time for a check in - a mindful musing
potential time investment (estimated reading time): 3 minutes
Happy sweet day 💟
How’s your vibe been this past week? How are you handling stressors and tension?
I’m finding the world chaotic and scary and it can be quite the feat to make it through a day without a block of sheer panic time. And that makes this an excellent time to do a check-in with ourselves.
How are you resourcing yourself? Are you making time for your own self care? Are you leaning into supportive systems and practices?
Personally, I’ve noticed that I haven’t been honoring my own limits with news consumption, which I definitely need, and this has really upped my nervous system activation and made finding rest extra challenging. And, as you know, poor rest = grump nation and a whole slew of more awful.
So if you’re in a boat like me, find a place where you can take a few minutes to scan your body from head to toe.
Once you’re there, get comfy, and start at your feet. Work your way up with intention, pausing to notice each area for at least a few breath cycles. Legs and torso, shoulders and throat, all the way to the crown of your head and any spaces that call for attention in between.
Notice what feels tense or tight. If anything feels ‘offline’ or out of whack. Do your best to observe without judgment and just take in information.
The sheer act of doing this is a love letter to yourself.
Do your best to drop in and overcome reluctance. Set a timer if you’re nervous about time. Close your eyes to tune out the world. Turn on some music if you find your mind is extra busy. And if you start to wonder off track, no worries. Come on back and keep practicing when you can. This isn’t a once and done thing.
The blunt truth is that mindfulness doesn’t mean shit if you don’t practice it when you don’t really need it.
Reread that ⬆️
Right now, I think we all need it, so sometimes the best we can do is find the less chaotic pockets to practice it in so that when we need the BIG mindfulness, we’re well-resourced and intimately familiar.
So find your pocket of time and space, no matter what that looks like. You only need a couple minutes and mindfulness is 100% portable.
You are worth it.
My hopes are that this is a tender reminder that mindfulness is a practice, your corner of the world only stands to benefit, and every time we practice is meaningful and beneficial.
✨ May this week see us take the reins of our self care with more authority ✨
With good energy,
photo credit: Tobias Rademacher on Unsplash
*The moon names and phase details given here are as given on the Farmers' Almanac website. There are many other moon names and stories from other cultures that are not included here, but I encourage you to do your own research. It’s fascinating!
All resources mentioned in this newsletter are included for research purposes only and are not affiliated with Zenful Mindings LLC.
