Mindfulness IRL
The summer solstice has come and went. Which means it’s officially summer! Even if the daylight is slowly decreasing. “Sad face” since I don’t think emojis are appropriate for a professional blog post. And I don’t know how to insert one on my computer.
Even if our longest day of the year has passed for this 2019, that doesn’t mean celebrating these warm months should end. So here are my summer seasonal hygge suggestions to accompany the spring, winter, and autumn suggestions of the past year.
Of course, every day is technically earth day since we’re living on this spinning planet every single day, but since we human beings like celebrations Monday, April 22nd is officially Earth Day!
Last year I provided a guide to Los Angeles Earth Day celebrations since that’s where I live. A lot of this has changed (For example Grand Park already had their earth day celebration.) so here’s 2019’s updated guide, as well as some links to other city’s earth day celebrations.
The painted ladies have taken over Southern California! I’ve seen them flitting about, showing off their gorgeous wings all over LA. I can’t tell you how many times a day I’ve stopped whatever I’m doing to simply gaze at them and take this special experience in.
Nature is good for you. We’ve been through this before so I won’t bore you with the details. We know it’s good for us. Science has proven it’s good for us. So get your outdoors on.
But it isn’t that easy, you say. It’s cold where I live. I’m too busy with other stuff. I’m glued to my cubicle. I have kids. I hate bugs. I really hate bugs. And dirt.
Excuses. All of them. Even if you don’t identify as outdoorsy, there are still ways to get your vitamin D that are easy and enjoyable. And dirt and bug free. Mostly.
That’s why I have to remind myself to be mindful of my electronic use. When I recognize that it’s a problem, I consciously unplug depending on what I need at that time. It isn’t always easy (Especially when I have work to do that requires some sort of technology.) but it’s necessary so here’s how I make it happen:
I’m a firm believer that one of the absolute best things you can do for your health overall is to get outside. But what if you can’t get outside? Or you can’t get out there as often as you’d like? Due to an injury or illness you may be confined to bed rest. Or you work long hours indoors. What do you do then? Here are 5 ways to bring the outdoors indoors:
