Hi hi hi hi! Happy November.
The end of the year is approaching, which feels…good. I’m feeling grounded and happy lately, which I’m attributing to some very specific wellness-y hacks I’ve been at for some time now.
They include! Your typical eye-rolling-at-self-help-gurus-preachery like gratitude and positive thinking and meditation. But lemmee tell ya, they WORK. And when in tandem, watch out.
These aforementioned wellness practices (among others) have lead me to this incredibly peaceful place of acceptance, allowing me to be more efficient in all areas of life.
From where I live to my career to my marriage and relationship with my kids, I am, humbly put, killing it. And I say this not to brag, but to show people that mindset work WORKS.
Nothing Matters Unless You Make it Matter
I used to throw tantrums at anything stress-inducing — a messy bathroom, taxes, spiders in the corner, disagreements with my husband, you get it.
Maybe I just got used to the mice scritchy-scratching through the night. Maybe I’m finally accustomed to living in the woods. Maybe I’m growing. The point is, the little annoyances of life only matter if you make them matter.
Furthermore, if you laugh at these annoyances instead of freaking out over them, it just makes life better. Period.
I also used to work myself up in a tizzy when my day didn’t go according to plan, especially in the realm of motherhood.
For example, kids getting sick and having to stay home from school — therefore disrupting my meetings, making me miss my workouts, and exhausting the little mental energy I had to give on that particular day.
I now know to keep my expectations low low low, so not as to expect the worst possible outcome — but to be in a mental state of gratitude and acceptance instead of god-damnit-this-shit-sucks.
I believe this to be a true mindset hack and highly recommend giving it a whirl. Keep in mind reframing takes practice, so you may have to go through a few hissy fits before your brain understands it’s alllll okay.
All that to remind you that November is thee month of Gratitude. Aka showing gratitude to those who keep us happy, healthy and humble, and remembering that we are here on Earth not to flaunt our Range Rovers, but to lend a helping hand.
Here are some November to-dos for anyone who needs a little routine shakeup as we head into the holiday season.
Have a Friendsgiving.
I’m doing this with friends on Saturday, and am excited out of my eyeballs for it. There’s something to be said of new traditions that come but once a year. It makes them special.
Go all out for this. Break out the nice dish-wear, put on your fancy dress, and definitely crack open the expensive bottle of wine.
Thrift a cute sweater.
Not the typical suggestion of what to do in November, but a good one nonetheless. Instead of being lured by Instagram ads and god forbid trash on Amazon, grab your girlfriend for an afternoon of thrifting.
Getting a quality piece of clothing for $8 is smart, fun, sustainable, and above all else, THRILLING. Thrift stores are gems. Don’t forget it.
Join a Turkey Trot.
There are bound to be Thanksgiving races happening in your city or nearby. It doesn’t matter if you do it solo, with your partner, or your friend, so long as you get out there and do it. Running is good for the soul, no matter how bad you think you suck at it.
Get your holiday gifts at local markets.
This is not a “Shop Local!” demand. Outdoor (and indoor) markets are such a fun way to discover new artisans and cool gifts that you literally can’t get anywhere else. If you’re going to give a gift, isn’t the point for that gift to be SPECIAL? There’s nothing special about Amazon, sorry. Be a thoughtful elf this season, not a cheap one.
Spend one day this month volunteering.
That is it. If we tell ourselves we’re too busy to volunteer, we need to check ourselves. Everyone can spend an hour or two donating their time to a local shelter or charity drive.
Sneak in one last festival.
Beer, wine, and food festivals are It this time of year. And I must say festivals are much more enjoyable this time of year than they are in the summer when we’re all sticky, sweaty and smelly. Ew.
It’s fun to see the behind-the-scenes of local craft brewers, and you have the best conversations with people because everyone is in a cheery mood.
Alright that is all for this week. As always, thank you for reading. See you next week!
PS! My clothing brand website is live!! For those who want to check it out, learn more about the brand and shop, here she is: valtshop.com.
Be you. A more thankful you.
Xo, Ash
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