How to stay (or become) sane in the new year

The year 2017 was hard for many.  Since I'm an empath and transformational life coach, I listen to many people's stories and support them through intense changes.  My personal life has been ripped apart touched by lots of deep changes this year as well: friends with cancer, deaths of beloveds, supporting kids who just lost their mother to murder, transitioning my own kids from homeschooling to public school - to name just a few.

I can feel the tremendous positive potential for the year 2018, and I've taken steps to make it so.  I'd love to share my strategies for keeping sane, and I hope you'll find some of them helpful in your own life.

Go to nature

When things are hard for me, I find refuge and sanity in nature.  Of course, I'm lucky because I step out of my front door and find myself in moss-covered stomping grounds with towering cedars, scenic rivers, and plenty of wild animals to keep me on my toes.  

But even if you don't live in beautiful wilderness like we do, you can step outside and find nature.  How about putting your hand against a tree, even if it's surrounded by concrete pavement, and feeling the essence of this living being?  How about feeling the wind on your face, or watching a bird in the sky, or enjoying the sun or rain on your skin?  

A couple of days ago, we celebrated New Year's Day by driving to Fidalgo Island, hiking, mountain biking and canoeing.  There's nothing like a day in the cold to make you feel alive and grateful!

List all the things you are grateful for

There's nothing like gratitude to lighten your mood.  Even if it's really, really hard for you to align with the goodness of life, there must be something you can put on our list.  Do you have a roof over your head?  Did you eat at least one meal today?  Did a stranger smile at you and make you smile back?  Do you appreciate an animal in your life that loves you unconditionally?  Are you alive?

We lit a humungous fire in our backyard at New Year's Eve, and as I ate a great meal and drank homemade apple cider, watching my kids dance around the flames, you bet I counted my blessings.

That morning, the power went out, and we didn't have electricity to grind coffee, so my husband pounded the beans with a hammer.  The coffee was awful.  But wouldn't you know it?  Our friend gave us his antique coffee grinder, and all is well in our universe again.  Yes, I'm grateful for coffee.

Get yourself some exercise

Don't hate me for this one.  My friend Bo, a single guy without kids or any responsibilities, always used to tell me to exercise when he saw me being depressed or sleep deprived and juggling infants.  I wanted to punch him in the face, yelling that I was too tired or didn't have the time to exercise, since I'm not a single person without kids or a job.

But guess what?  When I did find the time to get on my bicycle, or fit in a hike or run, I did feel remarkably better.

Don't tell Bo that, though.  I'd hate for him to think he was right.

Honestly?  Even if you don't feel like it, get your body moving.  Dance, jog, hike, ski, run, bike, chop firewood, clean out the goat barn - whatever.  Do something to get the blood and thus the feel-good-endorphins flowing.

The other day, I felt definitely depressed.  But it didn't rain that day, and the sun finally came out, so I dressed myself in wool layers and hopped on my bike.  One hour of pumping my legs in the cold, cold air did wonders.  I was a different person when I got off that bike.

When we went to Fidalgo Island, we paddled in our canoe, all five of us with the little Foofy dog.  So fun, so good for the body, so good for the spirit.

Spend time with people you love

I happen to like my kids.  And my husband is my number one person in the universe (besides my best friend Lindsay, that is).  So I make it a priority to be spending time with these people, doing fun things, connecting, playing, bonding...  

You gotta realize that you are not alone.  Whatever you've been feeling, others are feeling it, too.  You are not crazy.  These are intense times.  And it's okay to feel psycho.  Don't let anyone tell you any different.

So go spend some quality time with your loves.  Be silly.  Eat outrageously good food.  Tickle each other.  

Here's Steve and Kai, pulling kelp behind the canoe.  I don't know why Kai is looking so grumpy.  I think he was pulling my leg, since he was happy the whole time.  Then again: you never know with teenagers.

Below is Luke's dirty face after splattering mud all over himself while mountain biking.

And this is Eva, my little adventure buddy who wanted to go biking me with me in the snow and biting wind.  Crazy chicken, this one.

And here we are in Bellingham, on another adventure involving beautiful scenery and mountains of food.

Hire a life coach, which means: me

We can't become ourselves by ourselves.  Forget the whole lone cowboy on the prairie fending for himself or herself.  We all need support.  And it helps to get support from someone who is trained and experienced in looking at what's holding you back, why you can't get what you want, and partners up with you to reach your intentions.

It's doable, yo!  You can get what you want, but you have to look at the underlying beliefs that keep sabotaging you and then evolve them and establish new patterns.  

I'd love to help you.  You can book a free session with me to see if this work fits for you.  I only have ten free sessions available, though, so book it now if you want one!

If you're scared of this step, head on over to my website to read the testimonials from people who I have coached.  Their lives have transformed and changed for the better - in huge ways for many.

I'm sending you much love for this new year!  May it be better than ever!!!

PS: Part of taking care of yourself also means taking care of your body.  I wrote a post about natural cold and flu remedies on my Patreon page here.