Category: life curation

life curation

Managing Recurring Lows

MstldelanoLeave a comment

As a student of Law of Attraction (LOA), I know that what we focus on expands. So I was dismayed when I noticed that I was feeling blue for longer than a day or so. I recognized a pattern of sad feelings during this time of the year. I experienced some major losses during the fall season several years ago, and I’ve continued to experience some anxiety, sadness and grief during this season.

rest

It did not help that  I was having interaction with someone that didn’t generate the best feelings in me. That person is currently in “neutral”: not a factor in any sadness but not a factor in any joy, either.

I know that this time of year leaves me vulnerable to low emotions, so I’m starting to up my self care: indulging in a good cry if I need it, employing tools from my self care kit, resting as I see fit, etc.,. I have even added a therapist to my arsenal, so that I can continue making progress in managing these emotional lows.

I’m sharing this with you all in the hopes that you will continue to take good care of yourselves and not ignore the signs if you are feeling less than stellar. Your body and mind must be cared for: don’t neglect this. You’re special and precious so remember to take care of YOU.

Talk to you all tomorrow.

art · life curation

Art is a Healer (I Knew It Already)

MstldelanoLeave a comment

There’s nothing like confirmation. There’s a sweet satisfaction that comes from having someone state what you’ve known all along: it’s good to know that your thinking is accurate.

Recently, I came across an article that describes how some physicians in Canada are prescribing trips to the art museum to their patients. There are therapeutic benefits associated with spending time observing and appreciating art.

Untitled design - Edited (2)

Well, as you all know, I wrote about how I healed during my divorce by regularly visiting art museums. My time in museums helped tremendously with my self care and was one of the greatest keys in lifting my mood during the darkest period of my life. There was something so comforting about walking in those pristine and taking in all of the beauty that had been created years prior.

The article also talks about doctors prescribing time in nature to patients, as well. Yup, that’s another thing I used while I was on my self-care journey. All of these things contributed to getting me back into a state of wellness.

Well, that’s it for today. Just came in for a quick gloating session – I kid, I kid! I hope you all are enjoying your Saturday! Take care, and talk to you all tomorrow.

life curation

Excited for NaNoWriMo

MstldelanoLeave a comment

I can barely contain my excitement. It’s NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writer’s Month, for those that have never heard of it before. This is possibly my favorite month of the year, because no other month gathers so many writers together to churn out a novel within 30 days.

writing

Now, a novel written in 30 days won’t necessarily be the next great American novel, but the main thing is to get into the habit of writing daily and capturing your creativity in words. So many people want to be writers, yet, they never can quite get their time or support network together to undertake the task. So their great book remains unwritten and inside of them. It’s tragic, really: how many of us were changed by something that we read? Imagine how many additional life-changing moments are out there, sitting the recesses of someone’s mind.

NaNoWriMo is especially beneficial for me because I love having a clear goal that I can work towards. 50,000 words in one month? Lofty goal, for sure, but completely possible. What’s really great about NaNoWriMo is that there are Meetup groups that form specifically to support one another during this month. I may attend a gathering before the month is out.

Are you all participating in NaNoWriMo this year? If so, please let me know in the comments below!

life curation

Finish 2018 on a Strong Note

MstldelanoLeave a comment

Hi friends! Can you believe we’re already in the month of NOVEMBER? I know, time flies when you’re having fun!

Welcome November - Edited

With two months left in the year, you probably think that you won’t be able to do anything impactful before the years end. Nothing could be farther from the truth! 60 days is more than enough time to do something that will really help you to finish 2018 on a strong note. If nothing else, you can get a good running start for 2019.

So take out those goals you had for 2018 – you know, the ones that got lost in the sauce sometime in February – and give them a good once-over. See which one would really mean the most to you, and get started on it NOW! If you need an idea for how to get started on your goal, I have a post about one of my sneaky tricks for successful resolutions.

Start by doing something today that will take you five minutes or less (preferably less). Take the action immediately, and you’ll already feel like you’re headed in the right direction. As for me, I’m spending 15 minutes today on my “big goals” – five minute on each of my 3 goals – to get some momentum going. And then I’ll be jumping into my writing, because it’s NaNoWriMo! Check out tomorrow’s post for more about the NaNoWriMo festivities for this year.

Talk to you all tomorrow!

life curation

Making Space Challenge – Quick Update

MstldelanoLeave a comment

Yes, I’m still sticking to my #MakingSpaceChallenge, though being away for a week broke up the “flow” of things. However, being on vacation helped me to make mental space that I desperately needed so no complaints here!

