hello friends & welcome to the final post of my series! thanks for following along <3
part two: habits and routines for the school year
part three: study tips!
part four: meal prep with my sister rachel
part five (this post): not overdoing yourself!! balancing productivity & rest
what we are talking about today:
"limiting" yourself / coping and emotional health / rest / gratitude & contentment
let's go!
“limiting” yourself
in a world where we have so much technology and convenience, it’s easy to want to do it all. and we can try, but at the end of the day, it hurts us. as humans, i believe we are not meant to be doing stuff every minute. it’s not sustainable. when we overwork, that limits our health and energy more than rest. however, it’s much easier said than done. so how can we work to “limit” ourselves?
say no and stay home. this is something i’ve been working on. we need to say no to things so we can say yes to sleep, time alone and outside—things that recharge us. be selective!
leaving time in your routines to be still. enough said. the harder it is, the more we need to do it.
make your phone work for you (see part two).
don’t listen to something all the time! silence is a blessing!
list all your commitments and choose something to drop if you feel overwhelmed. maybe now is not the right time. pray about it!
realize you have your whole life in front of you. make today count, but take care of yourself. no accomplishments are worth the price of your health <3
coping & emotional health
let’s talk about something that keeps us from truly resting (and being as productive as we could be): emotional disconnection! when we don’t know what we are feeling, or we’re feeling unpleasant emotions (post on this coming soon!), we have to cope. it’s a natural thing. it’s not bad, it’s just tricky when we’re an emotional wreck or emotionally oblivious and we cope unhealthily.
what can unhealthy coping look like?
scrolling or distracting yourself on your phone
sugar or food to give you dopamine (also unhealthy reliance on caffeine)
drugs, alcohol, pain medication, etc (this is the root of substance abuse in my opinion!)
overworking to avoid your emotions
and more.
…aka procrastination. big time. we all do it. it’s normal. however, being emotionally aware and smart about your coping strategies will affect your health big time. especially with substances. don’t try them y’all. they are like a band-aid that will fall off very quick and leave you more wounded.
so what do we do instead?
healthy coping!
checking in with your breath and your body to see what emotions come up
breathing exercises like box breathing (444), 478, 427, etc, can help you regulate! try to do them for two minutes to get the full effect. here are some of my favorite breathwork & meditation podcasts
not labeling emotions as bad—unpleasant emotions are good, too <3 just hard! (def recommend the app ‘how we feel’ )
going on a walk! seriously the magic trick for everything! being outside and alone brings you back to yourself & reality
standing barefoot on the grass, soil, stone, water, etc. is such a good strategy as well. it literally grounds you to mother nature !!
sensory feedback from the earth helps you be aware of your body and your balance
electron transfer from the negative charge of the earth, which may reduce inflammation and pain! healing <3
can lower your stress hormone cortisol & help you feel calm!
being outside can increase production of serotonin, improving your mood :))
making sure you’re taking enough breaks & not overdoing yourself! sometimes we just need a nap or less going on
if you have high energy emotions like anger, jealousy, worry, excitement, etc, try these things (be aware of those around you ofc):
jumping up and down
shaking out your hands
stomping around
screaming into your pillow
pounding on something
throwing something (safely, like a ball :)
running super quickly around
these can help you release that energy so it’s not stored in your body!! usually it just needs to be let go of :) i highly recommend this podcast ep to learn more.
making a healthy snack to eat that will make you feel good (see part four for ideas)
talking: to yourself, to someone else, to God, to your journal. verbal processing helps so much!
working out!!
be aware of your mindset and work to improve it
do art, music, or something creative and ponder on what you’re feeling
time with God in prayer and scripture!! remember that God is here and the Word is living!! seriously the go-to in both good and bad times <3
basically, we need to create space to feel our emotions. if we don’t, they get stuck, and we procrastinate and distract ourselves, trying to fix a problem with solutions that don’t work. being more aware of your mind, heart, and body can help you feel your emotions and release them without running away to other things. this something i’ve become so passionate about. i truly believe many of the problems of today’s society would diminish if we all worked on this <3
when scripture says “be still and know that I am God,” it’s for this reason. we need to be still and quiet within ourselves if we want to truly rest and be able to live at our full capacity. we can also be present for others! what a gift to give <3
rest
rest is as productive as work.
but you have to actually rest, not just sit on your phone.
figure out how you rest. what’s something you do that you leave feeling RESTED.
that’s rest.
gratitude and contentment
with thanksgiving coming up, i hope gratitude is on your minds :))
but seriously, BEING GRATEFUL WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
it’s the mindset shift that makes the biggest difference. it’s what faith and religion teach. praise God. thank Him for everything. truly everything good (and hard) is a blessing that we didn’t earn. at the end of the day, we are all trying our best, and God is good!! so many things happen every single day that are unexpected and happy. we are also spared from danger, from death, from disease!! think about it!
and yes, there is so much evil in the world, and many tragedies happen to good people. we are all facing battles right now. however, there is so much more good than we realize. start looking, and you’ll find it. be grateful every day, and you’ll be content. because we all have way more than we even realize!
what are some things i’m grateful for lately?
a healthy body / free public education / local food to eat / encouraging teachers / little conversations / being noticed / time to do art / supportive parents / healthcare / the privilege of travel / being able to read / clean water / cozy sweaters / a car / money for gas / citizenship / not having insomnia / nature / grandparents who are alive & healthy / earrings / having the money to shop for clothes / friends who check in on me / the excitement of christmas / safety driving / poetry / cute outfits / the colors of the forest / making new friends at school / little kids / being silly / energy / time to write the blog / sunshine / my walks / inspiring youtube devotionals / my singing voice / truth in the Word / more listeners on my podcast / music that makes me smile / the soft subtle beauty of november / taking pictures / being on time / grapefruit / finishing long assignments / peace
what are some things you’re grateful for? comment <33
i challenge you to give a prayer of gratitude every single morning when you wake up! when you walk into school. when you get out of your car. when you get ready for bed.
trust me, those little things you appreciate will change your day.
→ there is so much goodness in our mundane days! we just have to notice it <3
practicing gratitude changes our goal of success to contentment. no success can bring you happiness and peace. only contentment <3
also, have grace with yourself. be your biggest supporter, not your harshest critic :)
and that’s it :) i hope you got something out of this post!! definitely topics that have been on my mind a lot in the past year. thank you all for following along through this series! the second series on the blog, let me know if you want me to do more! i loved it and i’m definitely pondering ideas for the future :)
love you all! thank you for commenting, sharing, and telling me what you liked. it means the world.
see you next week with my birthday post! seventeen things i learned being seventeen <3
and if you wanna be the best & spoil me for my birthday, comment & share this post :) thanks!!
xo, kate
p.s. i have a new podcast ep out!! listen here
pss i love love love comments!! they make me so happy! leave your name please so i know who you are :) thanks all <33
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