This Newsletter is Your Ticket to Chill Out

Yeah, I thought that would get your attention.

This is not what I meant by chilling out. Photo by Torsten Dederichs on Unsplash

I bet you saw the title of today’s newsletter, and thought, “Cool beans. Finally, a ticket to catch my breath…”

Permission to postpone that garage cleanup.

Maybe play hooky.

Burn the to-do list.

Let that laundry pile grow taller.

And do the things that make you feel truly chilled out.

That all sounds swell, but let’s get real.

It gets tricky when it comes to chillin’.

If I really chilled out - i.e. blew off some things, ditched my healthy habits, and ignored reality - whenever I wanted, I know I wouldn’t really feel chill.

I’d feel more stressed out.

Because I’d know the world the world doesn’t care. It keeps spinning, and there is no “pause for chilling” button.

By now maybe you’ve figured out this newsletter is not actually a ticket to Chillsville.

That was a cheap, clickbait trick.

Which if you’re still with me, has apparently worked, so far.

(Getting to the point now…)

I’m not going to tell you to chill out, because I don’t think chilling out really makes us feel better. Truly better.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against taking vacays, putting your feet up, giving yourself a bit of grace…

I’m simply suggesting we shouldn’t let chilling out prevent us from taking care of business and ultimately… taking care of ourselves.

Imagine this stock photo mic dropping... Photo by Panos Sakalakis on Unsplash

So… what I’m really doing today is giving you permission to take care of yourself.

Better care of yourself.

I’m also giving myself permission to take better care of myself.

(After all, why do you think I’m writing this? #potkettleblack.)

I come with this message because life is a crazy train that stops for no one. And even when it does stop, it’s only long enough to let on more crazies.

If we don’t establish some baseline practices that help us feel our best, the crazy stuff will be even harder to deal with.

And sorry, but all the chill-laxing in the world won’t help us.

We’ll just end up feeling kind of crappy - mentally, physically, emotionally - or the whole kit and caboodle. (Translation, we’ll feel like trainwrecks.)

But don’t despair! I’ve got a solution for you, and it happens to be What I’d Rather Be Talking About this week:

TODAY (August 15) is National Wellness Day and AUGUST is National Wellness Month.

This means the “National Day” Making People are telling us to make wellness a priority. That sounds very IG worthy and optimistic, no?

And I get it, “wellness” has been a bit overused. And it might make you want to punch a wall when I say it. Perhaps you’re like, yeah great, but sorry Sunshine, I don’t have the time or bucks to sit in a salt hut or infrared sauna, or get massages.

Roger that.

But we can do little things each day that we know will help us.

Bit by bit. This doesn’t have to be hard or require an Ayahuasca retreat. (Which btw, actually scares the crap out of me.)

Maybe just switch from four cups of java to three. (Baby steps are improvements too.)

Walk around the block after dinner one night. Then do it twice the next.

Floss your damn teeth.

Evaluate the crap you put in your body and ask yourself if it’s really worth it.

Drink more water. Cut back on the sauce.

blahblahblah… you get the picture.

I don’t know what your “something” is…

but I do know that you know.

We all do.

So let’s use August as our launching pad to feel better in life,

so we can feel better about chilling out.

Groovy?

Lucky for you I’m not a cold hearted preacher who’s going to drop this “We’ve got to all get our acts together” and leave you with nothing.

I’m nicer than that.

(And I want to keep my subscribers. Maybe even earn a few paid ones. ;))

I’m giving you some ideas on how to up your #takecareofyoself game and sprinkle a little bit of wellness into your life this month and beyond.

So let’s get to it,

Abbey

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STEPPING UP YOUR WELLNESS means taking care of yourself. in traditional and non-traditional ways.

(discuss.)

1. Make daily itty bitty changes in your diet.

I’m not asking you to go on a sugar detox like I’ve been on for the past four weeks. (That’s extreme and I will share more in the future.) I’m just saying why not make small improvements every day. There are tons of influencers with ideas on this: The Carolina Lifestyle has some examples, Here’s what the French do to enjoy life a bit more… slow living, simplicity, and small pleasures. In Spain, a Mediterranean diet is one of the factors that helps keep people happy and healthy. Here’s what that might look like. If you’d like to switch to a diet that’s just all-around good for you, try to make yours full of anti-inflammatory foods. Dr. Jen Ashton has some ideas on how to get started. My fav Bobby Parrish walks you through the grocery store with more info on inflammatory foods.

