Meditation Practice

I have read that meditation is a wonderful way to promote inner calm in your life.

On recommendation from a doctor, I started to use an iPhone app for meditation.  She recommended Headspace and Simply being.  I looked at those apps and decided to download the Headspace app which was free and if I think I want to try another I would pay the $1.99 for the Simply being app.  I did notice another app had better reviews than Headspace, which is called Breathe. It's free as well. So I downloaded this app.

I started with Stop, Breathe and Think app on Monday since it was top rated and I will use it for 15 days and assess the app.  I will then start trying Headspace, which has a 10 day start and then use it for 5 more days to see if I like this app as well.

That would be my 30 days to improve.

Link to the Stop Breathe and Think app:
http://stopbreathethink.org

Link to the Headspace app:
https://www.headspace.com/signup?origintoken=google-b&gclid=CjwKEAjw1f6vBRC7tLqO_aih5WISJAAE0CYw572tyREs7ehJpSgJjbDjJj4HB9HqqMsX10thjqtX3xoCRz3w_wcB

Week One: Meditation practice

I've been using Stop, Breathe and Think app for a week and I have to say that I feel a difference in my whole attitude.

I feel just generally good.  I think meditation is a wonderful and easy way to feel good.  How wonderful that this app has proven to me that you only need a few minutes a day to feel good. This past week I've spent 53 minutes meditating. Not too long out of the entire week for more inner calm. 

The Stop Breathe Think app has a check in at the beginning to assess how you are feeling and then it recommends meditations for how you are feeling.  You can also just look at the list of meditations, read the descriptions and choose the meditation that you would find most helpful.

The free meditations are about 6 minutes each and then you can purchase longer mediations if you want to go further.  I haven't tried this yet, but I think I might try it in the future.  I found it interesting that they had meditations by k.d. lang.  It says, "Musician k.d. lang shares meditations that inspire her and have personally helped her deal with anxiety, the impact of fame and the opinion of others." You can buy her 5 meditations for $1.99.

Link to the app:
http://stopbreathethink.org

30 day Internet fast

I'm starting today an Internet fast. I have been feeling for some time that I waste my time surfing the Internet looking at all the great things other people are doing, while not doing much myself.  So. I am going to not use the Internet for 30 days. I can check my email twice a day. Lunch time and once at night. I can respond to texts. That is all. 

I think this is going to be difficult for me but maybe I will be more present and actually accomplish things this month. 

I'll update in a week. Wish me luck. 

Week three update: 30 Day Improving World Outlook

Well, I was reviewing how I am looking at the world this week.  I think it has improved significantly from where I started three weeks ago.  I have actually started doing the tedious projects around the house that I have so efficiently procrastinated for a long while.

I went through a stack of books and DVDs and found some to sell through the Amazon Trade-in program.  I love it.  I haven't done this in a while, but I found items that they would purchase for me and then printed the mailing label and sent it out to them.  If they find any items that aren't quite right, they will send them back.  I love that I don't have to post on eBay, wait for bids, go to the post office and mail it off.  It is too much work for all the odds and ends around here.

Link to the description of the exercise:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/living-forward/201501/one-exercise-sure-make-you-feel-better-about-yourself?utm_source=FacebookPost&utm_medium=FBPost&utm_campaign=FBPost

Week one update: 30 day Improving world outlook

I thought that this exercise on looking at the positive was helpful. I did have some days where trying to figure out three positive things was difficult. 

I think that this exercise has changed me a little bit, but I need to continue longer so that it really has benefits. 

New 30 challenge: Improving How I view the World

I read about this exercise on Psychology Today. It's described as an exercise that is meant to re-engage a person's sense of well-being.  I feel that definitely need this so I decided that I would start today. 

The exercise is easy enough. 

1) Keep a pad of paper next to your bed and every night before you go to sleep, write down three things you liked about yourself that day.

2) In the morning, read the list before you get out of bed.

3) Do this everyday for 30 days.

