With summer right around the corner, this is prime time to make plans, dust off your spontaneity, and brush up on your adventuring skills.
But before you start thinking of all the fun things you want to 'do', how about starting with the enjoyment you experience when you create space and time to ' be'.
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I'm Karli Newman, and you're listening to FLIPSIDE OF MIDLIFE®️ - a podcast for women in midlife and beyond who want to feel connected, hopeful, confident, and more satisfied with life than ever before.
Wherever you are on your journey in midlife and beyond, there's room here for you to honor who you've been, love who you are, and be excited about who you are becoming.
Have you heard that my ELEVATE membership is now available? For just $25 a month, you get simple, easy-to-use, and impactful tools and information that help you learn, stretch your comfort zone, and ignite change. This is where you can hone in on one topic each month to elevate your well-being and love your life.
Think of how you will feel when you focus on wellness topics like mindset, rest, values, habits, and self-care. Visit my website, flipsideofmidlife.com to learn more about the ELEVATE membership and the other ways I help you tap into positivity to explore the endless possibilities on the FLIPSIDE OF MIDLIFE®️.
I don't need to tell you that life is full of stress.
Sometimes your stress levels hinder your ability to separate from those thoughts and feelings and you get stuck there. When that happens, chronic stress can detrimentally impact your health.
You know there are tools to help you get unstuck and reduce chronic stress. Hopefully, you have a few in your wellness toolbox. One of my favorite stress-reducing tools - maybe it's one of yours, too - is having fun.
When high stress is hanging around, however, having fun in your usual ways can feel like an addition to an already overwhelming to-do list. And that is definitely not fun.
So how about thinking about fun a little bit differently?
You may want to take some notes, my friend, so grab your journal, notebook, or favorite app, and have it close by. If you need to come back here, don't you worry! I'll include the time marker in the show notes and transcript for you.
02:24 Marker
Let's do a visualization exercise. Get comfortable and close your eyes.
Imagine the sun warming your face.
Feel a gentle breeze move through your hair.
Notice your heart rate lower.
Observe how you naturally take a deep breath and the tension in your body dissipates as you exhale.
Know how it feels in your body and mind to be completely content.
There's nowhere you'd rather be in this moment than right where you are.
With your eyes still closed, notice your surroundings in this visualization.
Where are you? What is around you? Is anyone else there with you or are you alone?
What else do you notice about how you feel in this place?
Take another deep breath, exhale, and slowly open your eyes.
Write down the observations from your visualization. Do you feel any different than you did beforehand? Are there elements you can recreate in real life?
In your visualization, you were 'being' instead of 'doing', a proven way to reduce stress. There are other benefits that relate to 'being' rather than 'doing', too. Here are a few.
Improved mental clarity. 'Being' helps your mind rest and reset so you can think more clearly.
Enhanced creativity. 'Being' allows your mind to wander and make space for new ideas.
Better relationships. 'Being' with others helps you connect more deeply as there's no other agenda or tasks to complete during your time together.
Greater life satisfaction. 'Being' helps you enjoy small pleasures, appreciate time without itineraries or to-do lists, and slow down to experience life as it's happening.
Can you see how 'being' fits onto your fun list, my friend? Might this help you have more fun, more easily, even when your stress levels are high?
When you tweak how you think about fun, you allow yourself to have more of it. Based on the benefits of 'being', this is a type of fun you want to have on a regular basis.
In my email today, I share three actions to help you create consistent space and time to stop 'doing' and start 'being'. If you're not on my email list, you can join on my website, flipsideofmidlife.com, or at the link in the show notes and transcript.
If you want to chat about your challenges around 'being' rather than 'doing', schedule a one-hour spot during my Wellness Hours. I set aside time on Wednesdays and Thursdays to help you with your wellness questions, challenges, and concerns. It's your chance to ask for my advice or get a personalized pep talk when you need it. Head to my website to schedule a time that works for you.
You, my friend, are worthy and deserving of space and time to release the pressure and stress of 'doing' to focus on 'being'. Even if it is just a few minutes of time, you can make it happen and it will help you feel lighter and open to the possibilities of fun around you.
Join me right here next week, when I help you balance planned with spontaneous fun. Because both benefit you in different ways.
Thanks for listening to FLIPSIDE OF MIDLIFE®️. Will you help other women in midlife and beyond find this podcast? Tell your friends, or take a moment to follow, subscribe, rate, or write a review. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.
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