Easing into the New Year

Hope you’re off to a smooth start to the New Year.  I’m easing into it slowly this year.  How about you? Anyone else feeling the need to start the year with ease?

I’ve changed over to a new calendar and planner and written a few intentions for the year but other than that I’ve been taking my time with fully embracing 2025.   I’ve decided that it’s ok.  

I’ve also decided that I’d like to do 3 easy things each day that help me feel lighter.

Here are a few easy things you can do right now:

• Clear your workspace  ( Set a timer for 10 minutes and do it, you’ll feel so much better)
  

• Drink a glass of water
  

• Say No to something that you really don’t want to do

  What would you like to leave behind in 2024 and bring more into 2025? 

I’d love to help your friends and loved ones feel more organized in the New Year!  Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you have.

If you would like to feel more organized, I'm here for you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.  If you’d like to book a call with me to find out more, click here.  I'd love to connect!

Finding More Quiet in My Day

I’ve been craving quiet lately and decided to follow my intuition. I spent two nights this past week at a Monastery a few hours away.  I’ve always been drawn to monks for some reason.  The quiet, the routines and the lovely singing.  My goal was to find more quiet and unplug and I did.  I napped, read and attended their services filled with music.  I loved every minute of my stay and would love to go again next year.

It seems that silence can actually help us both physically and mentally.  Silence may help your health in several ways, including:

• lowering blood pressure

• improving concentration and focus

• calming racing thoughts

• stimulating brain growth

• reducing cortisol

• stimulating creativity

• improving insomnia

• encouraging mindfulness

If you have been wanting to incorporate more quiet in your day here are a few ideas for how you can. 

Ways you can find more quiet in your day:

• Wake up earlier.  Even 15 minutes to take advantage of the quiet house.

• Shut down all devices off an hour or two before bed.  

• Let other family members know your intention to help with accountability.

• Finding quiet out in nature is a bonus

Are you craving some quiet in your day?  

Feeling Gratitude This Season

As we move the clocks back and the days feel so much shorter I'm filled with gratitude.  Gratitude for the changing seasons, the colorful leaves, and gratitude for having my health. I’m one of those people who love the shorter, darker days.  It gives me the green light to hunker down and hibernate.

 It might not always feel like we have things to feel grateful for but the science is there to show us that feeling gratitude actually helps our brain. Gratitude really has the power to change how our brains work, thanks to something called neuroplasticity, which is just a fancy way of saying our brains can adapt based on our experiences. When we practice gratitude, we can:

• Build up positive connections: It helps strengthen the pathways in our brains linked to feelings like happiness and contentment.
  

• Weaken negative connections: Gratitude can also tone down those pathways associated with negative emotions, like guilt, shame, and aggression.
  

• Activate the medial prefrontal cortex: This part of the brain is all about learning, making decisions, and dealing with negative feelings.
  

• Lower cortisol levels: Practicing gratitude can help reduce cortisol, which is the stress hormone that kicks in when we're anxious or scared.
  

• Boost our happiness hormones: It even triggers the release of feel-good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, making us happier overall.
  

So, embracing gratitude really does wonders for our minds!

A few easy ways to incorporate gratitude into your life are noticing what you are grateful for each day.  Maybe as you wake up you start your day with gratitude.  Some people write in a gratitude journal.  At Sunday dinner, we like to go around the table and share what we are grateful for.

What are you grateful for?  Do you have any gratitude practices you’d love to share?

Having to Pivot on the Fly

I read this article last week that really struck me about how when faced with a challenge there are two kinds of people: those who throw up their hands and say, “I can’t cope!” or those who say “Bring it on!”.  Of course we’re probably all somewhere in between but I was tested a few weeks back when I found out my son would be graduating from high school a whole year early.

Instead of feeling excited at the cool accomplishment my first reaction was to feel overwhelmed at the idea that he would lose a whole year and have to basically fastrack high school.  I felt like we had to pivot quickly .  Something I feel I’m pretty good at but this felt different because of how much emotion was embedded in it.

