing powers of nature, no matter what you do or don’t do in it, are almost magical for our well-being.
 
Out of your head – Take a time out from thinking, ruminating or planning.  Step away, take a deep breath, clear your mind and just take a cerebral time out.
 
Out of the way – Step aside.  Literally take a step and get out of your own way. We may fail, but there is room to do so, and when you are in a new spot, who knows what might come into focus.
 
Out of your comfort zone – Challenge yourself to be just a bit uncomfortable.  Try something new from time to time.  It doesn’t have to be a big endeavor, just lean out of your zone and see how it feels to expand rather than remain static.
 
Out of town – Explore.  We often think of travel as big trips to big places filled with adventure and a change of attitude.  Aim to modify that, for now, plan on micro trips to meaningful places that you fill with adventure and that can and will change your attitude.
 
Out of routine – Routines keep us healthy and connected, but at times can become stagnant.  Change up your routine for just a time or two and see and feel what flows.  Flexing within our routines can build our resilience and may re-ignite a passion and or remind of us of our purpose.
 
 
To try and better understand our motivations, our meaning and allow ourselves to experience a bit more “me” time get into getting out.  
 

May just may be your personal game-changing month. Move yourself to satisfy your appetite and see how being a priority allows you to be a better and healthier human. Consider one or all of the following areas to maybe begin to optimize your well-being
 
Move – When we move from one place to the next, we often have to pack up, lift, haul, transport and then unpack.  When is moving ever easy?  When we have help, less stuff and a plan to make it happen.  Make moving your body easier by getting help, keeping it simple and committing to a way to make it happen on a regular basis. 
 
Appetite- What are your really hungry for? Whatever you are craving, be it connection, curiosity, creativity or cuisine, lean into it, listen to your gut, dig in and enjoy. 
 
You – Are you a priority in your life?  You need to put yourself on your daily priority list. You may not need to be at the top of the list, but you need to be on it – every single day.  It’s a way to guarantee that you remember to put your air mask on first, take a deep breath and care about and for yourself.
 
 
May you take better care of yourself?  Of course you may! 

How many times do we try and fool ourselves or others about healthy discoveries and or habits?  We hear about something new or a quick fix and we lean into or all over it. How can we base more of our lifestyle decisions in our own reality?  Consider trying one or all of the following:
 
-Prioritize sleep by making a date with your bed and keeping it.  Without a decent amount of sleep, we are cheating our body, mind and spirit of the energy and clarity it needs, wants and deserves.
-Drink mostly water, some coffee (or tea) and an occasional alcoholic beverage.
-Listen to your heart and follow it. 
-Move in a way that suits you and fits or flexes into a regular routine.
-Let go of relationships that no longer nurture you and or drain you.
-Pause to reflect on the good stuff…even when there isn’t much of it
-Connect with friends, family, coworkers and yourself in an authentic way.
-Eat what nourishes you by trusting your gut and feed it a satisfying combination of fresh food that mixes up textures, tastes, colors and culinary creativity.
 
You can stop fooling yourself with unsustainable actions and begin to take better control of your health…doing so is no joke and the punch line will surely deliver improved well-being.

We’ve all hit it at some point and as we lap into year two of pandemic precautions, we all may be staring at it.  Call it fatigue, an obstacle or just general frustration – we all are dealing with a wall or walls that may be preventing us from moving forward.  To work with, get around, over or through your wall, consider trying one or all of the following:
 
Connection – If you are struggling to find things to talk about in conversations with those closest to you, try playing a game of chess or checkers, a jigsaw puzzle or a word game.  Now play it on your own time and have your housemate/friend/partner do the same.  Put a few pieces of a puzzle together, make your move on a game board and when the other person is in the mood, they can take their turn.  It’s a quiet, fun connection with few emotional walls to conquer.
 
Work – With no clear division between the office and home, we may be experiencing work creep at all hours.  Turn your computer off, put your phone away, take your watch off and mentally close for the day.  Be the owner of your business (both professional and personal) and set your opening and closing hours – creating a wall between your work life and your home life.
 
Home – Be it literal, but we may be stuck looking at the same walls and furniture day in and day out.  Move things (furniture, art, lights, pillows) around, add some color, bring nature inside (flowers, plants, etc.) and change/rotate any framed photos.  With a few simple tweaks you can be living with a different perspective.
 
Physical – Do something, anything that is fun and involves moving your body.  Keep it simple, silly and stretch out of the routine you have or haven’t committed to.  Break down your own mental barriers about what counts as exercise.
 
Self-care – Think about it as self- compassion.  Mix it up and treat yourself like you would a good friend.  Think about leaning more towards self-kindness rather than continuous self-improvement.
 
Food - We all get into eating ruts and we might be ravenous to get past them.  Challenge yourself and possibly your cooking (or ordering) skills to focus on a sensory element of what you need, want or crave.  Choose to dine on something with a different color, crunchiness, texture, smell and taste.  Experiment with a cuisine or ingredient you haven’t had in a while, or ever.  It’s a culinary expedition that you can safely venture on.
 
 
It's time to be your own builder – the writing is on the wall.