Dear 2021...

Dear 2021,

It's been a special experience.

In our second year into lockdowns, working from home, limited human connections, face masks and dry hands from Purell, I have come to become sluggish but am still looking forward to the things that bring me joy in life.

For me, the last year has been tougher than the first year of Covid. I think a lot of people are in the same boat where we are fed up of the slow-pace and trying to find excitement and novelty in the few things in our surroundings.

Human nature tends to oversee the things that become common to us. The songs from the bird who visits every day seem to fade into the background now that I've heard her song for over a year. The novelty of taking walks in the middle of a day have worn off and the ability to wear yoga pants 24 hours a day is making me sluggish.

I've forgotten how many years has passed, I can't keep track of what stores are open when and the last two years feel like a complete blur to me. There are few milestones that help anchor the sense of meaningful passage of time since March 2020.

And yet, through all this - we have to remember to keep optimistic in order to find meaning in life. Finding the silver linings can help reinforce our sense of gratitude which in turn helps push us forward into the next year without regret and with full force.

My top 10 from 2021:

1. We might've seen less of our close friends, but the moments we spend together are more meaningful.

2. We have gone out less, but when we do, they are meaningful and memorable

3. We have bought less, but bought better

4. We have travelled less, but discovered more local novelties (who knew I could get local Wagyu beef in the Laurentiens of Qc?)

5. I have spent less, and saved more

6. Irrelevant or unhappy news have fallen to the sidelines (do I REALLY care that so and so Kardashian did something with someone somewhere? nope.)

7. I've had time to read all the books "I wished I had time to read"

8. I've spent less time on mindless entertainment (mainly because we've gone through all of Netflix in 2020), and more on creative & productive outlets.

9. I've started growing a green thumb!...after YEARS of killing plants.

10. Above all else, I've gotten to know myself so much better. I know my likes and dislikes, my tolerances and boundaries like never before.

Life has completely changed for all of us, and the likelihood of going back to "normal" is beyond gone at this point. However, what we choose to focus our energies on today will be what impacts all of our futures. Don't let this moment in time demotivate you. On the contrary, leverage what is happening today to create your own opportunity and have a little control to define who and what you want to be in the next few years to come.

So be grateful for all that 2021 has taught you, and welcome 2022 with open arms.

Happy New Year.

Wishing everyone a healthy, joyous and meaningful 2022.

Gain More Time with Less Mindless Procastination

➕ Find more time in your life by doing less mindless things. ➖

How many of us use the lack of time as an excuse? I know I have, and to be COMPLETELY honest and transparent, still do at times.

It's the ultimate reason we all use to justify procrastination. I don't mean procrastination in the sense of leaving a work or school project to be done at the last minute. I mean procrastination from the perspective of not achieving your personal goals and not becoming the person YOU WANT TO BE.

Instead of taking control over your life, the hours in your day and the minutes you spend on each task, you choose to "go with the flow" and let the current take you wherever that is

Well, newsflash - life isn't ever going to suddenly make you want to work out, eat better, start a new project or fulfill your karma.

How many of you find yourselves saying things like:

• if I had more time, I would work out more

• if I had more time, I should do more gardening

• if I had more time, I would eat better

• if I had more time, I would create more

• if I had more time, I could connect more with those in my life

• if I had more time...etc, etc.

What's absolutely crazy though, is that we spend a TON of time on mind-numbing and thoughtless activities without even truly realizing it. With so little time (as we all tend to claim), you would think that we would be driven to spend it better on meaningful experiences and richer more in depth moments.

Let's break it down.

We all have 24 hours in a day. Forget the weekends for a second, for five of the days in your week you are going through motion after motion.

Of those 24 hours, 16 are primarily used up for sleep and a full-time job (or school) - and that's if you're lucky. That leaves most of us with a mere 8 hours to spare. You can think of your day in thirds if you'd like. A third is spent on sleeping, a third on work and a last third on yourself.

Whoops - that's a lie. That last third, isn't truly all yours.

You may have to travel from one place to another, obligations, chores and don't forget to shower, pee and eat! After all that is done...you MIGHT have 4 hours left.

What do we all do at the end of the day?

"I want to shut my brain off"

and what do many of us do unconsciously at the end of the evening? Check instagram, facebook, Netflix...the list goes on. We impulsively choose the option that will give us the most immediate reward, similar to the way a pathological gambler makes his or her immediate decisions (2014 Grecucci et al.).

Did you know that on average, a person spends up to 2 hours a day on social media or more than 10 hours online video per week (ref Statista Research Department, Sept 2021). That's roughly 3.5 hours a day. Remember that 4 hours we just calculated earlier? Well, you just used up 87.5% of it up doing something that, for the most part, adds ZERO value to your life.

What we are doing blindly though, is draining energy from our bodies and soul. When was the last time you finished binge watching Netflix and said "Wow, I feel energized and great!"

NEVER.

Typically, you end up feeling groggy, maybe a little fog brained...and not particularly motivated to do anything.

On the flip side, If you were to mindfully do each action in your day, you'd be surprised to discover how much EXTRA time you had. Things actually don't take a lot of time to do.

What takes up a lot of time are the mindless procrastinations that we've enslaved ourselves to. This is easier said than done. None of us are truly in the driver's seat of our lives unless we nurture something called self-awareness, but that's a deeper topic for another day.

