So – remember how this blog is supposed to HELP you attain a more substantial and meaningful life?
Yeah, me too. 🙌
So, when we really sit down and focus ourselves on ONLY zeroing-in-one what is TRULY important to us – it is my hope that an overall wellness practice is high on your cognitive list!
I’d also remind you that when reading my posts, don’t think everything I throw out there is meant to be strictly followed; make the post(s) inspire you to devise a version of my suggestions so that it works for you and your life realistically!
One of the main goals of this blog is to simply inspire!
But, each morning when I meditate on things, I am often reminded that connectivity is something we can ALL say we desire – and need! And I don’t just mean in the social scene sense….
So – what the heck does an overall wellness practice look like? Well, obviously – this is totally different for everyone! It depends on just what YOU consider overall wellness; a substantial life!!!
For some, this can mean waking at 5 a.m,. working the 9-5 grind, cross-fit after work, pick up the kiddos, make dinner, and then bedtime. For others, this can mean getting that 30 minute workout in, and calling THAT success! No judgments here, friends!!! I am personally someone who is not disciplined in any way, shape, OR form – so if ANYONE can suss out what it takes to truly create a more phenomenal life — it’s muah! ⚡😜😆
My goal here is to give you the step-by-step process for creating more connection with others – and in turn yourself – in order to create that more substantial life!
Because honestly, WHO doesn’t long for more connection???
Connection is HOW we bloom into beings with beating hearts, after all! 💋Fostering inter-personal relationships with healthy people, the outside world, and (most importantly) with our own inner-dialogue; THIS is what is directly connected (see what I did there?) with our own overall personal well-being.
This post will also remind you how to recover from potential connectivity road blocks and how to overcome them.
[bctt tweet=”Being connected to healthy people – and yourself – IS the BEST kind of overall wellness practice!” – A Substantial Life” username=”@TaraHoward17″]
So: when really narrowing down our personal list of priorities to creating a MUCH more substantial life ….. doesn’t it just seem obvious that creating union amongst our fellow living beings – and ourselves – is absolutely ESSENTIAL ???
Talk about an approachable, poignant, and manageable way to achieve better mental and physical health! 👏
SO, let’s just get right to it!
STEPS TO REAP CONNECTIVITY:
👉 FIND JOY IN THE LITTLE THINGS….
It is human nature to focus more on the negative in one’s life than the positives. But, that doesn’t mean we cannot re-train our brains to zero-in-on the things we DO have! By continually asking your noggin’ to remember positive aspects of your life, it will strengthen the prefrontal cortex of our brains and actually combat fear! That’s seriously powerful!
So – there really IS something to mind over matter, y’all.
By asking your 🧠 to consistently think about joyful things, it will inherently lower its receptiveness to physical and mental burden. When this is accomplished, it will also lower our cortisol levels and therefore allow us to feel more in control! And in turn, doing this is like an “on switch” for our brains to create connectivity!
Being thankful is not something we should all practice only in the end of November, you guys!
Just try it: whether it’s mentally noting it whenever you experience a joyful thought, or actually writing down each day what you are grateful for. The point here is to literally re-train your brain….and I think it is simply super cool that we have the power to do this! So, think about ways you can pause and reflect every time you do have a positive or joyful thought – and then be conscious about noting it!
👉 SMILE LIKE YA MEAN IT….
When we smile or witness someone smiling, it signals our brains premotor cortex to copy what we are seeing or experiencing, which means we eventually smile ourselves once we’ve witnessed another person smiling, and thus our body and brain stimulates and experiences these good feelings! So, there is A LOT of influence in a smile! 😀
And, we all know how AHMAZING we feel when we experience smiling or laughter with others! How can one not feel connected to others and oneself when relishing in such a blissful experience????
Again, this is a totally achievable and easy way to create connection! But, as obvious as it seems, we aren’t always so good at exhibiting or practicing smiling or laughing as much as possible on a day-to-day basis.
So, I challenge you to TRY.
I personally often think about smiling more when I’m driving, regardless of whether or not other drivers think I’m loony. 😝
I also enjoy trying to create funny scenarios with my son on the drive during school drop-off’s and pick-up’s. I love knowing I’m secretly telling HIS premotor cortex to initiate connectivity! I also just try in all encounters to crack a joke, or smile and wave at someone in the neighborhood, or compliment that girl at the grocery store on her hair….
