Sunday is the day that I lovingly refer to as my “hibernation day.”  In the morning, I am out and about riding my bike and shopping at the farmers market.  When I arrive back home, that is when the magic begins.  This is my time to do what I want, no commitments, no obligations, just resting and recharging for the week ahead.

This past weekend, I was watching Super Soul Sunday and was intrigued by the topic of conversation.  If you are not familiar with this program, it is a weekly show hosted by Oprah Winfrey.  It is basically the follow up to her daytime talk show.  There is no audience, just Oprah and her guest sitting amongst the trees at her home in Santa Barbara.

On this particular show,  the guest was a woman by the name of Shauna Niequist.  Shauna is a New York Times best selling author whose latest book is called Present over Perfect.   She is a mom, business owner and self proclaimed perfectionist.  Shauna realized that her quest for perfection was leading her down a very slippery slope.  She had lost her sense of self and was no longer “present” in her life.  I think we can all relate to this on some level.  I know I can.  After all, I am a woman and a Virgo….need I say more??

Shauna’s “aha” moment came one afternoon while at home with her family.   Everyone was in their pajamas, relaxing and  enjoying time with each other.  Shauna had her jammies on so she looked like she was relaxed, but she was also doing laundry, reading emails, making phone calls and cooking dinner.  Doing everything BUT relaxing.   As I listened to this woman tell her story, I thought to myself, that is exactly what my rest day  looks like!!   I am watching TV,  reading the paper, doing laundry, checking emails on the commercials and thinking about what I was going to make for dinner.  Yikes!   Was I fully present in any one of these activities?  Was I allowing my body and mind to relax and recharge?  Perhaps I was headed down that slippery slope as well!

Truth be told, women love being productive.  We love that feeling of accomplishment.  We also suffer from more stress related illnesses as a result of our drive for perfection.  This is why it is so important for us to find ways to maintain balance in our lives.   With that in mind, I decided to make some changes.   I want to incorporate more moments where I stop and really become present to what I am doing.   Here are a few things I have been doing this week.

As I wake in the morning, before I get out of bed, I place one hand on my heart and one hand on my belly.  I take a deep breath into my belly and, on the exhale, say thank you.  Expressing gratitude will bring you into the present moment for sure!

When I step into the shower, I take a moment and notice how the water feels.  I imagine the water is washing away any thoughts of worry and preparing me for the day ahead.

If you are like me, the last 15 minutes before I leave the house in the morning is a frenzied scramble to get everything together and loaded in the car.  My mind races with the checklist of what I need to take with me for the day.  When I finally get in the car, before I start the engine, I close my eyes and take a deep breath, bringing my attention to the present moment.  Studies have proven that deep breathing following a stressful situation will stimulate the relaxation response and lower cortisol levels.  Isn’t it amazing that your breath can do all that?

As I drive to work, I have been enjoying my commute in silence.   No music, no talking on the cell phone…..just quiet.  I do have the monkey chatter going on in my head and, when I figure out how to turn that off, I will let you know 😉   Without the distraction of music, I am able to notice nature and how green everything is right now.  Not only the trees, but have you seen all those weeds?  Seriously, it looks like grass everywhere!!  And, don’t even get me started on the clouds!!  Okay, I know I should not be gazing at the clouds while driving, but have you ever noticed how peaceful they look?  If you stare at them long enough, you will swear they are breathing!

Finally, I end my day as I began.   A deep belly breath while saying thank you.  I know that I will still find myself multitasking and that is okay.  I will continue to incorporate more moments of stillness to provide balance.

Present over perfect….this is my new mantra 🙂

What can you do to create more moments of being present?  I would love to hear from you.

Enjoy the moment 🙂
Denise