Healthy eating is actually delicious. And visually pleasing. No?

2. Move more than you do now.

No need to sign up for a marathon. (Unless you want to.) But add more movement to your life. This isn’t groundbreaking, I know. To help you, maybe check out these 7 Fitness Habits That Will Change Your Life. We all know getting more steps in each day is the goal - here’s what happens to your body if you walk everyday. And, after you’re done walking, remember to lift a weight or two - here’s why weight bearing exercises are so important.

I’m not saying you need to walk the Camino de Santiago (though that sure is awesome)… just move your body. Every single day.

3. Stop the madness and get mindful. Even if that word stresses you out.

Something that I’m trying to incorporate in my life is mindfulness. It’s a term that sounds very impressive. But in reality it’s pretty open-ended and maybe difficult to nail down a solid and consistent daily habit. Get some ideas on how to become more mindful in The Mindfulness Movement. Or, see how mindfulness helped a journalist named Shannon Harvey. Shannon was dealing with chronic insomnia and an incurable autoimmune disease and was running out of solutions. She knew she needed to make a change - see how she did it in My Year of Living Mindfully.

You don’t have to be able to do this with your arms to practice mindfulness. Photo by Mor Shani on Unsplash

4. Find a place where everyone knows your name.

That’s right. Get the heck out of your house and find your people. When I traveled to Pamplona this summer, I found a new bar called Amatxo. It was owned by a couple, Amaya and Marga, who’d been working together at a different Pamplona bar for years. Everyone came to that bar because of their great energy and how Amaya and Margo made them feel at home. They took that sentiment with them to their own restaurant, Amatxo, where their primary goal is to “Make people feel loved and at home, as if they’re eating in their mother’s kitchen.” We should all be so lucky to have a place like that. (Read more on Amatxo and my trip to Pamplona here!) And go find yourself a home away from home. It’ll do wonders for your wellbeing, I promise.

The owners of Amatxo, Amaya and Marga with me in front of their wonderful bar.

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5. Get rid of toxins and toxic energy sources.

I don’t mean go to a sweat lodge, do a detox, or throw out nasty cleaning agents in your house. (Actually, those are all good ideas too.) I’m talking about the toxic forces in your life that pull you down. Are you in a job that you absolutely hate? Is there something about your house or living arrangement that needs to change? What about your relationships… are there some toxic characters that suck the living life force right out of you? I think you know what you need to do.

Detox the #@$% out of the garbage in your brain that’s stinking up your life. Here’s a meditation to get you started.

And special PSA moment and a question… are you in a position of leadership, running meetings that could be sucking the life force out of your people (and maybe yourself)? Consider the reality that meetings longer than 30 minutes might cause heart disease and emotional breakdowns, decrease morale, and generally are the bane of almost every human’s existence. For the love of God, please shorten meetings or turn them into emails. Start a trend. PLEASE. (Teachers, like and follow me for more…I’ve got your backs.)

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The list goes on…

I could sit here all day coming up with ideas for incorporating more wellness into your life. But again, I think it’s different for each of us, so I’m going to let you figure out your gameplan.

For me? I’m continuing with my sugar detox (no fruit, processed foods, vino, grains, other sources of happiness) and trying to get more sleep, reduce toxins in our home, and just…

CHILL OUT A LITTLE MORE.

Which brings us right back to where we started.

I actually DO want to chill out.

But in a way that works for me.

Wishing you the same.

XO,

Abbey

If you liked this newsletter, I’d love it if you’d pass it along to a friend.

one more thing…

If you really liked this newsletter, I’d also love it if you’d consider becoming a paid subscriber. What I’d Rather Be Talking About isn’t sponsored and any drops in the bucket to help me keep the 💻 charged are deeply appreciated. 🩷