One of the things that I wont’ to really conquer this year is decluttering, simplifying and just controlling the chaos and mess in our home. We have a small house that is filled with lots of people and lots of stuff. A room can easily go from perfectly clean to disaster in under five minutes with three small children and two overwhelmed adults. The only way have I have found to completely prevent the mess is to not be home to make it so instead we head to the mountains or the sea to explore nature.
I know this isn’t a long term solution but it sure makes for a nice start to the week.
This weekend we explored the Columbia River Gorge, both the Oregon and Washington side and it just felt so good to move my body, be in nature and connect with my people. That’s the thing about chaos and mess at home it often gets in the way of connecting with myself, my family and triggers my anxiety. So I spent Friday night getting wild aka cleaning our living room and Saturday we headed to the mountains. When we returned I felt so full of live and love and happiness it was amazing to walk into a house that had (at least one room) clean.
So while avoiding the mess is a short term resolution it is something that sometimes just needs to happen so that you can feel full, bonded and ready to take on the mess another day.
I should start this by stating these are not my New Year’s Resolutions. Rather, they are my intentions for this year and for my life. Resolutions just feel too restrictive and limiting which is why most people abandon their New Year’s Resolutions by the second week of February.
For me, setting intentions is about living with more focus and purpose. My goal is not to accomplish my intentions by the end of the year but rather work towards living more intentionally from this day forward. My intentions may evolve over time but each one of these intentions has no expiry or finish date.
So what are my 2018 intentions?
1. Find balance as a mama, partner and creative. Balance is another one of those tricky terms. What is balance? Well for each one of us that is going to be different. For me it means ensuring that Neil and I have quality time together as a couple, that I have time carved out each week for me to work on writing, photos and projects that ignite my creative side and that while I am a mama that it isn’t the only thing that I am. Will there be equal time each week for all of these items? No, but that’s not my intent – rather it’s about finding a balance that respects each of these areas of my life.
2. Make self-care a priority. This looks like time for me to sit quietly and re-group, it also looks like a shower without a screaming baby or children popping their head in to ask for a snack. It looks like a trip to the chiropractor, acupuncturist or to do a float. It looks like moving my body or simply sitting still in meditation. There are so many ways to manifest self-care. What does self-care look like for you?
3. Shop with more intention. Online shopping and the dollar area at Target are making it so easy to mindlessly shop for things. Anything that you can think of can be ordered and delivered in two days or even within an hour which is great when the stomach bug hits your house and all you need is more towels but it’s also a curse because we can mindlessly order anything.
4. Create a home that is filled with love, laughter and creativity (without all the clutter). While our home is already filled with these things it is also filled with clutter and just so many things. So it’s time to create a space that is calming and inspirational and not a chaotic, cluttered mess.
5. Listen More Than I Speak. I am very reactionary and feel emotions in a big way and voice them quickly and often sharply. As I focus on living this year with more intention the way I listen and speak is a huge part of this especially with children and my husband.
6. Focus on being present. Yes I am talking about stepping away from screens and spending more time connecting in the moment. Focusing on what is going on right now and giving less time and energy to anxieties, worries and mindless scrolling.
7. Acknowledge my feelings and emotions and take responsibility for them. We are responsible for how we feel, how we react and how we respond.
8. Find the light in everyday. It’s so easy after a hard day to feel like everything has just gone to shit and forget about the little moments that brought a smile and light to the day. So I want to find the light in each day and focus on that and release the dark, frustrating moments.
So now tell me – what are you intentions for 2018?
