4 Ways To Connect With Yourself
We do not need to seek change constantly but it is important to accept it when it does come along.
Self-connection for me is the act of getting in touch with our thoughts, feelings and emotions. This never-ending process is a big part of our lives which helps us understand whether or not we are moving in the desired direction at a certain moment in time. Throughout this school year I have tried different ways to try to connect with myself. There are 4 activities that worked very well for me. This does not mean it will work as well for you but I would argue that they are worth trying anyway.
The 4 Ways To Connect With Yourself:
- Running in the nature
Nature in itself has a very calming effect on me, I have always enjoyed my time in our secluded summerhouse which is surrounded by deep forest. For some reason it feels soothing to observe how insects move around in their vast habitat, how the birches' leaves waver in the wind and how waves collapse on the sandy seashore. Working out and being in nature is a way to kill two birds with one stone, since both make me feel good.
- Gratefulness and Wonder
In April of this year I finished Oliver Burkeman's Four Thousand Weeks (I talk more about this book in Misconduct of a Mortal) and I was somewhat reborn after. Ever since that I have tried to be more aware of what I have all around me and how grateful I can be about having a family, being well-off and having the opportunities that I have had.
This is only one part of it though. Another part is being in wonder about the unlikeliness of any moment ever being reproduced and the uniqueness of existence itself. The fact that I could be walking down the street with a certain song playing may happen again, but the whole world around will be different. Another reason to try to be more present.
- Balancing solo and social time
Consciously spending time with friends and with myself is very important to me. For both to be enjoyable there has to be a balance between the two. If I spend too much time alone I will be in too much of a comfort zone which gets more difficult to exit with each passing moment. On the other hand spending a full week going out all the time can also be tiring, as fun as it might be, it should be followed by some kind of a human contact detox (at least for me).
- Self-expression
Self expression is such a good one. It helps me condense thoughts down to words which in a way is very difficult but so beneficial. Words have somewhat of a clear meaning whereas thoughts are just mixes of emotions. Sometimes poems capture those thoughts better, sometimes journaling does and sometimes we just need to paint it out. I do not do the latter as much as I would like to. It is because others would probably be scared of my unsurmountable amount of skills in that field.
All of these four techniques have been the ones I have gravitated towards most in the last year or so. These have been great but they have changed and will continue to change. One year ago I told myself that I hated running and so I did, now it is one of my favourite types of exercise. I believe that these kinds of evolutions of perspective are part of what makes our lives interesting and worth living. We do not need to seek change constantly but it is important to accept it when it does come along.
This Week's Suggestions:
🎶 Song: Wave (Kassian Remix)
This very mellow house song is my suggestion for this week. House songs tend to be longer and have an overall consistent structures and that is precisely what is enjoyable about this one. It's a song that is suitable for a coffeehouse vibe in my opinion. Its simple melody keeps me tapping my foot through the whole 8 minutes without making me too animated. It's a song I have used to dive into tasks that need a bit more focus, since it works perfectly as background music.
🎬 Video Fable: How the Frogs Cooked Dinner
Another great story from exurb1a. It is a fast paced brain-food video, it has loads of references to other works and is over all very stimulating in my opinion. I believe that it is enjoyable for anyone who can bring themselves to think about life and stuff.
That is all for this week!