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Spring is here and new life is sprouting and pushing through all around us. What do you do though when your soul doesn’t match the landscape? How do you break that feeling of being stuck and trapped in the monotony of another day and instead cultivate life, growth, and newness? Over the next several weeks, we will be diving into this topic as we look to shake things up and bring a breath of fresh air into our lives.
To kick off this series we will be looking at some external elements that you can change to help bring your mind and body out of a slump.
Environment
Sometimes to spark change you may need to do some rearranging of the space where you spend the most time. Your bedroom, your workspace, possibly even the town you currently live in. Sometimes all it takes to shake things up is to make a slight change in our surroundings, give some of the following suggestions a try and see if you feel a difference.
Things to Try
- Rearrange the Furniture – Try placing your bed against a different wall. Arrange things so they flow better, give you more space, or cater to how you function every day. Move your desk so it faces the window. Try moving the couches so they are more conducive to having people over. Have fun and don’t be afraid to try arrangements that might seem crazy at first.
- Take Old Items Out – Get that TV out of your bedroom. Ditch the dresser full of stuff you never use. Make space. Declutter. We are constantly inundated with receiving items but we rarely make time to let them go. Sometimes holding onto old things is what is causing us to feel stuck in old ways.
- Bring New Items In – Consider bringing something new into your space. Purchase a large piece of art that inspires you. Pick out a new bedspread. Buy a new vase to put on your kitchen counter and start buying yourself flowers every week. Bringing new and inspiring things into your space can give you a sense of change and shake up that “stuck” feeling.
APPEARANCE
If you’re feeling like you really need a fresh start maybe you want to make a change that feels more bold and personal. If so, consider changing something about your appearance. Our outer self is how we express ourselves and is our canvas to communicate who we are to the rest of the world. Considering making a fresh statement with one of the following elements.
- Hair – Hair is usually the first thing we as women will change when we are making a fresh start. Change the color. Get a new cut. Consider making a change that makes you slightly uncomfortable like chopping it super short or going for a bold color. The great thing about this is it’s just hair, it will always grow back.
- Clothes – A new outfit can definitely make you feel like a new person. Look at getting a fun pair of shoes or a cute new dress. Grab something you’ve always wanted to wear that you never thought you could. Follow the same rule and try to pick something that you like but leaves you slightly uncomfortable.
- Body – Another form of self-expression you can go for is tattoos or piercings. Maybe you’ve always wanted to get your nose pierced, then go do it! Get a fresh tattoo that speaks something meaningful into your life or get a tattoo that just looks awesome and makes you smile. Sometimes making a permanent change on your body can be a pillar for making a new change in other areas of your life.
ROUTINE
- Spiritual – How often do you spend time praying? Meditating? Studying the Bible? Whatever your spiritual journey/practices look like, consider changing the frequency, time of day, location, in which you practice them. A slight shift here can make a huge difference.
- Physical – Do you make time to move your body every day? We were not designed to be sedentary creatures. Consider working out more or changing up the type of workout you’re doing. Try a new class or a new sport. Join an intermural team. Begin going for morning or evening walks every day. Moving your body can help things move inside your mind. Along with that look at things like your facial routine, nail care, hair routine, etc. Try incorporating something extra and special into your routine and show your body some love.
- Electronics – One of the easiest ways to slip into feeling stuck or lethargic is to fall into the trap of constantly being attached to your phone, tablet, computer, tv, etc. These things are tools and can be beneficial but if we are mindlessly using them they can over-inundate our minds with noise and input which can put us into a numbed state. Try shaking things up by picking one hour to be electronic free everyday. If you really want to go bold you could do one day a week or month where you spend the whole day completely electronics free.
- Work – Not everyone works from home or has the ability to change their work schedule but even with pre-scheduled hours you can do things to shake up your work routine. Try showing up 30 minutes for work so you can relax during the commute and not stress about being late. Change how you spend your 30 minute lunch. Instead of mindlessly scrolling social media try reading, going for a walk, or journaling some things you are grateful for.
If you are feeling stuck in your life, these things may not bring about ACTUAL change internally but they’re a simple place to start. Sometimes a small change on the outside can give us space and inspiration to start working things out on the inside. If where you sit this Spring is empty, stuck, and wandering, join me these next few weeks as we continue to look at doing some spring cleaning of our souls.
As always, lots of love
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