February is flying by! Not only because it’s a short month – between house projects, travel for work and everything else going on…I literally can’t keep up. I’ve been sick basically the last 2-3 weeks. I rarely get sick, and I managed to get the flu followed by another virus a couple of weeks later. It’s kind of brutal, and it put into perspective how important my health is. I need to find time to unwind and focus on getting better. Health should always come first.
In other news, my travel bug is kicking in. I found myself reminiscing about my trip to Peru a couple of years ago, and how disconnecting from the world for 7 days hiking the Inca trail was the best thing I ever experienced. When it’s just you and nature, you have nothing to do but to listen to your own thoughts and connect with yourself. The picture above is one of many from that amazing trip.
Since I don’t have the luxury of flying off to Peru anytime soon (though I do have a short trip to San Diego coming up this week!), I look to the internet for inspiration, motivation, ways to be better manage stress & be more mindful. Here’s what I’ve been reading lately:
- When it comes to practicing mindfulness, I always feel overwhelmed by the idea. Where do I even start? I liked that this article breaks down habits you can incorporate into your daily life to help you be more mindful. I really love the idea of #2 – seems easy enough, doesn’t it? (thepowerofideas.ideapod.com)
- Being “healthy” has different meaning to each person. For me, it means eating right, staying active and doing things I find fulfilling & make me happy. I enjoyed reading the different perspectives of what “health” means in this post (cupcakesandcashmere.com).
- There are times when my mind just doesn’t stop going. I felt better when I discovered that mindfulness practice doesn’t mean training your brain so that you don’t have any thoughts. It’s all about embracing the ones that you have (tinybuddha.com).
- Five minutes a day can keep the negativity away (I need to get this book ASAP).
- I find myself most drawn to this idea of “mindful eating“, probably because I love to eat. I am so guilty of eating while multi-tasking (reading email, checking my phone, watching TV). Has anyone tried this? I’d love to hear your experience! (lifehacker.com)
PS – It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow! Check out my gift guide for him, some date ideas and where to celebrate in Chicago.
