7 Things that have helped me be kinder to myself and help others
Disclaimer: I am an affiliate for Indiebound, which helps support local booksellers and am also an affiliate for Amazon, so I do make a small amount of money from purchases made from the links in this post at no additional cost to you.
1) MUSIC
There is such beauty and gift that you can give yourself by learning how to play an instrument. I started playing the piano when I was five years old, then the cello when I was high school and started playing the harp soon after that. I also love learning new instruments every few years: bass guitar, pedal steel guitar, tin whistle, etc. I love how I can pick up my instruments and express myself, share my joy and just be with my sorrow. I love how I can communicate with others through music. I also love how learning a new instrument brings me back to a beginner’s mind, reminding me that it’s not necessary to know everything, nor is that possible, it reminds me to discover and ask questions, make that scratchy sound, make that beautiful sound.
I love performing and teaching music and sharing that joy with others. The Winter Holiday Party that I put together for the end of 2020 was such a joy to organize and be a part of. It’s still up on my YouTube page if you missed it or would like to see it again.
Check out my podcast: HarpSong Presented by Moon Over the Trees Music and Theatre Productions® for interviews with amazing musicians and artist from around the world.
2 MEDITATION
When I started meditating I could barely take five minutes for myself. I thought, “who has the time for this? I don’t have time to take 5 minutes for myself”. But, in time I found that when I take the time for me that 20 minutes or 10 minutes helps me think clearer and I’m more productive. Don’t believe me? Check out Dr. Dan Siegel’s research at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC)
I love the Calm app for daily meditations, calming music, and other tools.
Check out Sharon Salzberg’s Metta Hour Podcast and sign up for her mailing list to find out about free meditation challenges and workshops.
I also got a lot out of the Oprah and Deepak Chopra’s 21 day Meditation Challenge when I was just starting on my meditation journey. They offer free meditations at different points during the year.
3 BULLET JOURNALING
I really got into Bullet Journaling for a while. It was before I started my business and I had tons of ideas and projects I was working on and I needed a way to get my brain to relax. Some people refer to it as “monkey mind”. You know that feeling of bouncing from idea to idea and having a hard time getting anything done? Yeah, so do I.
Just by chance one day I saw a friend post about Bullet Journaling and I was like, “What the heck is that?” So, down the rabbit hole of the internet and YouTube videos I went. I came across a fantastic introductory series by Kara Benz of Boho Berry. Her videos walked me through some of the basics.
Here’s a link to her videos: Boho Berry on YouTube
Bullet Journaling was created by Ryder Carroll and I highly recommend checking out his website bulletjournal.com and picking up his book, “The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future”. Ryder’s website describes Bullet Journaling as, “The mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system”.
You don’t need any fancy gear, just a pen and paper. You can, of course up your game. Leuchttrum1917 notebooks are fantastic as are Moleskine journals. Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Ernest Hemingway were all fans of Moleskine. They also make notebooks with music staff.
I’m not as good about Bullet Journaling right now and have moved to things like Trello, their “Mise-En-Place” template works very similarly to a Bullet Journal and you can share your boards with members of your team if you are working on a project together.
4 Pens and ink
I have always had a love of pens and ink, especially fountain pens. When I was a kid I loved the self-outlining silver magic markers.
I’ve found that keeping with any routine you sometimes need a little razzmatazz to reward myself for keeping on path toward my goals, and who doesn’t like a little bit of glam every now and again?
Boho Berry introduced me to a company called Goulet Pens that sell the “grown up” version of the markers and ink that I loved as a kid. Well, not markers, but fountain pens and shimmering inks. Some inks even have sheens that are another color! One of my favorite inks right now is Jacques Herbin 1670 Emerald of Chivor. It’s a green-blue ink that has intense red sheen and gold flecks. And if you are a history buff you should look up Jacques Herbin inks. They have been around since 1670, so you’ll be joining the ranks of folks who used their inks from Napoleon to Victor Hugo to Coco Chanel. That’s something to inspire you to create.
Emerald of Chivor sold by Goulet Pens
And there are plenty of entry level fountain pens that are in the $5-$30 range. And fear not fellow lefties. I’m what they call a lefty “underwriter” so don’t have any issues with fountain pens. Erasable ink, on the other hand, well, ask your lefty friends how much fun that stuff was. I completely understand why DiVinci, as a lefty, wrote from right to left and backwards in his journals. I even played around with that as a kid. (yes, yes, odd kid...anyway)
5 Books that helped me organize my thoughts
“Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert reminded me to have the courage to try and to create. I picked up an audiobook from my local library so when I was listening to it in my car it was like a pep talk whenever I got into my car.
“Getting Things Done” by David Allen with it’s five clear steps:
1. Capture: Collect what has your attention (what he calls a “Brain Dump”)
2. Clarify: Process what it means
3. Organize: Put it where it belongs
4. Reflect: Review frequently
5. Engage: Simply do.
Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod helped reinforce my daily morning routine. It’s a quick read and emphasizes balance: read, meditate, exercise, etc. and gives you workable tools to help you put together a daily routine that’ll work for you. Even if you only have five extra minutes in the morning you can still do something good for yourself.
6 THERAPY
Getting the help that you need, not being afraid to ask for help. I can be really stubborn and tend to be of the school where I say, “I got it. I’ll figure it out on my own”, etc. But, I’ve found that it’s a form of strength to ask for help.
Here are some FREE resources if you or someone you love is looking for help:
Pure Wow has a great list of FREE resources for mental health: https://www.purewow.com/wellness/free-therapy-resources
and finally
7 EXERCISE
Even a 10 minute walk a day can make a difference. If you are goal oriented a fitness tracker might be right for you. You can also link up with friends to boost each other up.
Yoga with Adriene offers free online yoga classes for beginners to advanced. You’ll love Adriene’s sense of humor. She has a 30 day yoga challenge going on right now. There’s a link on her website: yogawithadriene.com/
Keep an eye out for the classes I am offering in February and March. I have harp classes, improvisation classes, composition, meditation classes, and more coming up very soon.
I couldn’t do what I love without your generous support. If you like what we’re doing here please join us on Patreon.
Lots of love,
Maureen