Get Outside Now!

Don’t want to go for a daily walk? No problem, no one ever said that was the cure-all for everyone. You can step outside, though. For longer than it takes to get the mail, please. Sit out on your porch for five minutes and breathe. Notice your surroundings. Don’t have a porch? Balcony, front steps, back deck… It doesn’t matter as long as you get outside every day. And, if you feel feisty, stay out there for longer. Sip your coffee or tea. Contemplate life. A few minutes outside being quiet will do you wonders.

Create Systems

Decluttering your home is the first step. Tidying is the next step. But without creating organizational system that work for you, you will be doing this all over again in a year.

Do you prefer visual abundance or visual simplicity? Do you need to be able to see everything or else you fear you’ll forget it exists? Or do you prefer to have things hidden behind closed cabinet doors? Do you prefer organizational abundance or organizational simplicity? Do you prefer lots of small containers for smaller categories? Or do you prefer larger bins with more inclusive categories in them?

Practice Karma Yoga

Go out into the world and be intentionally kind to all you meet, see or interact with. This is for everyone, including yourself. This is for those you like and those you don’t. Be kind to the cashier who confuses something in your order. Find kindness and empathy for the person who cuts you off in traffic. Give kindness to a stranger passing you on the street. Thoughts, facial expressions, words, and energy, these all offer kindness when used with intention.

Overcoming The Overwhelm of Your Home

Overwhelm is created by taking on too much at one time. To begin taking control of your overwhelming home you will need to break you tasks down into their smallest components. Instead of thinking about the entire kitchen, focus only on one category like disorganized storage lids. Identify a plan. Follow through on that plan. Allow that to be enough for this moment. You can attend to another category at another time. Pat yourself on the back. You did good.

Do This One Exercise for a Few Seconds Every Day

My all-time favorite full-body exercise? Plank. Start at 10 seconds or whatever is your current edge. Up it 1 second each day. When you hit a time that goes beyond your edge, back off one second, then stay at that time until you’re ready to go back up.

Tips: Feel free to do planks on forearms or hands, knees down or up. Remember you’re trying to look like a plank of wood. Planks of wood do not bend in the middle or stick their bums in the air. Pull in your core, tighten your glutes, and push the ground away. You’re on your way!