In the first month of 2018, my spirit has been dampened by the gloom of winter in Chicago and the gloom of my work place. I've spent the past month thinking about what is important to me and what do I really need to be happy. At the end of the day, that's what we all want- to be happy.
In the book Love Warrior by @glennondoyle, she talks about the word crisis. The Greek root of the word crisis is to sift", as in, to shake out the excesses and leave only what's important. I have no crisis in my life (thankfully), and had not in a long time, but it stuck with me. After all the excess is gone, what is truly important to me? They go hand in hand, but I were to condense it to 3 words, they would be Connection, Authenticity, and Health.
Genuine, deep connection with my loved ones.
Speaking my truth.
Being known and being seen.
Belonging, meaning when I can be fully accepted as who I am.
Connection to my body, my emotions, my mental health, my surroundings, my spirit, my truth.
The origin of the word "health" is "whole. Our journey in this life is to become whole again, to remember what it is to be whole and healthy. I went to a talk with @deepakchopra and he outlined the six pillars of physical well being:
1. sleep
2. meditation & stress management
3. movement/yoga/breath
4. emotions
5. nutrition/nourishment
6. biological rhythms/grounding (circadian, seasonal, lunar, and tidal rhythms), meaning connection to nature!
Going forward, these are my core needs and desires that I can always come back to when I’ve lost my way.