EASY TIPS TO GET YOU GOING

1. Be aware by breaking down your day. Bring awareness to how you are CURRENTLY spending your time. Break down a typical day hour by hour and see what are the things you are doing. What are the tasks that you bring you satisfaction and what are the ones that being zero value to your life.

2. 5 Second Rule (by Mel Robbins), whenever you feel yourself JUST about to procrastinate, break that pattern and count 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Then DECIDE what you WANT to do.

3. Tip from Jay Shetty, ask yourself each day what is the ONE thing you should do before going to bed to FEEL like you are satisfied with your day. It could be as simple as drinking a cup of tea in solitude to running 10k.

4. Meditate in the morning - even if it's just for 5 minutes - on who you want to be that day, or what you want to accomplish. Studies have shown that meditation alter the perception of time, both while meditating and after.

5. Set your alarm clock to when you ACTUALLY need to get up. Automation with lack of intention is futile. Wake up when you actually need to, otherwise get those extra ZZZs in.

6. Date your tasks. Leave those ongoing to-do lists in the trash. Do your tasks when they are relevant and meaningful. Do them when they serve a purpose and you know WHY. Otherwise, spend that time doing things that are worth more your while.

TODAY, not Tomorrow, not the day after or next week. TODAY, break down what that typical day looks like and start making adjustments that help you go to sleep tonight feeling a bit more fulfilled and satisfied with what you have accomplished.

A Little Mental Note on my Yoga Journey

Mental health is a serious matter. It‘s something that is deeply rooted in each and every one of us, but something we give so little attention to.

Having a healthy mind doesn’t only mean to be functional on a daily basis. It could be something as subtle as getting over a bad day at work, to something much more serious that would require professional support.

In my case, Yoga is what has truly brought some balance to my mental health.

In my life, I’ve witnessed many situations that could have had better outcomes if the opposing parties were more empathetic towards one another.

It all started when I was 8 and my dad started his own business. What seemed like a harmless endeavor on his end, wound up causing a domino effect in our household synergy. I recall him working longer hours, being less available at home and eventually causing some resentment from my mother. My mom became a stay-at-home parent, taking care of my older sister and I. Although I was too young to fully understand what was going on, part of me believes that had my father been more present, my parents wouldn’t have drifted as far apart as they did.

Granted, everything happens for a reason. Today, I am grateful for who I have become and understand that wouldn’t have been possible if I lived a different childhood. But because of the childhood that I DID have, I’ve definitely struggled with mental health for many years.

Every teenager is a drama queen, but I vividly recall having some pretty suicidal thoughts when I was around 14. My family situation was extremely unstable on all fronts and in hindsight I could have gotten better support either from a professional or just those closest to me. Being non-violent in nature, I coped by becoming more of a lone-wolf, kept to myself and relied heavily on my own capabilities. This has made it tough for me to share emotions with other people and energy-draining for me to be in large group settings. It wasn’t until I was 18 that I discovered yoga.

At first it was just curiosity that led me to take yoga classes. However, I soon started to see its many benefits:

1) Finding emotional balance

When you spend time focused on just you and your body, something fascinating happens in your mind. It lets go of the noise and allows you to hone in on what’s important. Staying still gives your mind a chance to think clearly and provide clarity.

2) Finding a supportive community

Almost everyone I’ve ever met who does yoga are also there for overall self-improvement. This creates a healthy environment to share your experiences with others and gain knowledge on how to nurture a self-care routine.

3) Reduces Stress

Similar to point #1, yoga helps to reduce stress the cortisol levels in your body. Your brain is able to ditch the flight or flight mode, and get back to thinking more calmly.

4) Know yourself better

Yoga gives you a chance to get to know yourself better, and the more you understand your own boundaries - both physically and mentally, the more you will be better equipped to manage stressful situations.

5) Accepting you as you are

In getting to know the real you - you start to treat yourself kinder, and become more accepting of yourself AS YOU ARE.

6) Increase your strength and flexibility

Although this it’s sort of a given that you will improve in both physical strength and flexibility, this also translates to your mind. The better you feel about being in your own body, the more confidence you will have in your mind.

The list could go on.

My journey with yoga is not even close to the end. In fact, I’m just starting to scrape the surface. Knowing what I do know has given me the confidence to share this knowledge with all of you, and encourage all those who have not yet tried yoga to give it a go.

I also used to believe that yoga had to be a minimum of one hour, the proper gear, the right location, etc..etc.. In Covid lock-down world, I discovered that none of that was true. Yoga can be as short as 5 mins and as long as you wish it to be. You can do yoga on a chair, on a yoga mat, outside, who cares. And your clothes? Even less important. I’ve done yoga in jeans, yoga pants, joggings, my underwear and even in the nude. What matters is taking the time to be with yourself and calm your mind.

So next time you find yourself in a little need of comfort and love, get into a child’s pose and allow yourself to be there for yourself.

If you’d like to join me on this journey, follow me on @yogate.ca where I offer short 5-10 mins yoga and meditation sessions that you can do whenever, wherever.

I also host give-what-you-can live yoga classes where all proceeds go to the Canadian Mental Health Association throughout the months of October and November. Head over to @yogate.ca on Instagram for more details.

You can also donate directly here through Go Fund Me.