Word of the Week : Inspiration

What inspires you?

Recently I was going through a bit of a funk. I was feeling stuck and unsure about what my next step was going to be. I’m a very goal oriented person and when I’ve accomplished something, instead of feeling happy and satisfied, I immediately go to “what’s next?”

I try to be self aware whenever I start falling back into these patterns and have realized that the less present I am in the moment, the more i’m diminishing my own happiness and joy. When I find myself in this place, I immediately look to inspiration and creativity to help pull me out.

Some things that put me on auto pilot and dull my inspiration are - scrolling, watching mindless TV, multi-tasking, alcohol, inconsistent sleep patterns, junk food, dehydration and stress.

At a particularly low point a few weeks ago, I was feeling really down and having a pity party for myself. After spending an entire day in a negative head space, I had an epiphany and a mantra popped into my mind - nothing changes if nothing changes. It was the gentle push I needed to get up and create some action to clear things out.

Some things that I focused on to get the creative juices flowing were - exercise, cutting alcohol and caffeine, going in nature, eating whole foods, starting a new book, drastically limit screen time and specifically social media. It’s amazing what some good old fashioned self-care can do for the mind and the body!

I’m definitely not perfect and I wish I could say that I always do what’s most healthy and perfect for my mind, body and soul. But, at the end of the day, I’m human and I think when we find ourselves in negative thought patterns, it’s important to give yourself some grace and be your own mother. Moods can be temporary and nothing changes if nothing changes.