Pause Archives - Selah Reflections

The Importance of Morning Routines: Why I walk my dog every morning

Morning routines make many of us cringe. The thought of being told what to do, especially when we first get up does not sound inviting. However, it is important to note that the right routine can help start your day off right and most importantly not forget to floss your teeth or put on your watch before you leave the house.

Have you ever left the house without putting on your watch? I have. Not. Fun. The rest of the day feels out of whack, and of course, these are the days I check my wrist more than ever.

Most of us do not jump out of bed full of energy, ready to start the day. As slow starters, we need all the help we can get to wake up and get the blood flowing.

While the idea of a routine may sound restrictive and confining, a healthy morning routine eliminates the need for big decisions first thing when we wake up. We already know what we need to do which helps us avoid mental fatigue which gives us space and energy to engage in our day.

So what should you include in your morning routine?

Let’s first take a look at what NOT to include.

While the answer to this will be unique to you, I can tell you for sure that it should not include these two things:

Email
Social Media

The ding on your phone letting you know of a new email arriving or that you have something new to check out in social media is a known trigger of stress. That silly little noise makes it seem like it’s something important and that we need to respond immediately.

That notification on your phone also triggers:

FOMO (the fear of missing out) the what if’s and the need to be in-the-know.
The age-old problem of comparison as we check out what is happening in everyone else’s life and wonder why ours is not “fairy talish” like theirs.

The reality is that these are detrimental to the start of your day. Whether you consciously feel it or not, your brain is immediately stressed, and it’s way too easy to get lost in scrolling through Facebook or Instagram and lose track of time.

What should be included in morning routines?

Aah, that is the magic question, isn’t it? Type that question into The Google, and you will get hit with list after list of “10 Things Successful People Do Before You Even Wake Up”. Well, at least something along those lines.

You can make this as simple or as complicated as you want, but I can tell you from personal experience, simpler is waaaaay better :). When you make your morning routines too complicated, you won’t get it done, and you will be frustrated before the day gets going.

Set aside a few minutes to ask yourself a few questions:

What helps you wake up and feel ready to face the day? Quiet, coffee, tea…
Are you more creative in the morning? Is this the time to make art? Write? Draw? Doodle?
Would reviewing your goals, creating a to-do-list a good way to get you in the right mindset to start your day?
Does exercise help you in the morning?
Does reading your Bible help create a better frame of mind for your day?

The ideas and answers you come up with will give you a list of ideas and a great starting point in putting together a morning routine. It will take some time and experimentation but in the end, the right routine will help your day start on the right track.

My list is short and simple:

Daily walk with Bailey
Quiet time to read my Bible and spend some time in prayer
Writing / Reading time
Breakfast
Get showered, dressed, and ready for the day

Why Do I Start With a Walk With Bailey?

Our walks are essential for the both of us.

Often I’m just rolling out of bed, throwing clothes and a hat to hide my hair, grabbing a leash and heading out the door, usually to a rotating list of favorite local trails.

First – Bailey is begging to get outside, which is an excellent motivation for me to get moving.

Second – No big decisions needed.

Over the years, these daily walks are where:

My head starts to clear and the “little gray cells” start to activate.
The muscles loosen up, and blood starts pumping.
My shoulders start to relax.
I start to breathe deeply.
I start to notice the little things, the small spots of beauty that brighten my day (and the #bestillmoment in my Instagram Feed).

These walks are also a time where I get to see Bailey come to life. His ears perked up, tail wags, and his tongue hangs out as he runs around up and down the trail, the beach, or in and out of the crashing waves. His joy makes me smile and laugh.

As I wake up, racing thoughts come as I think about client projects, to-do-lists, things I want to do, need to do… and the stress begins to build up. Walking, breathing fresh air, and being out in nature, my brain slows down again and helps me be present and in the moment.

These are the times when my sub-conscious goes to work troubleshooting website issues that are hanging over my head. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come up with the solution I was looking for during a morning walk.

Morning walks are also a time to pray, and just be.

On the days we don’t make it out for our morning walk, I can tell. I’m not nearly as productive, and often Bailey seems a little depressed and lethargic.

These are the reasons I walk my dog every morning and why walking is part of my morning routine.

Is a daily walk part of your morning routine?

PS – Here is a fun resource to take a look at:
Bailey and I have the opportunity to live along the coast lined with great trails and beach access that are a few minutes away, and we love it. But, not everyone has that opportunity.

