Inner Hippie.

That put me into a huge journey of digging deep, feeling super uncomfortable and trying to figure out why I felt I needed to have control over every single thing, I started to figure out how to tap into my inner hippie 

Remember I am still a recovering type A, control freak! So it ain’t all perfect but it is real!

I am going to share with you 4 strategies I have used to tap into my inner hippie and only use the control freak Marie when she is really needed!!

1. Trying New Things.

Instead of feeling like I have no control over the changes in my life, I decided to try and seek out the changes. Since I found out I was pregnant with Everly my life has been in a constant state of change. From quitting school, moving home, buying our first home, bringing Everly home, breastfeeding, getting little to no sleep, starting my own business, just a lot of changes!! I started to realize that really that is just the reality of life, nothing ever stays the same, which I am so grateful for, I would never want to be stuck.

I really started to embrace change and started to push myself to try new things and create change instead of dreading it. When Everly was small, I signed us up for community programs, swimming lessons (even though I hate water… haha), but programs like that got us around other moms and really helped me meet new people.

I also tried new things for me!! Like starting my own business. I have always imagined myself truly making an impact in others lives and what better way then building a community that empowers others and gives women the opportunity to make an income around their busy schedules. I joined a couple book clubs, a bible study and really pushed myself to invest in courses on personal and professional development.

I still have a list of things I want to try, but this has been a great start and it has shown me that uncertainty leads to beauty. Like new friendships, new skills and opportunities that have changed the trajectory of my life.

2. Following my gut feeling, always.

I have always been pretty in tune with my gut feelings and intuition, but sometimes I will still feel as if I should just ignore it and do what I think is “right” instead of what I know is right.

When faced with decisions I have been slowing down and really stopping to see how I feel about it, I use to be so worried about what people would think, expectations that needed to be met and what the “normal’ way of doing things were. If I made my decision based off of those factors it just would’t feel right and it would cause me to try and control and worry about it in order to feel better about it. Just a vicious cycle.

My inner hippie was trying to tell me to screw the expectations, screw what people think and what “normal” is and go with what feels right in the moment and if you need to course correct down the road do it, but just continue to follow your gut feeling.

My gut feeling hasn’t steered me wrong to this day, so she is pretty kick ass.

3. Mind Set Interventions.

This one is HUGE, it has been an incredible tool I have used to help me stop obsessing and start enjoying.

The Type A in me has a really hard time slowing down and just taking it easy. I would feel guilty and have a to-do list running through my head if I sat down to read a book, watch a TV show, sit to drink my warm tea… really anything. It was starting to really take a toll on my mental health because I felt as if I never got a break. Even when I was taking a break I was thinking about all the things that I could be doing.

Even writing that now sounds mentally exhausting, but I was just in it and didn’t know how to help myself.

That is until I was introduced to mindset interventions, a way to shift my mindset and really take in the present moment.

It was obvious to me that everyone needs down time because we can’t pour from an empty cup and I was ready to have my much needed down time, when my mind was slowing down just as much as my body was.

When I would sit down instead of beating myself up I would repeat my mind et intervention for myself, now mine is unique to my situation, but in order to create a mindset intervention I ask myself what my best friend would tell me in this moment in time and then I put “I choose” in front of it.

In this this situation I would want a friend to say “Marie give yourself the space you need to enjoy and be in this moment”, so my mindset intervention was “I choose to give myself the space I need to enjoy and be in this moment”.

I hope that you are able to come up with your own mindset interventions that will allow you to really enjoy your life journey instead of trying to control it.

 

4. Letting myself slow down.

This one really flows into the mindset intervention, but once I was able to help myself enjoy the moment I really wanted to focus on finding things I enjoyed doing that helped me slow down.

I reconnected with my love of reading, sitting down with a good book and a cup of tea really fills my cup. Watching my favourite TV show also really recharges me. I made a promise to myself to start moving my body again and I love how I feel mentally and physically when I workout during the week, so I scheduled that into my day.

When Everly is having a moment where she needs me to sit in the rocking chair and watch The Wiggles, I do and remind myself to enjoy the moment and let go of the thought about how dirty my floors are. They will still be there when she is ready to play on her own and she won’t want to snuggle me forever.

I am giving myself the permission to ENJOY! Are you ready to do the same?