2022 - New World life strategies

image by Banjar juwet at Unsplash.com

We do indeed now live in a new world. Does this mean that we have to live in new ways?

For me, as 2022 is now well underway, I'm again looking seriously at How To Live My Life, in these strange times. I want to have as nice a life as possible under the current conditions. Caused by the ever present threat of covid. 

And I also want my life to mean something. I want it to keep having purpose. Even though almost everything I used to do to make my life purposeful for me, has gone by-the-by. Because of you-know-what, and lockdowns. 

I am not alone with all of this. Of course not. It's a global thing. 

So how can we do this? I know that I always used to look at The Grand Scheme of things, but now, older and wiser, I feel that it's our everyday life which is most important. And for me anyway, it's what we do each twenty-four hours, that matters. 

And to do that, for me some things stand out:

** having routine in our life. Creating a rhythm of getting up and sleeping at fairly regular hours. And what we do during the bits in between. Our bodies love rhythm so this has a flow-on physical wellness effect. I know that I've been quite slack in this area and it's created a sort of aimlessness. Like the opposite of purposefulness. So, back to being more regular with routines. I've found that this also helps with mental health.

** this is probably really superficial. But. For me, when I make myself look nice each morning, I have a better day. Such a useful strategy for a nicer life. I nearly always do this.

** doing something for physical health everyday. As I'm fond of loudly proclaiming, I do really simple yoga breathing and exercises  (link is here) most mornings. These are simply maintenance. I'm usually sore and stiff when I wake up and have had to learn to tone my morning exercise down, just to be able to get it done. I also do some things like squats, crunches, and general arm waving with light weights. I've now got a walking buddy, so that's really nice. She seems to know so many places to walk in nature in the local suburbs, which is so enjoyable. And as I've had Little Miss Pixie Malixie (wee papillon-pomeranian) stay with me, she's been loving it too. I also do some yoga floor poses in the evenings, to iron out the kinks, and stretch away accumulated tension. I do change things up from time to time, but somehow I always have my exercise staples. They are just easy-to-do daily minimums that I go back to, over and over. 

** making our surroundings nice. Not necessarily perfect. Just nice and pleasant to be in. This honestly makes me so much happier. 

** mental-emotional health is important too. All the bits and pieces of the fabric of our life, can either create problems or ease. I've been going for ease over the past year. Conscious choices. Which I feel has helped to reduce my own New World stress. I know that in these strangest of times, that I'm in a very privileged situation, just by virtue of living in Aotearoa (New Zealand).

** lockdowns have been so-in-your-face with the things that really matter. Which, for me, are family and close friends. I love my healing work and really miss that, but even more - it's nearest and dearest. I was really thrilled to finally be able to see my eldest daughter, son, grandson and his lovely wife-to-be, great grandson, and two of my grand daughters. Being connected to family and friends is one of the four pillars of health. It's a very important part. 

** having something to hang one's head, heart, or both, onto. The spiritual aspect. Decades ago, when I was doing my swami training, I realised that "doing" spiritual things was all for naught if we did not behave in a decent manner. So that's my number one for spirituality, but I also do other things. And that's just me. But what I can recommend for this area of life, is to have some quiet, contemplative time each day. For me it's meditation. I have a friend who says that gardening does it for her. We each have our special thing that we gravitate towards. I've found that having this quiet time, does somehow increase hope. Which - yep, I do feel that we do need this at the moment.

** be thankful. When I hear people constantly whinging, in these times, I want to say: "be grateful that you're ok!!" Apparently, gratitude makes us happier. In my country, we have been so fortunate to have had social welfare help, right across the board, during lockdowns. I'm especially grateful that summer is now here and that we are able to be out and about, after a longish lockdown. 

But above all, best wishes for 2022, from moi.

** do you have any special things for this year? It's lovely to share hopes and dreams, and usually inspires us too.

** here is my 2021 new year post. weirdly similar.

** 2016 - yep, diet again, (ho-hum. yawn) here

** 2019 - a bit different here