I recently found a great set of exercise videos on YouTube by Jessica Smith and I LOVE her programs. I try to add in one of her workouts 3-5 times a week as a way to bump up my cardio. Often my walks are full of starts and stops as I wait for Bailey as he sniffs and smells his way down the trail. 🙂

She offers a wide variety of low-impact walking, yoga, stretching, and interval training videos that range from 10 – 40 minutes. Her videos might be an excellent resource for easily adding a walk to your morning routine too! Click here to check out JessicaSmithTV

What I Learned: Summer 2017

I’m starting a new blog post series, inspired by Emily at EmilyPFreeman.com. At the end of each season, she shares a list of things she learned from silly to sacred, and everything in between.

I’ve enjoyed these posts and thought it might be fun review my summer and share here.

Creating this list can help you create intentional time to pause and reflect upon what worked, what didn’t, and what changes you would like to make for the future. That is always a good habit to develop and something highly recommended in one of my favorite books, Essentialism, which you can read about here, and here.

So, I’m joining in the fun, here is my Summer 2017 edition.

1. “Real” Books, you know the paper ones you hold in your hand, rock.

I’ve been an avid reader most of my life. Sadly, once I started my journey as an entrepreneur, I’ve found that reading for fun has become a luxury.

I rarely buy Kindle books, and when I do, they are short, quick read type of books. Audiobooks, on the other hand, I love them, perfect companions on my frequent road trips.

Last month I pulled a great a favorite sci-fi/fantasy book off my bookshelf that I hadn’t read in years, and completely enjoyed it once again.

Couple of things to note a) I am a frequent re-reader of my favorite books, and b) I’m thoroughly enjoying having ALL my books unpacked and on bookshelves for the first time in years.

There is nothing like getting lost in a great book. The smell of the ink, and the feel of the paper as you turn from page to page. I need to make more time in my life of reading for fun.

2. I Still Love To Camp

I always have but, the past couple of years I haven’t been able to go. It’s something I’ve greatly missed. Thankfully, I finally made it out for a couple of nights this summer. What a treat to spend a full weekend disconnected with technology and connected with friends and nature instead.

Fresh air, sleeping in my tent, reading a great book, wonderful food, fellowship, and of course, the all important campfire.

Camping only once a summer is simply NOT enough.

3. My porch is a dream come true

Have you ever been asked, “What does your ideal day look like?” For me, the answer to this question always has me starting my day out on my porch. I envision myself sitting and enjoying the sunshine, with my cup of tea in hand. It’s here I have my morning quiet time of reading my Bible, do some business planning, and tackle my current writing project.

And, of course, Bailey is hanging out with me too :).

In the summer, I now have that opportunity, and I love it. It’s a dream come true. It’s something I’m going to miss as the temperatures drop and the rainy season starts up again. Do you have any recommendations on good porch heaters?

4. It’s fun to explore your neighborhood

Over the summer, my health has improved, and my energy has slowly started to return. This improvement has helped me get out and begin to explore my neighborhood. Bailey and I have already made some fun discoveries.

We have found new-to-us empty beaches, new trails for us to explore, new vistas and landscapes to photograph, and small lakes with benches to sit, rest, and enjoy the view. I can’t wait to explore even more.

5. I need to get better at proofreading.

I have three modes when I write, free-writing, editing, and formatting. For my writing projects, I use a tool called Grammarly that catches grammar and punctuation errors that I would never catch on my own. It has been such a HUGE help and taught me things my English teachers never could.

However, every once in awhile I venture back into old, pre-Grammarly blog posts and cringe. One of these days I would like to go back and spend some time fixing them up.

There is also the fun of visiting old social media posts on Instagram or Facebook where I goofed, or spell check was trying to “help” me. Is it okay that I blame spell check more than I should?

6. I love quotes

Over the years I’ve collected quotes, and I can’t seem to stop. It’s kind of like walking along the beach looking for shells, even though you already have more than enough at home.

Here are a few that I have collected this summer:

“F.O.C.U.S” – Follow One Course Until Successful (Shelley Hitz)

“Practice makes progress.” (Multiples sources)

“Little by little is progress.” (Lara Casey)

“Am I just saying what I value or am I living what I value?” (Korie Robertson)

There you have it! A short list of a few of the things I learned this summer.

