Hey hey! It’s been a while, eh?
Thank you for bearing with me as I’ve been regaining my bearings and getting used to being a Georgetown student again. And a senior. And living in a house with 5 friends. There’s been…a LOT to get used to. A lot a lot to be grateful for, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit disoriented for these past couple weeks.
First of all, thank you so much for your incredible feedback on this post. I am so so glad my words resonated and were able to help in any way. I could say I wish none of us had to deal with anxiety in the first place, but I kinda think it made us all into pretty strong and resilient humans, so even if it sucks sometimes, it’s all about riding the waves.
In that post, I mentioned that I would let you know some intentions and practices I am planning to implement in my senior year to ensure that I stay aligned as much as possible, and therefore, have a much easier time managing my anxiety. Before we jump into that, though, we need to get something out of the way.
First things first, what is alignment? It sounds like one of those woo-woo crazy words doesn’t it? Well, it is. But it’s also an incredibly simple and intuitive concept that every human is familiar with.
It’s that feeling of being in flow, of “ahhh” when everything is just good and right. It’s that moment of contentment and bliss where you know you wouldn’t change anything. It can be brought on by something as small as cuddling up with a good friend or a dog and a great movie or as big as working on a huge project you’d been pouring your heart and soul into. Alignment is when you feel most like you, inspired and alive and joyful. It’s a fantastic state of being, and I think if everyone focused on cultivating that state and practicing it every day, our world would be a much happier brighter place.
You might be so attuned that you feel this state daily, or it might be an incredibly rare occurrence that comes on suddenly and leaves as quickly as it came, leaving you totally at a loss for how to regain it.
I’m sure I’ll write some future posts about alignment because it’s something I’ve been learning a lot about over the past couple years, both from external sources and through personal trial and error. But for right now, here is my list of things I am planning on implementing during my senior year to maximize that “aligned” feeling and let go of the overwhelm that often comes at the onset of a new school year.
Decorate my room and surround myself with things that make me feel happy and safe
I’ve noticed that when I surround myself with various decorations and trinkets that make me really happy and double as reminders to keep living my truth, I feel much much happier and more grounded by default. I discovered this way back in freshman year, when I decked out my room unapologetically in the various things that brought a smile to my face every time I’d look at them. Many of those things were childhood loves, which instantly gave me a sense of safety when I looked over.
I have Harry Potter prints, a Beauty and the Beast poster, and various other artwork on my walls that reflects my interests and things I like. I’m all about putting cheesy motivational quotes everywhere as long as they actually resonate with you. Over the years, I’ve added a beloved stuffed wolf toy to my collection (reminds me of my inner wolf), several beautiful and prized crystals, and other tiny tchotchkes that bring me endless joy.
Have adventures, big and small, every week
This picture is from when I took myself on a little solo adventure to the National Cathedral, which was absolutely breathtaking and took me right back abroad.
You guys know I’m a Gryffindor through and through, and adventure is a requisite for a happy Nicole. In prior years, I would often let this thirst for adventure, exploring, and newness take the backseat in favor of doing the things I was “supposed to be doing” like studying super-hard and going to grimy college parties (no thank ya).
Now, especially after my experience abroad, I know how important it is for me to regularly adventure. And how EASY it can be, too. Taking the shuttle bus to a new part of DC and just exploring it for a few hours, trying a new coffeeshop with a friend, taking the train to a neighboring town for an easy day trip on the weekends.
I also want to do some actual small trips; this has been a tradition with my friends since sophomore year, and in the past we’ve done Philadelphia and Charlottesville. This year, I’d love to do more trips, and potentially some overnight ones too! Some spots on the horizon include Pittsburgh, Annapolis, and the Shenandoah Valley. Solo or with good friends, I just want to roam free and see new things because there is always an adventure around the bend.
Do something creative every day
Much like one of my very favorite role models Elizabeth Gilbert, I believe creativity is magic. You know that feeling when something is just flowing out of you and it feels like something entirely outside of your control? You are both the facilitator and the vessel, and it’s this amazing combination of feeling incredibly empowered and totally humbled. Creativity comes in a myriad of forms, but everyone has something creative they enjoy doing, even if they haven’t stumbled across it yet. For me, my favorite forms of creativity are music and writing.
And so, I want to ensure that on a regular basis, I am following my impulses to practice guitar (even if only for 15 minutes at a time) or working on writing some blog posts or just writing for fun.
Carve out time to focus on personal projects
On that same note, I feel most me when I am working not only on things I am assigned or given by professors/employers/etc. but also when I get to set personal goals and make progress on things that are just for me and that I am internally motivated to do. I thrive off internal motivation, which is why I eventually hope to have my own business.
