Connecting with the world and with yourself . . . physically, emotionally, and spiritually

We wake up every morning, go to wherever we need to get our businesses done, and go home.  We are here, alive and breathing, so everything seems to be okay.  Why spend the energy to “connect” . . . and what does that even mean?

Living in the world we do, very few of us stop to take a break and breathe and smile.  It always seems like the same old cycle that never ends – hustling to school or to work, dying to meet deadlines, rejoicing for hardly a split second, and then repeating.  It’s mundane – and all for what?  For the money we earn that we don’t have time to properly get use out of anyway?  Or just as a distraction, because we’re not very sure what else we’re supposed to do?

The world seems like a negative whirlpool of sorrow and waste when we don’t stop and spend the time to appreciate the little things in life – the chirping of birds, a smile shot your way in the halls, a deliciously juicy bite of fruit, etcetera.  It’s as simple as starting to live and connecting with yourself, right here and right now.

Ask yourself every morning – am I doing at least one thing today that will make me happy?  Am I spending quality time with myself?  If not, try to incorporate something.  Try to do something every single day that will help you get to know yourself better and love yourself more.  Even if it’s something like standing naked in front of the mirror for ten minutes and pointing out everything you love. 😛

Get physical!  Go outside for a ride, a hike, a run, or a walk; give yourself opportunities to connect with yourself and with nature.  Bring your camera with you on a walk and snap shots of anything you find beautiful.  I promise, you’ll get to appreciate nature a lot more.  Beauty is hidden in a lot of places we never thought of looking at.

Meditate.  It’s such a great and efficient way to relax!  I love to close my eyes and meditate while running or eating.  It makes me enjoy the experience more deeply and truly cherish the smallest drops of positivity.

Make the best out of every situation.  There will always be things that we don’t like to do but need to get done, but that doesn’t mean we have to grunt all the way!  Even though you might cringe at the thought of an English assignment, finishing that paper is one step closer to finishing off the semester or school year (who isn’t excited?!).

Realize that we all have our bad days and that’s okay.  No smooth and safe road is worth the drive.  Allow yourself to feel, to cry, to scream into a pillow and let it out.  Find others who understand (or me!) to talk to and try to talk your troubles out.  It’s important to have support!  Acknowledging the bumps and rough spots allows you to find the cause of a problem.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying that we should just enjoy and ignore the many problems such as political injustice, hunger, and poverty.  A life that is truly filled with joy and spiritually connected with world will yield compassion and love towards not only ourselves and those immediately around us but beyond that as well.  But we can only hope that these problems will miraculously go away (they won’t) if we don’t learn to live our own lives first.

The world is what we make it and how we take it.  It can be a dark, cruel place crumbled by worry and fear, or a beautiful land with endless possibilities to live the future you dream of.  Literally.

It’s your call.

~ Trisha