On my first full day back at home, I did bag up some items to take to a local thrift store (I’ll be dropping off of those items later today) and go through the enormous pile of mail, quickly throwing away anything that I didn’t need immediately or that would end up costing me money (looking at you, clothing catalogs!) I also got a chance to listen to some podcasts that had been in my queue for a while, which opened up (literal) space on my phone.

stones.jpg

This little traveler opted out of buying or picking shells as souvenirs LOL

Sometimes, the greatest thing you can do to #makespace is simply don’t further clutter what emptied space you have. Avoid adding more clutter on top of what currently exists and you’ll be in a good position to eventually make some progress. Since I wasn’t at home, I wasn’t unnecessarily shopping, so I didn’t decrease my space. Yes, I purchased souvenirs, but I’m delivering all of those travel tokens to their final homes within the week, so the items won’t be in my space for much longer!

I’m spending today doing a lot of cleaning and food prep so that I have more time and space for NaNoWriMo! More about that in a couple of days, but for now, have a great October 31st, and I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!

life curation

Belated Birthday Post: What I Got for My Birthday

MstldelanoLeave a comment

You know that you *might* have had an awesome birthday if you take nearly three months to share what gifts you got! Well, for the record, my birthday was pretty awesome, and my super-thoughtful bestie bought me a few gifts that I’m loving.

Along with my birthday card, I got a bunch of things to remind me to “play” each day. I find that many of my days lack “play” because I have such a hectic schedule. But when I do have downtime, PLAY is a priority. Injecting JOY into every day – in the form of play or pleasure – is crucial to keeping me sane.

So I’ve been enjoying my coloring books and my bubbles. They’re great for helping me unwind during the stressful times. This little bit of whimsy really does wonders for my mood. I love her for coming up with such a creative gift!

I also bought myself a few things, but I’ve already shared that in my latest book purchase post. Remember to always get yourself treats: you deserve it!

life curation

Dealing with Emotional Lows

Mstldelano1 Comment

Happy Friday! I hope you all are gearing up for a fantastic weekend full of friends, family or whatever brings you tremendous joy!

I’ve been feeling very content but also reflective. Recently, I spent some time sorting through some of my emotions. I’ve had a lot of “highs” this year: travel, new friends, good times at work, etc.,. But I think that most people underestimate how bad a “low” can feel when you’ve been flying high for a period of time. It’s easy to assume that lots of “highs” = more immune to the “lows”.

emotion

But it isn’t true sometimes. Sometimes, a “low” can hit you out of nowhere and really bring your vibe down. I’ve had a few of them over the past month or two. The source of these “lows” were one person in particular. This isn’t blaming the person, just acknowledging that the “lows” were connected to interactions that I had with this individual. The “lows” didn’t feel good but I knew that these things were happening for a reason and I had to figure out – quickly – how I would handle these emotions.

The best thing that I could do was ride it out. I decided to explore whatever the “low” is was trying to teach me, because there was definitely a lesson in there somewhere. In this case, I got a new level of understanding about my triggers, boundaries and expectations. I got a chance to express my dissatisfaction and unhappiness in a healthy, productive way. I had the chance to allow someone to self-express then ask for another chance to do better. And this “low” gave me a chance to practice forgiveness and starting over in a manner that felt comfortable for me.

It’s still too early to see if this individual will do better. But I’m open to whatever this next few weeks brings: whether it’s improved interactions or a clear sign that distancing will need to be employed. I wish I had a “all’s well that ends well” way to wrap this up, but, just like everything in life, the story continues to unfold in front of me.

And so it is.

I hope that you all know that emotional lows don’t have to sidetrack your joy completely. Continue to take care of yourselves, and, before you make any rash decisions, get into a quiet space and listen – really listen – to your inner guidance. It always knows the right way.

Enjoy your Friday, and I’ll talk to you all tomorrow.

life curation

10 Easy Ways to Make Space in Your Life

MstldelanoLeave a comment

I’m still having fun with the #MakingSpaceChallenge and finding easy ways to #makespace every day. I haven’t seen any drastic updates/changes in my life, but that’s the beauty of the challenge: causing little drips that I hope will turn into oceans of change.

tranquil

I felt like I might have an issue with staying on task with the challenge, so I came up with a short list of easy ways that I can make space in my life. Some of these may take more than the prescribed 5 minutes, but getting started is important and just as impactful.

