Spring is officially here!

Ya’ll – life is good! We are so lucky to be given a new day each morning to make it awesome! I can’t wait to share some of the exciting things that have been going on recently.

Sometimes we have to do a little spring cleaning inside of ourselves. We clean the house, we clean the car, we prep for summer… often times we leave our self neglected. We become stale and stagnant and maybe even unpleasant to be around. Sometimes you have to root yourself in what you know, who you are, and stretch your branches.

Below are some ways I decided to spring clean myself and maybe they’ll be helpful to you, too.

Take a Break: I cut all ties with my social media accounts (even taking a break from M&W, publicly at least – I won’t tell you how many drafts I have sitting around on WordPress), which was a lot easier than I thought. I even considered not coming back at all. It’s been like throwing open a window and breathing this huge breath of air. I have felt more grounded and more like I am living my life than showing it or letting someone else’s “perfect snippets” of their life makes me feel about mine. I will definitely be doing social media a little different this time around.

If you’re bored and/or interested in reading more about how SM affects us I highly encourage two reads: Social Media Makes You Unhappy. Here’s What You Can Do About It. & 7 Things You Learn About (Real) Connection From Being Off the Grid for a Week.

Birds of a Feather: I’ve had the opportunity to really spend time with people that I’m close to and also spend some time with friends who have moved away. Our friends are the family we get to choose. One of my best friends, E, who has really blessed my life in more ways than I could ever explain is moving back out West at the beginning of May. These past few weeks have really given me an opportunity to spend quality time with her and even give in to some of her (good) peer pressure like donating blood for the first time (that story coming soon!)

My friend, Coco, who I call my “true blue” friend just bought her first home with her future husband and I was lucky enough to get to help them move in. It’s such an exciting time in life for so many people in my life… so happy for them!

 

Get Up & Get Out: My body and I are starting to be really good friends again. We are talking 5:30am booty calls (it’s a workout term – get your mind out of the gutter), running in the evenings, biking, strength training, hiking (!! Anyone reading this who knows me knows this is major – can’t wait to share!), yoga for days… you get the picture. Over the past several weeks, I can count the days I “took off” on one hand. I took way too much time away from my body and my mental health by quitting the very things that help keep my whole being aligned. Not only are the physical benefits that I’m reaping pretty awesome, the way I feel after a hard run or a yoga session or a 2 hour solo bike ride is priceless. I won’t ever give that up again. Know what makes you a better you and don’t stop.

I know my go-tos to not only get my body in shape but to keep me mentally healthy, but this Spring is bringing some new activities. Of course I’ve mentioned hiking, but I also tried out a dance class with a friend recently.

This was so much fun! It’s a great activities for a group of friends to go to or of course a date, but you switch partners throughout the night so don’t let thinking you have to bring a “date” stop you from going. RCDC meets weekly and it’s specifically for people who enjoy dancing but don’t necessarily want to go to a “club”. I believe the group has a page on Facebook – definitely check them out!

Intentional Living: Recently one night after yoga, I was bouncing out of the gym to my car and I took my sunglasses off and there was this magnificent sunset gracing the sky. A smattering of orange and blue and purple and pink – it wasn’t perfect or the most beautiful, but it was lovely. I rolled all the windows down in the car and took a little drive with the music blaring – it’s moments like that that I feel 100% alive and free. In yoga, we learn to set an intention before the beginning of the class. Maybe it’s to relax or to focus on something we are good at or something we want to accomplish the next day. Yoga is not without purpose. Such is life. Everyday, we can set an intention and strive to fulfill it. Maybe it’s to smile more. To bring some flowers to a friend who is going through a rough patch. Cleaning the car. Raking the leaves in the yard. They don’t have to be big. We put too much pressure on ourselves at times while we should be more intentional with our living instead of cramming as much junk into one day as we can.

 

Detox: I’m not necessarily talking about drinking kale and lemon juice for a few days although I hear that works pretty well. While I did do some body detoxing by cutting sugar, bread and general “crap” out of most of my diet and absolutely nothing but water, detoxing comes in other forms.

Detox the negative feelings that want to feed off of whatever you’re going through. Yes, ladies, I am talking to you – put down that glass of wine you’re drinking in the bathtub while crying over Pinterest quotes as Sam Smith plays in the background. You are on a slippery slope to becoming a seriously unproductive byproduct of society. Just say no. Seriously. Pull yourself together.

It’s good to feel your feelings, as they say, and I do plenty of it but at some point you have to stop catering to your feelings. Life is moving on without you. That’s why it’s imperative you take time for yourself when you need it and you rest in your situations and then move on. You learn your lesson and you turn yourself outward. Do something for someone else.

Tune out the people who continually want to complain instead of looking at the positive (we all know these people) – sometimes that means either completely cutting off a friendship or relationship or just taking a step back. Change your circumstances. Change yourself. Make yourself better. We can all stay pretty awesome being the same, but the truth is we’re all one day closer to dying and I’m not really satisfied doing the same things when I know I can be better – not just for myself but for those around me.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone: They may be small acts, but really think about pushing yourself a little bit this year. Try something new. Don’t be one of those people who says, “I will never…” at the drop of a hat at the mention of an adventure. It took me a long time to get saying, “No” down, but this year I’m going to say “Yes” just a little more. Life is so full… Take advantage of it! I can’t wait to share some of the things I’ve been doing the past few weeks.

Choose to be happy. Choose to live intentionally. Choose to be someone other people want to be around because you’re a light in the midst of something dark they’re going through. Choose to not drag yourself down by comparing yourself to others. Choose to be the best version of yourself you can.

until next time… xoxo, patty lauren