self-care

Things That Make You Happy

/ Liebe + Letters / Leave a comment

It is finally the end of Term 2, and the end of a long Semester 1. With everything that has happened, I am glad to finally have a break. Working for 23 weeks, without a proper rest, has had me drained and emotionally, physically, mentally and in some ways spiritually tired.

This level of exhaustion made me realize that things need to change and I need to be more proactive in managing my emotions and energy.

Halfway through Term 2, at my lowest, I made a list of hobbies and activities I wanted to do but held myself back from. Things that made me happy but I pushed aside because of reluctance.

I had a look at the excuses, and realized that the only one holding me back was myself. The only one who held the keys to my happiness was myself.

Upon that realization, I gave myself permission and I made a promise to myself – to do more that makes me happy.

Starting with these holidays, there are three areas I am going to focus on:

  1. Fix my DSLR camera and discover what type of photography I like and take more photos.
  2. Be more physically active.
  3. Do more hikes/walks around Perth as well as being in nature more.

Here’s to the things that make you happy. I’ll keep you updated on how my three focus areas are going.

Motivation and changing habits.

/ Liebe + Letters / Leave a comment

There are some things in my life that I want to do more often because of the positive impacts it has on me, but I find it hard to motivate myself to actually do it.

Take running as an example. I like running – once I get some great tunes going, I’m all set. I’ve got the gear, i just don’t have motivation.

I’ve never been a sporty person; I was the musical kid at school. Yet the days when dad and I would go cross-country training are some of my favourite memories and I actually enjoyed doing them.

I could go on with other examples, but what really is important is this: sometimes you need to put effort into it to do things that don’t come easy to you. Sometimes you actually need to just do it. Your body may be completely filled with nerves and you may feel ill at ease, most days you’re going to have to fight through that.

Something worth fighting for won’t come easily, but it is worth the effort you put into it and the motivation you get out of it.

Yours,

Sophia x

Holidays + Routines

/ Sophia van Gent / Leave a comment

December rolls around every year, and accompanying December is the process to reflect, and if necessary, change or modify any personal goals. You know, that end of year routine common to many people.

We, humans, are creatures of habit and we seem to really like our routines. Routines let us understand what is coming up and can act as a comparison stick in case anything out of the ordinary arises. Just like in a maths equation, once we know the variables, we can solve the equation. Routines help us figure out the variables.

The lead up to the holidays often means that our routines get interrupted, with all the planning, cooking, that last minute rush to sort out presents and fitting in as many social events before the year ends getting in the way. We are so busy looking out for everyone else, we forget to look after ourselves.

Don’t get me wrong, looking after others is an important part of our lives because it builds empathy. It helps us connect with people, and we learn from each other. Yet empathy can’t be developed on an empty tank. One really important part of building empathy is self-awareness, the ability to distinguish between our feelings and thoughts with the feelings and thoughts of others. As such, we need to connect with our own thoughts and feelings, not neglect them.

One thing 2017 has taught me is that it is okay to take a step back from the chaos of life, all the competing pressures in your life and to look after oneself. It is okay to take that 10-minute break enjoying the seaside, or that 10-minute meditation practice or simply to sit down with a cup of tea enjoying the nature around you.

Because in looking after everyone else over the holiday season, we also need to connect with ourselves. So over the next 19 days left in 2017, and in the 12 days up until Christmas, schedule some time with yourself on a daily basis.

Yours,
Sophia
x

Dear self

/ Sophia van Gent / Leave a comment

liebe + letters blog photo (1)

Dear self,

Clean room, sunshine, coffee, different shades and hues of purple and pastel pink. Remember this combination. Because someday you’ll need something to calm that panic attack brewing within you.

Sit, breathe, pray. Feel the last remnants of stress ebb away, the way the ocean waves ebb away from the shoreline.

Always, always remember that you are loved by so many different people. You can’t control everything so just sit and observe. Observe how the world continues turning and you’ll come to the realisation that you can only control how you react to events, so you may as well react with love.

So this is your mandate for this week – sit, breathe, pray, write. Laugh, cry, smile, frown.

Breathe, smile, pray and laugh your way through the week.

Yours
Sophia x