this week was quite the week. one of those weeks where i had to keep reminding myself to breathe. i was so caught up in the madness of what was going on around me that i was really disconnected from myself. coming back to connection is a constant effort in life. if we were connected everywhere, all the time, the world would be a much healthier place but the truth is that connection just doesn’t seem to come naturally these days, especially in the hectic world we live in. i spent a lot of time this past week staring into a computer screen and too much time around tense and angry energy. it’s not always easy to escape the energy of others or  to avoid the demands of work. in the craziness of the day i forgot about the promises i had made to myself and my body, to get outside and breathe in fresh air every day, to take time to reset, to reconnect. by the time my week got to friday i was frazzled, depleted, tense and my body and immune system was letting me know.  it’s easy sometimes when we feel tense and depleted to just stay in our frazzled states and be ok with it. the beauty about life is that every moment is an opportunity to take action and do something to bring ourselves back into a state of balance.

my husband took these photo’s at the park early friday evening. when i got home i immediately set my bag on the bench and asked him to take a bike ride with me. i needed fresh air, movement, space and to just get out of my own head.  we rode to a nearby park. by the time we got to the park i already felt immensely better. moving my body brought energy and life back into my cells and standing in the sunlight amongst the trees brought me back to the present moment.

as i took in the beauty around me and felt the warmth of the sun on my face, the tension began to melt away. i began to feel more present in my body. this was my reset, my reconnect. exercise, fresh air, sunlight, these are natural remedies for tension, anxiety and depletion.

heres just a few health benefits of spending time outside

• getting outdoors just naturally encourages more exercise and movement of your body. more time outdoors means less time in front of the computer screen, ipad, iphone, television, video games and so on. connecting to nature and disconnecting from electronics supports a calmer nervous system and a sense of grounding.
• sunlight hitting the skin begins a process that leads to the creation and activation of vitamin D. studies suggest that vitamin D helps fight certain conditions, from osteoporosis and cancer to depression and heart attacks. of course limit sun exposure (don’t overdo it) and supplement with vitamin D pills if necessary, is a good regimen. vitamin D deficiency is a hidden culprit to many health problems including many autoimmune conditions. a daily dose of sunlight and vitamin D is the way to go.
• natural light is believed to elevate people’s mood. a natural mood enhancer, it’s free and theres an unlimited supply!
• physical activity has been shown to help people relax and cheer up, so if being outside replaces inactive pursuits with active ones, it might also mean more smiles and less frowns.

it can be so easy to forget about the importance of getting outside and resetting. we say things like “i’ll get outside tomorrow”, “i don’t have time”, “i have too much work to do”. when i hear myself make excuses like these i remind myself that it’s always a choice. i can choose to take the time, even if it’s just 10 minutes a day and feel more refreshed, more present, more grounded or i can choose to stay in my hurried, busy, frantic, state of being and go about my day feeling unwell, depleted and fatigued. this week i’m choosing to take more time outside so i’m not as frazzled and disconnected when friday comes around. coming back to balance.

don’t you just love this sweater? there’s something about the colors, patterns and feel of it that i’m crazy about. i would wear it every day if i could. it’s billabong. you can find it here at my favorite boutique. i’m crazy about the rvca tank too. i like layering and mixing patterns and colors. i love how this sweater blends into nature in these photos and how about the textures and colors of the leaves and trees? nature is astounding when we take time to stop and look.

spend more time outside. get your daily does of vitamin D. breathe in fresh air. feel the warmth of sunlight on your skin. choose to take time. move your body every day. cultivate balance. stop and look. reset. today is a new day.

much love, Shawnee