SNOWED IN WITH A CAUSE
Good Evening Fellow Busy Brains,
If you’re from the east coast, you know that we have been hit with winter storm ‘Jonas.’ Jonas came in with a BOOM and he left, leaving my family and I snowed in all weekend long (and quite possible Monday, too). I came home to my parents (about an hour out of DC) to get snowed in because I wanted to be cozy and eat well during the storm (AKA not go grocery shopping), but it looks like I will not be getting back to DC any time soon. The plows have yet to come by and clear our roads, and so I will be stuck here until they do. Being snowed in has really forced me to relax, and I really needed it!
The newest update in my life, is that I am moving out of my DC apartment and into my parents to save money while I begin my yoga teacher training. I found an amazing yoga institute where I will be able to become a certified yoga therapist in a few years. This is all such exciting news and I am ecstatic to finally be chasing my dream, however I still tend to stress and obsess over the moving out, unpacking, and settling back into my parents’ home. That’s why this snow storm came at the perfect time. I have done nothing but: shovel snow, yoga, play with my dogs, drink tea on the sofa over looking the beautiful forest draped in snow, watching movies with my mom and dad, shovel, shovel, shovel, and take a bath. During this time, whenever an anxious thought about the moving process came up, I would quickly remind myself that there is nothing I can do about it now and should, instead, enjoy sitting on my butt and drinking a delicious cup of Egyptian Licorice tea. I was able to fully relax for two days and truly enjoy the simplicity of the days. If I hadn’t been snowed in, I probably would have ran necessary errands and gone back to DC early to pack up more stuff.
In addition to relaxing, I really spent quality time with my parents. The three of us shoveled for a total of 12 hours, and we would try to make it fun by racing with the shovels or jumping in the snow in our sports bras (my dad did not participate in the polar plunge). Spending time with loved ones is also really good way to reduce stress and anxiety, so it’s best to spend your “snow days” together!
Getting snowed in can go either way for an anxious person, but if you can just remind yourself and be conscious of those anxious thoughts that pop up, you can silence them for a bit :). We live in such a busy, on-the-go culture, and being snowed in prevents us from being workaholics and dwelling on unnecessary “to do lists.”
I hope wherever you are, you can give yourself a “snow day” every once in awhile.
Stay warm, friends!
XoXo,
Evysieg