Some of the easy ways that you can make space in your life are:

  1. Clean out emails
  2. Make a call that you’ve been putting off
  3. Finally tackle your “junk drawer”
  4. Throw away any expired items (food, beauty products, etc.,)
  5. Cancel a subscription that you don’t need
  6. Throw away any clothing that isn’t in good shape
  7. Back up all of your files to an external drive or cloud drive
  8. Turn in your gently used books and clothing for cash
  9. Indulge in an act of self care
  10. Go to sleep a little earlier than normal

All of these activities either create space in your physical surroundings, your mental space, or serve as a way to restore your energy. I’m sure there are many other small ways that space can be created, but these were the ways that I could think of off of the top of my head.

Do you have any other ideas on how to easily and quickly create space? If so, make sure to leave it in the comments below, as well as take a photo of how you’re making space and tag it on Instagram #MakingSpaceChallenge . Talk to you all tomorrow!

art · life curation

The Writing and Drawing Salons Are Back!

MstldelanoLeave a comment

You’ll recall last year that I wrote about how the National Gallery of Art offers writing and drawing salons seasonally (during the fall, winter and spring). I’m delighted to share that the salons are back! In fact, I’m a little late to the party: the first salons have already happened! Here is the schedule for the remaining salon events:

write

Writing Salon

  • Character: The Power of Detail (November 2018)
  • Perspective: Inside Out (January/February 2019)
  • Setting: Capturing Place (February 2019)
  • Story: The Narrative Arc (March 2019)
  • Poetry: Movement and Meaning (April/May 2019)

draw

Drawing Salon

  • Rachel Whiteread and Sculpting Memory (November/December 2018)
  • El Greco’s Expressive Figures (January/February 2019)
  • Illuminating American Landscapes (March 2019)
  • The Portraits of Sir Anthony van Dyck (April/May 2019)

Kudos to the National Gallery of Art for expanding the schedule to accommodate more participants during this salon season. I recall the years when the events were held over three days only. However, this year (and last year, if I recall correctly), each theme has up to 8 different dates for attendees! More people can participate in these events with all of these dates available.

I plan to attend several salons this year. I didn’t make it to any last year, but I should have a lot more schedule flexibility over the next few months. If you decide to attend, I’ll see you there!

life curation

90 Days to the New Year and a New Challenge!

MstldelanoLeave a comment

Can you all believe that we are only 90 days away from the New Year?! 2018 has been so much fun and I’m looking forward to all sorts of delight and magic in the upcoming year.

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I have several mini-goals to reach over the next few months. However, with the end of the year coming, I wanted to add in one more goal that would really help me feel like I did something meaningful during this last quarter.

happiness

Looking forward to a fabulous October, November, December and beyond!

I’m proposing a brand new challenge for myself. This one is about making space for 2019. The Making Space Challenge (#MakingSpaceChallenge) is simple enough:

  • Every day, take one action that “makes space” for all of the amazing things I intend in 2019.
  • The daily action should take no more than 5 minutes per day.
  • I’ll keep a journal of my “making space” actions so that I can report to you all periodically what actions I’ve taken to make space.

Aside from making space for next year’s adventures and goodness, this challenge will help me to align with the version of myself that I want to experience in the future. Many of my favorite LOA teachers and coaches advise that we start living the life that we envision NOW, so that we can quickly and easily bring that dream into our reality. So, I’m going to do that by clearing away what doesn’t align with my best self and instilling habits that reflect my future best self.

I started the challenge yesterday, October 1st, by going through my perfume samplers and trial sizes. The ones that suit me are still in my collection: the ones that didn’t delight me are now in my aunt’s possession. Today, I’m printing out 3 months of banking and credit card statements so that I can begin reviewing and determining which expenses I can trim. Tomorrow, I’ll be bagging up a few items to deliver to my local thrift store . . . You get my drift: brief, daily actions that “open up” space in my life.

The “space” I’m opening can be literal, physical spaces (such as clearing out beauty products and dresser drawers), emotional space (discarding items given to me by toxic individuals), financial space (stopping unnecessary subscriptions and other monetary “leaks), and even mental space (practicing meditation).

tranquil

I’ll give meditation a go while I do the #MakingSpaceChallenge

Little actions leading up to big results. I’m looking forward to seeing the actions accumulate and being able to share not only how much space I’ve made for the upcoming year, but also how clearing space impacts me right now. I’d love some company while I do this challenge, so if you’re interested, feel free to indulge every day – or even just a few days – in the challenge, and use the #MakingSpaceChallenge hashtag so I can see you and give you a shout out on my Instagram. I look forward to seeing all the creative ways that you all #makespace over the next few months!