Everyday life and what goes with it can seem like a humdrum monotony and can sap desire, enthusiasm and energy.
5 simple and effective pro tips to re-enchant your routine and live cleaner.
Slow down (without feeling guilty)
And one day, I decided to play the turtle*.
And why not you? Everyone knows La Fontaine's fable, but even if we know that it is the tortoise that wins against the hare, the weight of education , the social rhythm , collective guilt, the fear of being seen as lazy have got the better of this authorization to take it easy.
Yet books that advocate the art of slowing down are all the rage. Life coaches, shrinks and other therapists deliver their advice and recipes through their sessions, conferences and books.
But since beliefs are deeply rooted in the collective unconscious, idleness has a hard time taking hold. So before even deciding to slow down, it is necessary to reclaim the right to do so, even by accepting being called lazy and assuming it. Quite simply because slowing down, taking breaks to start again better, means changing your perspective and, ultimately, seeing your daily life in a new light.
© Book Nathalie Desanti – And one day… I decided to play the turtle
Leave room for surprise
If rituals provide security, routine bores and ends up exhausting. Leaving space for surprise, for yourself and others , is a way to stimulate the brain as much as to revive enthusiasm. And since, by definition, surprises cannot be planned for yourself, you can organize them for others. Because the joy aroused by this discovery is contagious. Like a wave, the surprise effect affects those around you. For yourself, dare to think outside the box and quite naturally you will create the ideal context for surprise:
- Are you visiting a foreign capital? Don't hesitate to get off the tourist trail and wander through small adjacent streets.
- Are you going to your favorite restaurant? Dare to choose a dish that you don't know.
- Do you see the Eiffel Tower twinkling for the thousandth time? Instead of passing by without looking at it, stop and observe the sky, its color, the surrounding noises, the people in the street. Surprise and full presence go hand in hand.
Reconnect with your senses
The senses, too, can be affected by "acute routine". Even when faced with a food that you know by heart, decide to approach it as if it were the first time. The bread is placed next to your plate, "as usual"? Look at it, take it in your hands, weigh it, examine its color, smell it, break it while listening to the sound of the crust, smell it again, taste it while detailing the sensations for yourself.
Relearn tolisten to your vital sensations : when are you hungry? When do you feel full?
Reconnecting with your senses already means shaking up your routine.
Connect with nature
If you live in the city, nature is not as present as if you live in the countryside. However, it is so powerful that it finds its place in the very heart of concrete cities. Make an appointment with it to fill your energy reserves . The car, public transport, working on a screen, the telephone, diffuse positive ions and overload us. Result: stress , fatigue, tingling sensations in the hands or feet, headaches, loss of concentration, irritability. In order to compensate, it is essential to charge yourself with negative ions by coming into contact with water, wood, earth. Concretely: if you drive a lot or if you often work on a screen, take breaks and pass your hands, up to the elbows, under cool or lukewarm water depending on the season. Hug a tree or simply touch the leaves of a plant. If you are lucky enough to live by the sea or a river, go for a walk in the water. You will instantly rebalance the positive/negative ion balance.
Create your Clean Living toolbox
List everything that really makes you feel good and put each thing in an imaginary box, or even a real box. And when boredom, fatigue or low morale manifest themselves, pick and choose according to your feelings or "chance" which knows how to do things so well.
Some people see in chance the message of their guardian angel… This goes from: I make a face/hair mask , I take a bath, I listen to music, I sing, I cook , I play with my cat, my dog, to: I put my clothes away in my closet (by color?). Also write down in your diary appointments with yourself: a yoga session , an exhibition, etc.
Create your inner safe space and “go there” whenever necessary. How? Close your eyes and think of the place where you feel safest, confident, alone or surrounded by people who make you feel so good. Still with your eyes closed, let the sensations and emotions rise, breathe deeply , slowly, you are there, it is your safe space, an inner space that you can find at any time. It is not a routine but a reassuring ritual. The ridge line is fine and subtle; to find it, listen to yourself, that is the key.
*And one day, I decided to play the turtle, Nathalie Desanti, Albin Michel-Horay editions.