And so, I want to make time to keep growing this space as well as working on whatever other projects flow to me and feel important to me. I never want to sacrifice those things that fill me with energy and life in favor of some things that ultimately just won’t matter in the grand scheme of things (kinda done with schoolwork sucking all the life and energy out of me; it’s just not worth it.)
Move my body 4-5x a week in whatever way feels good on that specific day
In the past year or so, I’ve definitely dialed back on the intensity of my workouts. Though I still LOVE a good heart-pumping sweat sesh, I now have those maybe twice a week and then do softer, flowier exercise on other days (which is still plenty challenging haha). I also love including several days of yoga in my week, often one power yoga day and one stretchy relaxing yoga day. Makes my body and mind feel like they just took a vacation 🙂
This sometimes requires some forethought and planing to ensure it actually fits into my busy schedule, but it’s honestly so important for my physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. That being said, rest days are equally important when I do feel by body asking for those.
Meditate every morning
I never expected meditation to become as much of a ritual in my life as it has since around April. I truly love and value those 10 minutes of my morning that are set aside just for slowness, for connecting to me, for breathing. I think in the crazy hustle and bustle that my college life often ends up being, it’s so important for me to carve out those small pockets of stillness and peace.
I think it’s important to find the mode that works for you, release all judgment, and just find pleasure in the practice. I love Insight timer, and they have fantastic guided meditations if you’re not ready to go solo yet (that’s what I started with for the first month or so!). I’m also not at all militant about it; most mornings I truly just want to do it, so I make it happen, and I usually set my alarm early enough that those 10 minutes easily happen if I so choose. Of course there are some days that I would just rather sleep a little extra, or I just feel pumped and ready to jump straight into my day. It’s all okay. 🙂
Aim for at least 8 hours of sleep every night
I love sleep. So much. I am NOT one of those people who can get by on 4-5 hours. Honestly, my ideal is 9 hours, but anything less than 7 and I’m just not myself. That being said, my relationship with sleep has historically been quite rocky.
I don’t know what it is but it is incredibly difficult for me to get myself in bed at a reasonable hour even when I’ve already accomplished everything I had to.
I’m not even a night owl! I’m a total morning person! And yet it’s as though sometime around 10pm is when I suddenly feel like I need to start a bunch of different things, plan the following day, and then also research 10 different questions I might have had in my life that I suddenly need answers to RIGHT NOW.
That being said, at least in the past couple weeks, I’ve been pretty tired out by the time bedtime rolls around so I’m much more likely to get to bed at a normal hour, but I’m definitely prone to self-sabotaging here and reasoning myself into pushing my bedtime back. If anyone can relate/give advice, I will be forever grateful.
Laugh every day
I honestly think this should be a non-negotiable of life. Thinking about a day without any laughter just makes me very sad. It’s nice living with friends for this because I tend to just get my laughing fix from having a short conversation with any of them. But when real friends are unavailable, the other Friends always works too 😉
Oh and laugh at yourself too. I gotta tell you, most embarrassing or crappy situations can be reframed to be heinously hilarious. It’s all in the mindset, baby.
Have some free space each day for whatever I feel like doing (don’t plan out every moment)
I think I only learned the value of this abroad, when I finally HAD that space in my day to do what felt good in the moment, since I didn’t have too many responsibilities or obligations. Even once I came home, though, I tried my best to keep carving out this time. It allows for those unplanned moments of joy that are all the more enjoyable in their spontaneity. Randomly getting a text to grab coffee with a friend and spontaneously saying yes, calling a good friend you’re missing, watching a movie (I’m a big movie fan, so this one is particularly helpful to my alignment).
Do as much as possible of what feels good unapologetically and as little as possible of what doesn’t
This semester I signed up exclusively for classes I’m genuinely interested in and excited about. Perks of being a senior haha. I also left any extracurriculars and engagements that I’d previously been involved me but that are no longer serving me. And it feels so. damn. good. Honestly, there is nothing more important to alignment than living your truth and taking ownership over your time.
That being said, we all have obligations we’d rather not do but that we can’t get out of, and I’ve found there’s easy ways to make those much more enjoyable. Listening to a podcast while doing chores, Harry Potter music and a good study buddy while doing homework, making a great cup of coffee to enjoy alongside a pesky assignment or to take to class.
And that’s my list. Even in the past couple weeks, I think I’ve already been living by these guidelines. Spending quality time with friends, going on new fun adventures around DC, saying yes to memories instead of choosing to put in extra (often unnecessary) study time. I truly am excited for this year. I feel grateful for the many blessings in my life right now. I want to soak up all those beautiful things that are temporary and worry less about the things that don’t matter.
Make great memories. Laugh often. Have fun. And leave some space to allow the magic to flow into your life. <3
I hope this inspires you to reevaluate how you feel about your everyday or how you are spending your time. Let’s keep each other accountable in holding these lessons close. And tell me, what are some of your favorite ways to stay in alignment?
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