Creating this list proved to be a fun, and interesting exercise. It has shown me that I do not do a great job keeping track of things I have learned. So, per Emily’s suggestion, I’m adding a page to my planner where I can keep a list of what I’ve learned and revisit when I need a reminder.

Would you be willing to share one or two things you learned over the summer?

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

For some, this question immediately brings to mind an answer. For others, it causes panic when no answer comes to mind or so many answers come to mind it’s impossible to know what to think or where to start. I happen to fall somewhere in the middle of the last two categories.

As a kid, I never had an answer to this question, partly because there were so many things to explore I couldn’t choose. I even called and checked with my Mom to see if she could remember anything and she couldn’t either. In Junior High and High School, becoming a pilot was at the top of the list, I even started looking at the Air Force. In college, the idea of owning a catering company or a bookstore was something I pursued. By the end of college, the only answer I had was, “I want to own my own business.” What that business would be, I had no clue.

The Trouble with Being An Idea Person

I’m blessed with (or cursed – depends on the day) with an abundance of curiosity and a plethora of ideas.

The amount of ideas that I would like to research and pursue is overwhelming sometimes. If my family ONLY KNEW how many of these I don’t share… 🙂

It makes it hard to focus at times, and it explains all the unfinished projects, books, and training courses I have sitting around my home. As soon as I have learned something new, tried it, and figured it out, I’m ready to move on.

If I could create a job that would pay me to be a life-long student, I would be ALLLLLLL over that idea.

Dragging My Business Along With Me

For better, and yes for sometimes worse, I’ve dragged my business along with me through this journey of exploration.

My web design company looks entirely different from when I started close to 10 years ago. I’ve grown, changed, learned new things, gained new skills, and my business reflects that growth.

Selah Reflections is no different.

What Does Selah Reflections Want To Be When it Grows Up?

This past year has been a difficult one, and I’ve changed as a result of the challenges I’ve encountered.

I’ve had to think long and hard about this blog, and it’s future. I’ve spent recent months in prayer, journaling, and thinking about what’s next. The question about whether I should continue with it has come up more than once.

Each time, however, the answer was a clear no. It is my passion project in many ways. It’s where I get to express my creative side through writing and photography. It is where I can connect with new people and even my family and friends in a new way.

Through my posts and photography, I’m able to encourage others and share the beauty of God’s incredible creation.

Finding Stillness So That…

Over the years I’ve realized that my Calling or Core Mission is to reach out to and help those who are stressed out and struggling. It’s a common thread that binds nearly all that I do as a friend, daughter/sister/aunt, caregiver, web designer, author, and photographer.

What I’m finally able to put into words is that Finding Stillness is not the end goal of Selah Reflections, it is a starting point.

Finding stillness for ourselves is a worthy goal to pursue. For many it’s a necessary first step to take since we often get wrapped up in simply surviving that we neglect self-care, and drain ourselves dry.

If that’s our only goal, however, it becomes selfish and blinds us to the needs of those around us.

As I continue to dive into this idea, it impacts how I think about my business, my art, and my ideas of what I want to be when I grow up.

In turn, it has also prompted me to consider different ways that I can help you find stillness so that you can:

Create healthy boundaries
Learn to say yes to the essential things, but not everything
Be available for a friend in need
Grow in your faith
Be fully present with your family
Invest time in your community

To be honest, I’m still not completely clear on what that this all means for Selah Reflections. I’m looking at this as a journey of discovery, and I hope you will continue to join me.

This is also a great time to say thank you to all of you who have stuck around during this year of change, including an inconsistent blog post schedule, and sometimes crazy ideas! Your patience and feedback have meant so much to me.

Moving forward, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Letting Go Is Hard, But Important: The challenges of the past year have changed my capacity of what I can and can’t do. Through that, I am slowly, and continually, learning to let go of the constant go-go-go, pick just a few of the ideas that run through my head, so I can finish projects, books, and classes.

Selah – An Invitation to Pause: Is an important concept to learn. (You can read more about the idea here) It’s important to pause, listen, and pay attention to what God is trying to say and teach you. It’s important to learn about Sabbath and why we need to observe it.

Finding Stillness: Is also incredibly important. We have to have time to rest and recharge so that we can give back to our families, friends, and community.

We are not made to do life alone: I want to create (create is one of my non-negotiable for me!) simple tools and resources that both you and I can use to reach out and help those who are stressed out and struggling. I want to learn and share ways we can make a positive impact on the world around us.

