My February 2021 Core Desired Feelings

My February 2021 Core Desired Feelings

Welcome to the second month of 2021 everyone. I know that most of us are incredibly excited to have 2020 behind us and speaking for myself, I’m excited to see what 2021 has in store. With all the craziness going on I’m finding it more important than ever to be crystal clear about how I want to feel.

This month I have four core desired feelings I want to focus on. With my health being particularly crummy lately I have been craving these feelings, even in the smallest of ways. Choosing how we want to feel can be so powerful. It can direct our actions, give us clues about what we want more of in life, what we need to do more or less of. Yes those feelings can differ in different areas of our lives but at least learning what they are give us places to start.

1. Inspired – Feeling stuck in a rut happens to all of us. Being in a routine day in and day out can cause inspiration to get stalled. Even with the craziness of life going on around us, routine can make us feel uninspired; I know that’s how it’s been for me. This month I find myself craving inspiration, even in the smallest sense. I find the easiest way to get inspired is to get out and do things, which can be difficult when dealing with an illness. Instead of relying on big events to bring me inspiration, I’ll focus on smaller moments that bring me joy, which has a way of bringing inspiration into my life. Whether that’s going for a little walk, listening to some good music (can you say the Taylor Swift evermore album on repeat), or anything you know that brings you joy; doing some of that might just bring some of that oh so craved inspiration into your life.

2. Focused – Distractions are everywhere; often we get most aware of them when we’re trying hardest to concentrate or have a looming due date. I’ve been feeling so scatterbrained lately and finding it incredibly difficult to concentrate even for small amounts of time. Whether that’s working all day and dealing with a week long flare that’s been holding on for dear life, combined with the craziness of life around us, or anything in between, feeling focused has seemed impossibly far off lately. I’ve heard about so many different methods for being productive, having optimum work output, and all that jazz for getting as much done as you can in the shortest amount of time, but truthfully those “tricks” rarely work for me. This month I want to try sticking to a schedule and making sure I take breaks. So often I’ll just work for hours and then wonder why I’m feeling unfocused or hungry and then I notice I haven’t taken a break in 3-4 hours. Making a schedule will allow me to take breaks for movement, some healthy snacks, and of course making sure I drink enough water (I can’t be the only one who so often forgets to drink water until I get that annoying dehydrated headache). And when I have a set schedule with known times for breaks I can focus on being productive in those work periods because I know I have set times for breaks and that oh so important movement that helps keep us healthy.

3. Grounded – Life’s craziness, especially over the last year and a bit, can at times feel incredibly stressful. That stress can manifest (at least I know it does for me) as overthinking, anxiety, general worry, and poor sleeping. And all those feelings leave me feeling very unsteady and ungrounded. This month, in the hopes of feeling more grounded I want to make sure I keep consistent with my meditation practice. I always meditate daily but usually just in mornings and when I go to bed. This month I want to incorporate meditation into my daily routine rather than just to begin and end my days. Taking moments out of my day when I’m feeling particularly anxious or uneasy to ground myself can be incredibly helpful. Meditation can help to reframe my thinking, and shift my focus from the negativity that I would be focusing on to more positive things I have around me and in my life.

4. Tuned-in / Connected – With my flares and symptoms being severe for quite a few weeks now it has made feeling connected to the world and to my own inner self particularly difficult. When living with an illness you can get so focused on survival and merely making it from day to day that it leaves very little time to be present and connected with the world around us and our own personal desires and needs besides those of our illness. This month I want to try and make time for my own soul’s needs and do more of what I need to feel lit up and connected to the universe. It doesn’t have to be a lot of time or effort, it’s the mere realizing you need to take the time and prioritize what you need. Whether you have to add it to your daily schedule or set alarms for yourself to do them, make time to do things that light you up, life’s too short not to.

We’re living in some incredibly weird times. It almost feels like what was “normal” before is decades in the past. But even though things have changed around us it doesn’t mean we have to forget to take care of ourselves. Knowing how you want to feel and going after those emotions is something you can do to take care of yourself. Decide how you want to feel and go after it because you deserve it. You deserve to live a life you can enjoy and be proud of. So, how do you want to feel? Happy February everyone. Cheers!