Cultivating Self-Love: Mind Recap

I know I'm coming at you a bit late with this post, and I'm not sorry. I've had an incredibly busy week, and I decided to give my brain a break during what terribly little down-time I had. I also watched Frozen 3 times (2x were while babysitting my nephew, and 1x was just for undistracted fun). I say this, because it seems like in blogging, there are two camps: those who apologize for taking a break, and those who either don't believe you should take breaks, or that you should at least not mention the breaks (let alone apologize for them). I fall into a third camp: hooey to the rules, I'm blogging my way, and I'll say what I want to say.

So I took a bit of a brain break this month, which is perfect since this month's self-love theme was the mind. I truly believe that loving yourself means giving yourself a break from time to time (and not just waiting until you desperately need it). So, today I'd like to share how I've cultivated love for my mind this month:

• I read some books. I"m working on The Goldfinch, and I finished The Snow Child and Little Bee, both of which will be discussed at tomorrow morning's Ladies Who Brunch Book Club. I can't wait.
• I crunched some data for said book club. Turns out processing data and creating reports are something I will do for fun.
• I took an accidental 48-hour break from my phone while at the coast, and it was a nice break for my brain.
• I talked about building your vocabulary, and used some of my own tricks while reading new books.
• I shared the way I view productivity.
• I went to bellydance class and learned some moves that are quite challenging for the brain.
• I read this article about memories being passed down through genetics, which gave me some food for thought. Perhaps my fear of spiders comes from an ancestor who was attacked by spiders? Also, if I ever have kids, they might inherit an intense fear of the dentist.
• I took this geography quiz to see how much I remember from my college geography class. One thing you might not know about me: I LOVE geography. I love maps. 
• While I was at the beach house with 5 other women, I unapologetically took time by myself to read while the other walked the beach. I tend to get overstimulated without my alone time, so this was a crucial moment for my mental well-being.

I consider those my little victories this month in my project of cultivating self-love. There is a lot I did not touch on, but alas, February only has 28 days this year. What I know is that I have an interesting mind- we all do- and I've learned how to take care of it more, and love it a little better.

How was your month? Join me on Monday when I reveal what March is all about, and if you haven't already, sign up for my monthly newsletter for some extra content!

Leave a Comment cultivating self love, mind

Share:

6 Steps to an Awesome (Productive) Day

If you're anything like me and have a seemingly endless to-do list that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to tackle your day, then I have something special for you. Today I am going to share with you how to break up your tasks so that you can end your day feeling happy and productive.

How am I doing this? 6 words. Think about your to-do list; it could probably be broken into categories, right? By breaking your to-do list down, it will automatically feel that much more doable.

Even if you don't have a to-do list, but you like feeling productive on a daily basis, these tips help you narrow your focus and do things!

So, what are my 6 steps to an awesome (productive) day?

1. Learn something every day. Read about new concepts, research something you've been curious about, or brush up on rusty skills.
2. Create something every day. Write an article, take a photograph, paint a picture, knit a hat, bake a cake, or fix up a salad from scratch.
3. Maintain your body and your home. Take a shower, clean the toilet, clip your toenails, vacuum, wash the dishes, or get your car's oil changed.
4. Move your body. Do 1-minute planks, do 20 squats, go for a run, take a dance class, or do yoga.
5. Connect with someone. Call your mom, email a friend, text your brother, or have coffee with a colleague.
6. Treat yo'self. Eat a cookie, take a bath, read for leisure, watch a movie, or buy yourself flowers.

I recommend writing each of these words on a post-it and keeping it in your workspace, or any place you spend a lot of time, as a reminder to keep you on track. At the end of the day, grab a journal and write down something you did for each of these categories. 

The best thing about these steps is how easy they are to incorporate into your day. There is no time-frame for these, so even if you only spend one minute on one of these words, one is better than none. If you've done at least one thing from each of these categories, you can end your day knowing that you accomplished something. And even if you only hit 4 out of the 6 categories, it's still better than not doing anything at all.

What do you think- is this doable? What are your tips for making yourself feel accomplished at the end of the day? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

Leave a Comment cultivating self love, mind, productivity

Share:

Love Your Brain by Building Your Vocabulary

How do you feel about your vocabulary? Do you wish it were broader? That you had more words at your disposal in order to express your thoughts, feelings, and ideas more explicitly?

