This article is a part of the Kuju Journal series: "FINDING YOUR #KUJUMOMENT - a moment of rest & rejuvenation - in the midst of the anxiety and ambiguity of 2020"
Scarcity is a big thing right now, and the irony is there is a lot of it to go around these days. Money, civility, safety, and prosperity are just a few of the things that we'd all love to have a little more of (and just happen to be some important pillars of society that keep the world moving in a sane way). The greatest scarcity of all however is the simple duo of calm & quiet. So we wanted to write this blog post to share a few tips on how to find your calm & quiet because it doesn't always have to be all bad. Here goes!
1. Visualize the challenges surrounding you being placed in the palm of your hand, and visualize letting them go. Sometimes we just have to recognize that many things are simply out of our control. And the more we try to control them, the more havok they wreak on our hearts and minds. By visualizing all the things you can’t control as things you literally let go of, you’ll give your mind the opportunity to embrace this reality. But the flip side is it will be more empowered to see and engage with the things you can control.
2. Wake before your entire household does and sit in the silence. The most literal thing we can do to seek out the moments and times in our home that are quiet is to wake before everyone else. If this is not something you are not accustomed to doing, it could be tough. It will require major lifestyle changes to do consistently. But a simple and obvious tip? Do whatever it takes to get up - and stay up. If that means chugging 10 cups of coffee in the morning so you can be fully appreciative and alert during this time - do it. The mental fortitude and peace you gain will far outweigh the caffeine dependency you may develop. And caffeine isn’t so bad is it? It's what we made the Bold Awakening for.
3. Squeak in exercise everyday - but just 15 minutes. The point here is that it only needs to be 15 minutes. That’s probably shorter than your favorite podcast and equivalent to listening to your top 5 favorite songs on Spotify - yay! The critical piece about this is it doesn’t have to be a hard and intense 15 minutes. It can be a casual, fun, and simple 15 minutes that perhaps doesn’t even break a sweat for you. For just 15 minutes you are focused on one thing, and not being distracted by the news, your job (or lack thereof), your kids, finding a new hobby, or really anything else that just sucks. This time is yours. It will go by quickly, but that’s ok too, because you’re going to do it tomorrow. And the pressure to sweat hard? It’s not there. So simple!
4. Drink an incredible cup of pour over and take the time to appreciate it. This might seem like a plug for Kuju and yes it is, but trust us, this works. The time between your first sip and your last is your time to intentionally be calm. Go to a place where no one can bother you and don’t look at your phone during this time. Just sip in silence. Stare at a great view or just think about the chair you’re sitting in and how glad you are to be sitting in a chair. A 12oz. mug of coffee is reassuring in its simplicity as is the routine that comes with it. The simplicity, you can trust. Secret: You can get a Free Kuju Mug here.
5. Give yourself 30 minutes each day to wander. By wander, we mean to let yourself feel the freedom of no agenda. You don’t need to be doing anything in this time. Want to read a book? Do it. Want to walk around your house rearranging things? Do it. Want to watch a silly Netflix show you think isn’t worth the time? Do it. Want to sketch something you feel like you might throw away anyway? Do it. The point is to give yourself time you can call your own. The irony so often is that when we let ourselves wander to distant places - physically, mentally and emotionally - we actually equip ourselves to settle down - more peacefully and purposefully. Want inspiration for wandering, watch this.
We hope the practices above can help you experience some real calm & quiet, or what we at Kuju like to call, your #KujuMoment. Have a practice for calm & quiet that you find useful? Tell us in the comments!
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