Now it’s your turn.

So get your thinking caps on because I want to hear from you the answer to the question below. You can leave your answer in the comment section below or send me an email.

“I want to find stillness so that I can ________________.”

Taking A Brain Break. How to know it’s time and how to take one.

We all need a brain break from time to time. There are days where you feel like things are moving way too fast for you to keep up and your scattered thoughts and to-do lists can’t be wrangled into something manageable. At times like this, we need to make the intentional decision to slow down and engage our hearts and minds in something outside of our normal routines.

For me that break usually includes going outside, my dog, and my camera. In fact, spending time outside, in nature, is one of my non-negotiables.

Recently I made the decision to give myself a break and chose one of the most beautiful locations along the Oregon Coast, Sunset Bay. And with a name like that, you can safely bet that I went at sunset.

It’s a beautiful place to sit, be still, forget the to-do list, and just be.

Sidenote: Sunset Viewing Tips

When you go out to watch a sunset, make sure you get there at least a half hour (if not earlier) before. And just like the end of a Marvel movie, make sure you don’t leave too soon. Even after the sun has dipped below the horizon, the light show doesn’t end. Every few minutes (even seconds sometimes) the colors change, and clouds move and reflect the light at different angles.

As the beach started to empty of people, Bailey and I went down closer to the water’s edge where he could participate in his favorite activity, running through the waves. 🙂

There’s a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they’re absolutely free. Don’t miss so many of them.”
― Jo Walton

Here are a few signals it’s time for a brain break

1) You feel frazzled beyond belief
2) Your brain feels like it cannot make one more decision
3) You feel jumpy or jittery for no apparent reason
4) You are forcing yourself to concentrate, and it’s still not working
5) You just sighed a looooong sigh

Your signals may be different from this list. Sometimes the hardest part is recognizing the fact we need a break instead of pushing our way through.

How to take a brain break

When you realize it’s time don’t go crazy with ambitious and complicated ideas, keep it simple and doable. Here are a few ideas:

Hot bath with essential oils and candles
Curling up in a comfortable chair with a cozy blanket and a great book
Sitting on the porch with a cup of tea
Visit a walking trail at a local park
Sit by a lake, a river, or the ocean
Go for a drive down back roads or country roads, find something new to see
Take your dog for a walk in your neighborhood
Sit and enjoy a cup of tea (or coffee!)
Eat lunch outside

There is one key idea to an effective break – change your location. One of my favorite quotes comes from Bob Goff, “Where you do what you do matters.”

The following two elements can help you get even more benefits from a break:

Move and get your blood pumping by walking, stretching, or deep breathing exercises
Turn off electronics. Especially your phone.

When you are so busy and feel like you can’t take a break, is probably the time you need one the most.

As usual, summer is flying by. So make regular, intentional decisions to stop, slow down, and give yourself the gift of a brain break.

Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

What is your favorite way to take a break?

Taking a brain break on the beach at Sunset Bay Oregon | SelahReflections.com — Even dogs like brain breaks on the beach 🙂

Reduce Stress and Anxiety by Decluttering Your Mind

What a year of change this has been for many of the people I know. One of adjusting expectations, plans, and goals in many areas of life and I am no exception. My slow recovery from surgery back in February and trying to get back to “normal,” or at least what I think normal should be, has at times left me frustrated and struggling to adapt.

I’ve come to the slow realization that my life has changed and how I used to operate before getting sick will not work now. It’s time to find a different way of doing things from my business, self-care, and caregiving.

These are not necessarily bad changes, but they have left me scrambling to keep up, find a new rhythm, and new routines that not only work but also keep me on the path of healing.

Lately, the journey of finding stillness has been an inward one. Looking at all the mental clutter, I’ve accumulated that has at times left me unsure of what the next priority is.

The Stress of Mental Clutter

I’ve always been a collector. It started when I was still in grade school. With my allowance, I would go to the bookstore to buy a Nancy Drew book to add to my collection, a bookmark, and sometimes a handful of stickers.

Recently, however, I’ve discovered just how far that collecting has gotten me and in some ways has become a burden.

The idea of collecting started out innocent enough but has now morphed from physical collections to mental collections of ideas. Lots, and lots of ideas. More ideas than I will ever be able to pursue.

In the information age, ideas are everywhere. We can learn quickly and easily simply by asking Google a question, and all sorts of answers magically appear.

