My journey to self-rejuvenation/fulfillment/contentment has been a difficult one so far. Anxiety and stress are still lurking (and even higher after reading one of my student’s papers on heart disease and stress!). And life continues on at a fast pace. However, having the conscious awareness of making a change, I have certainly made important steps that have certainly had a positive influence in how I am feeling. Definitely making progress towards greater fulfillment and contentment.
First, I have become very purposeful in identifying what is important to me and how to begin filling my life more with those things that are important, in a simple and easy-to-do way. (I have even created data sheets, which has proven to be very helpful ). In doing so, I took a close look at the areas of my life that are important to me (e.g., family, recreation, physical well-being, friends, work and so on). I then identified the most important areas that I am not overly satisfied with and brainstormed as many different activities that would help fulfill each of those areas. I identified the top 15 most important activities I’d love to do more of in my life and rated them from 1, being the easiest to incorporate now (i.e., I may already be doing some of these things here and there) to 15, the most difficult to incorporate now. I then chose the easiest two activities and scheduled them into my day/week. I started with realistic goals and am happy to inform you that, after week 1, I have successfully incorporated these activities into my life. I meditated every day for the past 7 days for 20 minutes. I also spent 30 minutes with Willow to read to and cuddle with 5 nights this week. This upcoming week, I will add two more activities: free reading time and an outing with the family.
I am someone who loves spontaneity; however, with our busy schedules, I have realized that being systematic and planning ahead is key for me to really pave the way to a more fulfilling life. I broke the steps down here for you to try, if you are up for the challenge; however, feel free to contact me if you want a more detailed plan and a copy of the data sheets I have created to help with this journey!