For me, a wide vocabulary is like having a nice, full wardrobe. With only a few pieces in your wardrobe, you are very limited as to how you can express yourself through your styles, but the more pieces you have, the more nuanced your styles becomes. Such is the same with vocabulary.

Given that I'm a bit of a word nerd, I'm going to share with you some of my tips and tricks for learning new vocabulary so that you can get out there and express yourself with more pizzazz.

Tips and Tricks For Building Vocabulary

• Read. A lot. Preferably something more high-brow than US Weekly. This tip is something I learned while I was in college, but not because of anything I was doing expressly for schoolwork. During those days, my favorite books to read for fun were some of the classics- think Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, and Charles Dickens, with some L.M. Montgomery and J.R.R. Tolkein thrown in. I had several of my French and Art History teachers ask me if I was a literature major because of the way that I wrote. I was always baffled, until they explained that I had a very literary style in my papers. I realized that the kind of leisure reading I pursued led to a greater vocabulary and it affected my writing. So, if you want to write better, read better!
• When you read, take note of unfamiliar words. True story: when I read The Three Musketeers, the translation that I read had a plethora of new-to-me words. I underlined every word that I did not understand, and put tabs in the book so that when I put the book down, I could pick up a dictionary and look up the new words. That was back in the time before smartphones- now I just use the dictionary on my iPhone while I'm reading, though taking notes would help with memory.
• Use a study guide. Yeah, it's a little nerdy, but if you make a point of building your vocabulary with purpose, then a study guide is a very useful tool. Years ago, I studied for the GRE and I went through the top 250 words that was provided in my Kaplan guide. I highlighted every word that I could not define and made flashcards. A few times each day, I reviewed my flashcards, eliminating words as I mastered their definitions. Nerdy, but incredibly effective.
• Use smartphone Apps. There are quite a few vocabulary-building apps out there, some geared specifically towards SAT and GRE takers, and some that are games. For the cut and dry flashcard-style app, GRE Vocabulary Flashcards is a decent free app, and works a bit like my study method above. For something a bit more fun and entertaining, I like Vocabador, which is only 2 bucks. There are two aspects to Vocabador- the study portion, and the game portion. The premise here is that you are a wrestler (you get to pick a name and a mask!), and you choose your level of study- lightweight, middle weight, and heavy weight. The study guide is excellent- you get words, definitions, sentences, synonyms, and antonyms. When you're ready you can enter the ring and test your knowledge of vocabulary- and you get to choose your opponent!

Some Related Links

This article about building vocab by reading, and this article with some tips and words you should be using more often.

Do you have any vocab-building tips or tricks? I would love to hear form you in the comments below!

Leave a Comment cultivating self love, mind, vocabulary

Share:

Cultivating Self-Love: The Mind

Via

Happy February, my friends! The older I get, the faster time seems to pass, and when it comes to the winter months, that is fine by me. I'll be singing a different song come Spring.

So this month's stop on the Cultivating Self-Love tour is the mind. My spirit is strong and ready for this, and I feel that the mind is the next logical level for creating a deep foundation for loving myself. 

This month, I am looking to cultivate love for my mind. This means caring for my consciousness and intellect, as well as the organ of my brain. I believe in "mind over matter," so I need to take good care of this part of myself. 

How do I plan to do this? Well, as a rather contemplative person, I will take time to examine what my mind is to me and how it is shaped. I will pay attention to the way that I learn and why it works the way it does. I can then take what I know, and nurture my mind through mental exercises and rest, and show it grace. 

The more that I have seen and experienced, the more I realize that no two people's brains work the same. We have plenty of similarities, but we should never take for granted our differences. There is a reason why some people are scientists and others are artists: we need both in this world. Learning where I fit and appreciating that is crucial to my love for myself.

This month, my aim is to share with you the things I learn about my mind, and the mind in general this month, and share tips with you on how to cultivate love for your mind. 

So, my question for you today is this: how do you take care of your mind? I would love to hear from you in the comments below!

Leave a Comment cultivating self love, mind

Share: