How Your Home Can Help You Meet the Demands of Fall

Recently I was asked if I could elaborate on what I mean when I speak of the importance of de-cluttering one’s home. Overtime and through the course of participating and teaching many classes I have found that when a question comes up for one individual, many people can benefit from hearing the response. So, today I am going to answer the question of one in hopes that it will benefit many. Fortunately, this is the perfect time to take a look at clutter with the transition of summer to fall.

Most people have been taught that the New Year begins in January with confetti, champagne and fireworks. For me, I have always thought of the beginning of the new school year as a fresh start of time and place. Even the years where I was not tied to the physical constraints of the school cadence I found the rhythm of changing winds made an internal shift at my core. The summer was a time of freedom, play and relaxation followed by the crisp breezes that brought structure and a roused sense of determined action. Sea and sand exchanged for activity and to-do lists. One way I was able to maneuver gracefully in the changing winds was to organize my place, and clear my space in preparation for what was to come. This preparedness action is similar to prepping for a tumultuous incoming storm. It can give you clarity and energy to meet the demands of the natural momentum of the season ahead.

Your home influences your ability to move with effortless grace through each day. Creating an organized, clutter free space gives you a sanctuary that nurtures you and supports you for expansion and clarity. This foundation allows you to go out into the world and soar.

The trick to clutter clearing is to take small steps that will have a big and lasting impact. The last thing you want to do is embark on too big a task and stop before you’ve reached the finish line because of overwhelm. Similarly, you don’t want to only finish one area and lack the motivation to move to other areas. Begin small and allow the momentum of manageable achievements motivate you. When I suggest small, I really mean small. A drawer or closet is a great option. When you are finished with that first area notice how you feel. Perhaps lighter as if a weight was removed from your shoulders?

That’s the thing with clutter, it becomes a heavy burden that you carry with you whether you are in your home or not. It drains your energy as you ruminate over the clutter whether you are staring at it in the closet, or thinking about it from your work desk. Taking action and beginning to clear the weight will free you from the heaviness that clutter creates in your life. Think about the last time you cleaned your room and how great you felt after. Imagine that feeling every time you walk in or out your home.

Taking the time now before we transition to Fall can help you navigate the cool winds of change without the cumbersome weight that clutter creates. This will allow smooth sailing as you prepare to meet the demands of the season to come.

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Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Summer Well -Being

It is hard to believe that the long, lingering days of this steamy summer are beginning to disappear replaced with the need for sweatshirts and blankets to keep warm in the chill of the evening breezes. Every year at this time I contemplatively look back at the summer sad to see it go but soothed by the many memories created as I watch my children frolic in the ocean, enjoy summer friendships and am able to pause to take a deep breath from the frenetic activity that consumes the three seasons to come. With a few weeks left before the schedules and commitments began I want to take a look at some simple ways you can embrace the blessings the remainder of the summer has to offer.

Summertime gives us so many splendid gifts to create harmony in our lives. It shares with us an abundance of fruits and vegetables that promote health. Warm days allow us to enjoy the outdoors and breath fresh air, which is good for our body and soul. It is also a time of rest, rejuvenation and connection.

I often think of the saying “the lazy, hazy days of summer” when wistful flashes of clam shacks, sand between the toes and the smell of suntan lotion come to mind. It brings me back to my childhood when life not only seemed slower but moved at an entirely different pace. Those were the days before cell phones, smart phones and iPads.

In those days, people enjoyed the art of connection and communication without the distraction of texting or email alerts. Going to the beach was a cacophony of sounds, textures and visual splendor. Waves crashing, seagulls squawking and children laughing as they were tumbled about in the sea tickled our ears. The visual impact of the blue sky with puffy white clouds that were forever morphing into new shapes, the golden sand that warmed our feet and the sparkling water that danced in the sunlight. Smart phones didn’t pull our attention and awareness away from the natural magnificence around us. Today it is easy to hear the beep, ring or tapping of fingers on a touchscreen to remind us that we have one more email or call to make.

Last summer, I watched a teenage couple walking down the beach. Instead of holding hands or chatting about whatever it is that teenagers chat about these days, they both walked along heads bent down over their phones while their fingers furiously navigated their technology. Initially I giggled at the idea that maybe they were texting each other. But, those feelings swiftly turned to sadness knowing that they were missing out on truly connecting with each other and connecting to their incredible surroundings.

I invite you to be in awareness of the many gifts that the summer season offers. Take the time to slow down, breath the fresh air, taste the succulent red ripe strawberries and listen to the symphony of birds. Incorporate the cadence of the lazy, hazy days of summer into your routine and power off to rejuvenate and restore your connection to the world and the people around you.

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

What, Where, & How to Create a Healthy Home

It is so important for your health and well-being to understand the what, where and how of toxins in your home. What they are, where they are lurking, how to avoid them if possible or deal with them if they are already there. Toxins can be found in the furnishings, beauty & cleaning products, and construction materials in your home. The air quality within our homes is 6x more toxic than the outside air that is filled with industrial pollutants. It is time to know what you can do to make your home healthier!

Over the last five decades the creation and use of chemical concoctions and synthetic materials to manufacturer products for the home has exploded. Thought of as an innovated way of making products cheaper, this ability has inadvertently made our homes unhealthy havens ridden with toxic off gassing. Most products brought into your home contain unhealthy toxins unless you seek alternatives. This includes furniture, carpets, paints, window treatments, bedding, towels, flooring, and cabinetry, just to name a few.

Formaldehyde is a great example of a toxic chemical that permeates one’s home and can be found lurking in spaces and places that most wouldn’t imagine. Remember back to your science class with the glass jars containing smelly solutions that preserved all sorts of interesting items. The smell wafting through the air was the preservative formaldehyde, which is now considered carcinogenic. Manufacturers currently use it to inhibit the growth of microorganisms in many household items. Unfortunately it can be found in the furniture, fabrics, and cabinets to lotions and canned goods. Let’s look at some solutions to this toxic problem…

The first solution is to open the windows! Again the air within your home probably contains many more toxic substances than the polluted air outside. Typically, these noxious substances have not been evaluated for health safety. If they have, they certainly have not been evaluated to see what type of effect the combinations of chemicals have on our health. Thus, because we live in a toxic soup, it is critical to open windows and allow our homes to breath so that we can breath easier.

The second area to focus on is your bedroom! Making this area chemical free can have a major impact on your health and wellbeing. You spend a good number of hours in this space, which makes it exceptionally important to create a healthy haven. Choose organic bedding, towels and low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint. Therefore, as you sleep the night away your body can have the full benefit of this restorative part of your day instead of expending energy fighting off disease creating chemicals.

Another easy Home in Harmony Lifestyle solution is to bring plants into your home! They act as a natural filter that actually cleans the air of toxic chemicals. A plant that thrives whether you have a green thumb or not, (my children will attest that I lack proficiency in that area) is the spider plant. This fabulous greenery can actually filter the toxic substances found in formaldehyde! I will include a list of plants and the chemicals they filter in my upcoming book. In a few months, we will have details on how to pick up your copy!

These are just a few of the simple Home in Harmony Lifestyle tips and solutions that will help you to create a healthy home that allows you and those you love to breath easy.

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Designing Your Inspired Tech Relationship

It is amazing to think back only twenty years to a time when technology was an imaginary ideal in sci-fi movies and shows. A time when Dr Spock had what looked similar to the flip phones that my teenagers currently carry. In that twenty year period the ability of technology has unequivocally expanded beyond our wildest dreams while the reliance on technology with its bandwidth of possibility continues to increase. It is becoming progressively more difficult to fully understand the scope of technological dependence that pervades our culture and lives. It is also important to examine what we are allowing into our lives through technology and what technology knows about our lives because we are inadvertently allowing it in. These are important questions to contemplate to help find the support that technology can offer without being caught up in the anxiety that it can create. Finding this balance is critical in living fully, joyfully and in harmony.

Let’s explore…

It is important to ask the question, Is technology an appendage or a constructive tool in your life? This can be a hard question to answer for many because technology has infiltrated so much of our lives. Adults, as well as children, have become hooked on cell phones, smart phones, iPads, iTouches, computers, TVs, reading devices, and other technological devices. To fully understand your level of “connectedness” you might ask yourself, “What would happen if you left your phone off for an extended period of time?” Of course, ‘extended’ is relative. To my grandfather, that might mean not picking it up, ever. However, to my son, a few hours may seem like an eternity. Our experience of time in relation to technology varies greatly. Begin to notice where you are on the continuum and how much time you spend connected, plugged in and absorbed in the technological devices in your life. What would it feel like to unplug for a portion of your day? Your reaction to this challenge gives you a big hint to your level of technological attachment and whether it is a tool or appendage.

The ramifications of the inundation and over stimulation of technology can affect young and old in many ways. Three significant negative outcomes include:

First, the rates of obesity and diseases related to obesity are increasing daily because of the sedentary lifestyle that our culture has succumbed to and technology plays a key role in this dilemma.

Second, our lives have begun to mirror the pace of technology. Many feel a sense of overwhelm from the pressures of day to day living which is reflected in our need to multitask which diminishes our ability to be fully present in each moment and instead leaves one feeling frazzled.

Third, due to the speed and ability to communicate 24/7 one would assume that we are more efficient and effective. Instead, the reality is that the increased exposure to stress on not only a daily basis but a minute to minute basis causes elevated levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) to course through our veins without relief. This pressure cooker of stress effect that technological advancement has created produces stress and strain psychological and physically effecting performance, blood pressure, immunity and even weight.

For these reasons it is critical to give yourself time each day, each week and as much time each year to unplug and take a deep breath from the taxing stressors that technology exacerbates.

It is also fundamentally important to realize that each click is monitored by on-line stores. Similarly, surveillance of your habits from trips made to brick and mortar establishments like big box chains or corporate pharmacies occur. Your habits are tracked so that retailers can entice you to buy specific or similar products. Marketers are hoping to help take the thinking out of your actions by creating habits that you are unconsciously being directed towards. You can expand your awareness of these practices by fully noticing advertising such as coupons that are given to you at checkout or companies that automatically pop-up on your Facebook feed. This ability of carefully crafted algorithms is based on monitoring your behavior with hopes of determining your future behavior. Noticing these tactics helps to place you in the driver’s seat giving you the ability to maneuver through life seeing and choosing your adventures on your terms.

Technology can be a supportive tool that helps you navigate through life. Gone unchecked, it can create anxiety, stress and cause adverse habits. Being fully aware of all facets of your relationship with technology establishes a solid foundation that brings balance, joy and harmony to your life.

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Create Harmony in Your Home

Most people don’t realize that their home has a major impact on their overall sense of well-being. Did you know that your home affects your sense of calm and harmony, your health and your outlook on life? It actually has the power to influence your moods, hormones and body chemistry and that plays a big role on your level of satisfaction in life, ability to find calm in the midst of chaos and whether you enjoy great health!

Every room is important but the mudroom plays a key role in your level of calm and harmony. It is the last impression you have of your home when you leave & it is the first area you see when you enter. You either walk in and with a sigh of relief, think, “Ah, I’m home”. Or you see the all-consuming clutter (meaning it consumes your physical & mental space) and that drains your energy. This sets the tone for a good portion of your day. Many people have confided that it makes them feel cranky to walk into a disorganized clutter filled mudroom or entryway. If you are one of the many it is time to make changes. You want to create a space that nurtures you instead of depleting your vitality.

Let’s look at a few simple solutions to help this space be great:

The first simple solution is to make it a clutter free zone. Everything in the space should have a place. Everything (period). If it doesn’t have a spot, either remove it or find a designated destination. This is actually easier than it sounds! Let me explain…

Studies have shown that more than 85% of our behavior is habitual. That means that much of our daily activity is repetitive, going-through-the-motion type of behavior. When we take a morning shower, you aren’t thinking about each step in the process. Rather, you move through the shower in a habitual daze that allows you to plan the day ahead. This is the brain’s innate ability to shift into an autopilot mode when mindless tasks are at hand. This helps to conserve your brain’s energy and need to focus on more important stimuli (like making sure you are safe). You can use this natural mechanism to your advantage to clear clutter and create an organized space where everything ends up in it’s place.

If you create an organized space where everything has a place there’s no need to put effort into thinking about where to put something or where to find it when you are rushing out the door. Unfortunately, on the days that you become stressed from misplaced items, your cortisol levels increase, which can create a whole myriad of health issues if not kept in check. When you begin your day off-quilter a negative momentum can spiral out of control effecting all other parts of your day. So, let’s look at ways you can train your brain to help create organized outer and inner calm.

Labels are a great reminder of where specific items go. They help to train your subconscious to put things in their designated place and create a habitual autopilot response. Color-coding baskets has the same outcome. Each color can have a particular item associated with it or a specific person who is assigned that color. This is especially great for children!

The second solution is bringing beauty into your space. Creating an aesthetically pleasing environment effects how much you smile. Studies have shown that when we are surrounded by beauty it triggers our happy hormones. Making your mudroom beautiful will leave you smiling as you exit or enter.

One way to bring beauty into your space is the use of color. We are all unique individuals and the colors you love might be different from the colors that make me happy. Begin to notice which colors make you smile. Different ways to add color include fabric for pillows or window treatments or using rugs. Find fun colors, textures and patterns that make your heart sing!

The third solution is including something inspiring or uplifting in your mudroom. This is going to be different for everyone. Remember, it is the last space you see before you go out into the world and the first place you see when you return home. An inspiring saying, picture or object can help you focus on what you want out of life. It can be a family motto or slogan, a piece of art that reminds you of something special in your life. It works on a conscious and unconscious level to help you set an intention for your day and your life.

These simple Home in Harmony Lifestyle Solutions will help you create a home that supports and nurtures your mind, body & spirit. What one thing on this list are you going to do today to begin designing your inspired life?

Happy Soaring!

XOXO