Mindful Monday // Find your own Rhythm

The Writing by Tania Debono

Last night I had a nice little chat at the laundry shop. She was on her phone, I was with my magazine. It was one of those moments where one would think: hm, should I talk to her or shouldn't I? It may sound creepy talking to strangers, but for those of you who don't do that at all, some of those strangers can actually turn to your dearest friends, even if they happen to be on another continent. Or they could even change your life, but that's another story. Just be open to small everyday encounters. Anyways, I started talking to her and it turned out to be a wonderful conversation about living in New York day to day.

We drew a nice comparison: this college girl, who is experiencing a student exchange semester in this great city, finding everything crazy amazing, inspired by any-and everything, sucking it all in, was sitting next to a nature-lover, world-traveler, an adventurous, but also calm person who thinks that the city is draining her energy. Couldn't you agree with both of them? Some New Yorkers told me that they have a love-and-hate relationship with this city. On the one hand, it's super multicultural, very diverse and dense, many creatives and artists in one big apple. On the other hand, it's super busy, crowded, very very fast paced and everyone is hustlin', working several jobs to make ends meet. Crazy, huh? Honestly, it does drain your energy, you are seeking for fresh air, more sleep and less people. And although I have a bug in my ear who keeps telling me that I have to do MORE, sleep LESS, socialize and go to every single event that is happening here, I don't. 

It's okay to miss events, to say NO to others, and YES to yourself. It's okay to sleep in, it's okay to take your time to rest, relax and recharge. It's okay to find your own rhythm. When you're new to a city or new to an environment, you don't have to pack your 24hours full with stuff. Allow yourself sometimes to go day by day, live in the present moment and maybe.. not plan everything out. Even if you only have 7 weeks left. Some things I do to keep me present and find my own rhythm: 

1. Don't overstructure your day,

but some routines will help you when you feel lost.

Work/school schedules will do that for you.

2. Try Yoga or Meditation.

After every morning of yoga,

I feel so blessed, so grounded, so grateful 
and am happy to start the day with a smile.

4. Do some reading. 

This helps me to focus on only one action,

subway commutes are best for this.

5. Enjoy some tea.
I love the mornings when I just sit there
and enjoy the herbs, the flavor of my tea.

6. Most importantly,
do more of what you love.

It's about finding a balance between work and rest. Sometimes, it can be essential to just sit back and see the bigger picture, think about what's really important to you and how you can change your actions towards a better lifestyle.

In one of my communications readings I came across this: 

Creativity has paradoxical qualities:
passion & objectivity
tradition & rebelliousness
play & serious work

Give yourself some time to breathe because a relaxed mind is a creative mind.