It turns out in the article published in the journal BMJ Mental Health, the research found that being better able to cope with difficult life circumstances was linked to a lower risk of death from all causes in older adults. The findings were derived by analyzing data from the Health and Retirement Study, a long-term survey of Americans ages 50 and over.

Resilience scores were determined through a self-assessment of qualities like perseverance, calmness, a sense of purpose, self-reliance, and the recognition that certain experiences must be faced alone. Those who scored higher on the scale had a lower risk of all-cause mortality by as much as 38% compared to those who scored the lowest. Try these tips to boost your coping skills.

One of the things I realized I first needed to do was to separate the facts from the emotion after spinning my wheels for a few days and perseverating on the problem and not getting anywhere.  Here are the steps I took to feel better, more grounded and in the moment.  

Whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed the 3 steps that help me gain some clarity are:

• Take a deep breath (or 10 :)

• Make a list (getting your ideas down on paper really helps)

• Prioritize that list.  What needs to be done first.  Then next.

  When is the last time you said Bring it On?

Discover Your Ikigai: Find Your Reason For Being

I read a book a few years ago called Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles.  I was hooked from the first page.  The book talks about how the people of Okinawa, Japan have the most centenarians in the world and one of the reasons is because of their “Ikigai”.

Ikigai, a Japanese concept meaning "reason for being," is the intersection of passion, mission, vocation, and profession. It's where what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for come together in perfect harmony, creating a sense of joy and purpose in life.  It’s really your reason for getting up in the morning.

There are specific questions you ask yourself to uncover yours.  Answering these questions can lead you to your ikigai—a clear starting point for organizing your time, space, and priorities around what truly matters to you.

As a coach, I've seen firsthand how discovering one's ikigai can transform how we approach both life and work. It forms the foundation for aligning your activities with your deepest values and passions, ensuring that each day begins with clarity and purpose.

Ready to explore your ikigai and start living with intention? Click here to access your free  guide that will walk you through the process step-by-step.

Here’s to finding your ikigai and making space for what brings you joy and fulfillment!

Expert Tips for Helping Your Loved One Move to a Retirement Home

Do you have a family member transitioning into a retirement community or assisted living? If so, you understand the emotional and physical labor required to make this transition smooth and positive for your loved one.

In recent months, I’ve made multiple trips to the East Coast to assist my family with my uncle's move. He needed to relocate from Philadelphia to Virginia due to the challenges of living alone as he aged. This experience highlighted the importance of careful planning and organization in making such a transition successful.

Just a few weeks ago, I returned to Virginia to help clear out the rest of my uncle’s house. My parents, who are almost 80, were emotionally and physically exhausted, and I could see how much they needed my help.  These are the steps I took to help empty his house and get him into a retirement community.

 Steps to Empty the House

• Multiple Trips to the Dumpster: It was essential to clear out unnecessary items in an organized manner.
  

• Creating Donation Piles: We sorted through belongings to identify items that could benefit others through thrift stores.
  

• Listing Items for the Dump: We categorized items that were no longer usable or needed.
  

Facilitating the Transition to a Retirement Community

Helping my uncle transition into a retirement community involved several key steps:

• Identifying the Right Home: Finding a community where my uncle felt comfortable was our top priority.
  

• Sorting and Choosing Belongings: We carefully selected items that would make his new home feel familiar and comfortable.
  

• Coordinating Donations and Disposal: Working with neighbors, we organized what to donate, what to dispose of, and what keepsakes to keep.
  

• Realtor Coordination: I found and coordinated with a realtor to list his home on the market.
  

• Preparing the Home for Sale: This included organizing cleaning and necessary repairs to ensure the home was market-ready.
  

While the physical tasks were demanding, the emotional conversations were equally significant. Ensuring that my uncle felt heard and supported throughout the process was crucial. My experience in organizing and managing these transitions can help others facing similar challenges.  If you have a loved one that needs help with this process I’d love to chat.