[bctt tweet=”TRY to FIND ways to make others smile. In the process, you remind yourself to smile inward. – A Substantial Life” username=”@TaraHoward17″]
And heck, watch or listen to as many funny comedians or influencers as you can! It is especially difficult for us to force laughter or smiling upon ourselves when we’re in a deep, dark place: but this is THE.VERY.MOMENT. we should be forcing ourselves into it! Easier said than done, but I can guarantee this: IF you try to do this, you WILL feel better afterwards. I speak from experience! 🤗
👉 REMEMBER TO BREATHE….
Like smiling as often as possible, good ole’ deep and slow breathing is something we ALL need to do more frequently. So, yes, your yoga instructor IS right!
This is an extremely important and meaningful one to me, personally, as it was in a meditative moment that I had my own AHA! moment! And, I can report I’ve had many since that first one! It is when we take THE TIME TO TAKE deep breaths that our brain feels secure and protected, and in turn our bodies feel more intact! It allows our entire BEING to feel more at peace and resilient! And when we FEEL more resilient within ourselves, we can then feel more irrepressible and fearless! 👊🤛🤜💪
Speaking of F.E.A.R.
Y’all – this is ONE word I can honestly say I HATE! I love most words, linguistics, and all things semantic…..
BUT: I despise the word FEAR.
I am, luckily, not all-too-often a victim stuck in the interminable web of fear – but I know this is something that holds A LOT of people back from achieving true interpersonal (and, therefore, social) connectivity. Perhaps it is because I’ve always been a wee bit too confident for my own good that I am able to see just how devastating fear can be on a person….
Don’t get me wrong, I have insecurities! But, all-in-all, I’m a pretty intrepid and hopeful person. I always have been. My wonderful and dear friend, Sonia, once said: “You sure like to run before you learn to walk!” Yeaaahhhhhhh……that pretty much sums me up! 😜
My point is this, dear readers: if your brain is sittin’ there, only in survival mode all the time — well, how do I say this nicely? It is IMPOSSIBLE for you to connect in that state. There, I said it! Science backs this up, y’all!
Do you truly GET how powerful that statement above 👆 is ????
Like, if you cannot learn to C.A.L.M. that limbic state of your brain – well, then: we simply are incapable of connecting to others. And, [bctt tweet=”if we cannot connect to others, we cannot connect to ourselves. And not surprisingly, when we cannot connect to ourselves, y’all – we cannot connect to others…. – A Substantial Life Blog” username=”@TaraHoward17″]
But all is not lost, friends! In practicing the steps above, you are re-training that prefrontal cortex…..and, in doing so, you are in essence teaching your brain HOW you want it to work. AHMAZING, riiiiiiiight????
Because this portion of our brains is (evolutionary-wise) so young, it takes A LOT of practice and repetition on our part to truly make the brain re-work how it perceives things, and in order to successfully see the effects of our efforts in this re-training process.
So, practice as much and as many times a day as possible!
I know that the more I have personally practiced this re-training, I have seen only specific and conclusive results that my more fear-ridden thoughts show themselves less and less.
So, dear readers: IT WORKS….😍
Don’t you think that the most amazing part of all this is that we actually have way more power and control over our individual brains processing center than we thought?
Me, too!!!! So, obviously, when you feel more in control of your brains inner-workings and therefore your own thoughts, you become more capable of connecting with others and yourself!
This more connected way of life can truly improve your outlook, your inner work, and the perceptions of everyone around you on-the-daily. So, what I’m saying here is this: you can totally control not only your own individual perspective, but also the perspective(s) of those around you or closest to you. Seriously compelling.
So, kick that icky word F.E.A.R. in the you-know-what…..and, you can now be totally confident that you CAN achieve this! Talk about a substantially different way of living life!!!
The whole point here is this: realize that cultivating connectivity doesn’t have to be arduous or perceived as out-of-reach!
We are – in our very nature – social beings. Humans desire and need social connection. It’s so critically important that we take the time, each day, to really focus on connecting to our own bodies, minds, nature, community, and also what fulfills us.
My own family has taken steps that allows getting outside and in a more intimate setting with each other to be a priority, and we’ve been both amazed and enlightened with how much closer as a unit we are!
Getting yourself – somehow – out of the daily grind of life and in more of an integration with yourself and those around you really CAN improve the overall quality of your life and allow for a more meaningful life.
Doing so will allow you immeasurable access to an overall wellness.
So, it is my hope that by taking the totally achievable steps above 👆 you might find yourself finding more frequent connection with others……and in turn, with yourself.
Always Here,
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