Strive to Thrive: September 2020

Welcome to Strive to Thrive: September 2020.

So much happened this month that I hardly know where to begin. 

• I participated in: 
• Healthy Deviant U
• Project Pants
• Life School for the Whole Self
• Thrive Circle
• I engaged in a variety of creative activities 

Let's review my month... 

Healthy Deviant U

Healthy Deviant U (HDU) began on September 1, and I've been enjoying this deep dive into learning more about being healthy in an unhealthy world. 

This month we focused primarily on amplified awareness, simply recognizing the "unhealthy default reality" in which we live and how we experience it and react to it.

My "Morning Minutes" space

Although I've had a morning routine for quite a while now, revisiting that routine through the lens of HDU has strengthened and solidified it. HDU includes a preparation checklist, which helped me think through details I had overlooked, such as creating a dedicated space for my morning routine. 

This month, my morning routine has been:

• Make my bed
• Aromatherapy / visualization
• Power pose / affirmation
• Movement (often calf raises, but it varies)
• Meditation / weekly asana from the whole self program

It sounds like a lot, but it's about 10 minutes; 15 minutes if I choose a longer meditation.

I created this visual to show how magazines have shaped my
self-perception and beliefs over the years, for worse and for better

HDU is a year-long program, and I'm hoping to become an HDU coach for others in the future.

Project Pants

I've made small turtle steps of progress with respect to "project pants." My bodyfat percentage is a bit lower and my pants fit a bit better than they did at the beginning of the month. 

I'm trying to focus on eating unprocessed foods that give my body a variety of nutrients, such as healthy fats and lots of produce. I'm trying to think less about the number on the scale/tracking exactly what I'm eating. I had anorexia as a teenager, and there is a fine line for me between being mindfully aware of what I'm eating and being rigidly controlling of it. I'm navigating that line well.

I'm trying new produce, like this cactus pear

I have a kale salad almost every day

Whole Self Life School

Towards the end of the month, I started a 10-week course focused on care for the whole self. Each week is dedicated to a different dimension of self-care. For example, last week was the physical self and this week is the emotional self.

In addition to working through illuminating journal prompts, I'm learning about concepts such as yamas and niyamas and the rasas. We also have a weekly asana, such as tadasana (mountain pose). I'm finding it fascinating, and I'm learning a lot about myself.

The seeds that I planted in August
are continuing to flourish

I'm also working on being seen and showing up as my true self. All of my programs are on Zoom, and include a combination of teaching and breakout groups. The breakout groups are a little scary to me. I'm randomly put in a small group with a discussion topic. I'm joining them and participating fully, reminding myself that I'm with like-minded people who are also working on self-exploration.

Thrive Circle

I've been participating in Thrive Circle groups with Elena Sonnino since March. I'm continuing to get so much out of them and the relationships I'm building with the women in the groups.

In Thrive Circle we experimented with
"Intuitive Painting," led by Jody Tompros

Elena is leading a virtual "Spark Hope" retreat later this month that I am excited about. I have a 30% off discount code that I can share with anyone who is interested in joining me!

Projects

I've been working on several creative projects to nourish my soul. I finished my cross-stitch project, framed it, and hung it in our foyer. I started this project almost 25 years ago!

I'm also preserving some of the puzzles we've completed during the pandemic and I'm going to hang them in the gym. This project has been much larger than I anticipated. There are seven puzzles in the rainbow series and four in the elements series. I've preserved the backs with adhesive panels, but they aren't holding up as well as I expected, so I'm now using Mod Podge to seal the fronts of the puzzles.

puzzle project in process!

See you next month!