We all change as we age and hopefully experience growth (not just around our midsection!). At times life can get hectic with our work/home life balance. We might lose ourselves when caring for others. A change of location may throw us off or our health status may sideline everything. Changes occur daily causing subtle shifts or perhaps you get stuck in the mundane and find yourself unsure of how to break out. Whatever your situation is, your circumstances do not have to define you. As I am reminding myself this week, it is so important to take the time for self-care, reflection, and taking an inventory of your life occasionally to nourish your personal growth.
A few inventory questions you can ask yourself:
Am I spending time with people who offer a reciprocal relationship of love, positivity, and give and take or are there people still in my life that only drain me?
Is my home environment cluttered and stressing me out or have I given away/thrown out things that no longer serve me purpose?
Am I taking at least a few minutes each day and more monthly to practice self care in ways that are important to me?
Am I in a career that I love, like, feel indifferent aobut, or dispise? Can I take steps to switch jobs if it is unenjoyable?
Do I have a morning/night rouine that aids my growth? ex: meditation, reading, stretching, exercise, prayer
Have I set goals in various areas of my life and consistently take steps to reach them?
Do I flexibly make shifts where needed to continue to find balance in all the areas of my life ex: relationships, work, home, play, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
Think about contemplating these while taking a long meditative walk, run, bike ride, etc. a hot bath, or simply get comfortable as you journal the above inventory adding in any other questions that are meaningful to you. If you have them written down you can go through this process again on a semi-annual or yearly basis. Although we go through these changes for better or worse in our lives, we need to be able to find our way back to our center and work to improve our best versions of ourselves. I wish you all a weekend of rediscovery, growth, and self care. Even if that means saying no or locking a gaggle of kids out of the bathroom for 10 minutes!