The problem (for me at least) is that with all this information at our fingertips we find one new idea leads to another, and soon we discover that learning is fun and exciting. Often it is more appealing to keep learning new things rather than going out and applying what we’ve learned.

With all these ideas and opportunities to learn it can keep the brain crowded and cluttered. The result is a heightened sense of anxiety and stress.

We see all the things we have learned, and haven’t used.
All the things we still want to learn and try.
All the ideas we have applied that didn’t work so now need to tweak or move on to the next idea.

No wonder we have trouble finding the off switch at the end of the day.

Decluttering The Mind

In a previous post, I talked about the power of carefully considering what you say yes to and more importantly what to say no to. Understanding the impact of these choices continues to change the way I think about my business, my goals, and my daily to-do lists. In fact, it has even helped me start working on decluttering and reducing stress in my life.

Here is a short list of a few of the steps I’ve been taking.

Step #1 – Reduce the incoming noise by choosing only 2-3 experts to listen to instead of 10:

This is an example of choosing my yes and no carefully and has helped me reduce the number of podcasts I subscribe and listen too. I’ve also gone through and unsubscribed from many of the different newsletters, blogs, and websites I follow. I’m also removing myself from countless Facebook groups and pages that I seem to have collected over the years.

This one step has already made a significant impact on my email inbox by reducing both the volume of email I receive and the distraction of so many voices and opinions.

Step #2 – Reduce the number of projects I’m working on:

This one has been super hard for me. But applying the principle that if I say yes to 10 projects at once, I’m saying no to getting any of them done in a reasonable amount of time, if at all.

Picking my yes carefully, and understanding why I said yes, has helped me navigate through my list of projects and prioritize them. You should see my monthly and weekly project tracking sheets. They are a mess as I re-write them mid month and make them shorter and more focused. Taking this step has given me confidence that I can complete more projects and reach my goals.

Step #3 – F.O.C.U.S:

For some reason, this acronym finally hit home. Coined by Robert Kiyosaki and shared in a blog post by Shelley Hitz, this advice is making one of the biggest impacts in my efforts to declutter my mind and my to-do-lists.

F.O.C.U.S. – Follow One Course Until Successful.

Sounds simple enough right?! But for someone who loves ideas and research has been incredibly hard. It’s a concept that I have to revisit daily.

I should point out here, that I will always have a side-hustle or project, always, I know myself too well. I need variety in my projects and tasks to keep me engaged; I get bored way too easily when focused on one task or project for an extended period.

But, having a big goal as my primary focus and only 1-2 minor goals/projects to work on instead of 10? Well, that is progress, and my goal tracker is showing more completion marks than it has in a long time.

Simplifying to Reducing Stress

One benefit of the changes I’ve been making has been a slight reduction of stress and anxiety. It has become so routine to feel the need to tackle “all-the-things” that I didn’t even realize it was there.

Now that I have some of the priorities figured out, a plan that feels doable, is still varied (essential for me!), and does not ask me to try to do “all-the-things” right now, has cleared up a lot of mental clutter that has accumulated over the years.

I’m learning to release the projects that do not fit right now to a someday/maybe list, and I’m doing a better job of prioritizing what needs to be done now versus later.

For example:

Instead of being in the middle of 3 or 4 books and magazines, I’m only allowing myself one book and one magazine at a time. The rest are put back on the bookshelf. I’m starting to finish books and magazines in a reasonable amount of time. What a concept!
Instead of being in the middle of several Bible study plans that I don’t always finish. I’ve simplified my routine, and I love it. I’m getting so much more out of my devotional time, and I know I will stay with it and not get distracted by something new.

In my morning quiet time, I needed a plan, that would give me a routine to follow each morning and not leave me hopping from one devotional to another. It has made such a difference in my mornings that I wanted to share it with you what I’ve started to call, “The Be Still Project.”

At its core The Be Still Project is a 7-day set of journaling pages that include:

A picture of God’s creation to enjoy.
1-2 verses to write out each day.
A list of 3-5 things I am grateful for.
Writing out a prayer.
A place to write down things that come to mind that you don’t want to forget.

Each day you will also receive an email with additional thoughts on finding stillness in your life. You can read more about it here or by entering your name and email address below.

The Importance of Morning Routines: Why I walk my dog every morning

Let’s first take a look at what NOT to include.