I liked that the things you liked about yourself could be as simple as you liked.  The article said an expanse is "I liked how I opened that door for someone."  

It will be interesting to think of things I liked about myself. As the author said that often people have difficultly thinking about nice things to say about themselves. The idea behind this simple exercise is that it trains your brain to focus on the positives instead if the negative that it usually does. 

Wish me luck. I start tonight. 

Link to article on Psychology today:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/living-forward/201501/one-exercise-sure-make-you-feel-better-about-yourself?utm_source=FacebookPost&utm_medium=FBPost&utm_campaign=FBPost

Day 11: 31 day Clutter Cleanse: Organizing Makeup

Today's assignment: 

Getting control of makeup

This isn't a huge issue for me. I don't wear makeup on a daily basis. I rarely wear makeup, but I do have some in a drawer.  I think it's safe to say it's really old and I should probably toss it all. Besides being old, the makeup probably has bad stuff in it that I don't care to use anywhere.  

Have you looked up the cosmetic database by ewg.org? It's very helpful to figure out if the beauty products you use have for example cancer causing ingredients, hormone interrupters, etc.  

Ok. So I think I've decided to throw away all my makeup. I suppose I should figure out what I should use on that rare occasion I do need makeup. 

Link to original post: 

http://www.overstuffedlife.com/2014/10/31-days-to-less-clutter-and-more-peace_11.html

Day 10: 31 day Clutter Cleanse

Today's assignment:

Why clutter happens

Focusing on why clutter happens in the first place. 

Lara writes about the reasons age has clutter. These definitely ring true with me. 

1. Sentimentality

I have projects that I made in school, a book I see in grade school, a poetry project from junior high, a magazine that a poem I wrote appeared in. What should I really do with these? I suppose I need to put them all together. They are scattered about the house and get some acid free paper to protect them and preserve gem. 

2. I shop mindlessly or to relieve stress. 

With the baby waking me up, I dubs myself shopping at 3 am online.  It's not been the best use of time. I've definitely backed of this though. We are trying to get control of our expenses this month. 

3. Someday I might need it. 

This is a big issue with me. I have a lot of stuff "that I might need."  It's taken a lot of mental energy to overcome this. I used to keep jars and bottles that I liked thinking I'd use it for a craft project. I did use it for an outdoor candle project that's not in use now since our patio umbrella was ripped apart in a storm. 

4. Somebody gave it to me. 

This used to be a big issue, but we realized we get so much stuff from people that we cannot possibly keep it all. I just need to have that talk with my Dad.  He brings us so much stuff each time he visits. It's very sweet, but we just don't need any more stuff. 

5. I spent good money on it. 

This is a big reason that I keep stuff. I bought stuff when I was single and working and living by myself. It's something that I need to work on for sure. 

6. I simply don't set aside time to deal with it. 

I always think I don't have any time to do anything but take care of the family and so there are piles of things to do.  Setting aside time is definitely what I need to do to get control of most of my clutter. It's never going to go away if I don't deal with it right? 

Link to original post: 

http://www.overstuffedlife.com/2014/10/31-days-to-less-clutter-and-more-peace_10.html?m=1

Day 9: Clutter Cleanse: Organizing School Papers

Today's assignment:

Organize school papers

Our little guy started preschool this year and there are not too many papers to worry about yet. There are paintings that I've rolled up,but that's about it. 

This isn't a huge issue at the moment for us. 

Link to original post:

http://www.overstuffedlife.com/2014/10/31-days-to-less-clutter-and-more-peace_9.html

Day 8: Clutter Cleanse Keeping Kids Rooms Clean

Today's assignment:

Keeping kids clothes off the floor

Well, my toddler does take his coat off and throw it on the floor, but I am not sure I can get him to stop this quite yet. He's kind of young and impulsive, but I will work on it. 

My toddler's clothes end up on his dresser, on the bathroom floor, and the bathroom counter. It's more of a habit that we need to remedy. Like making sure dirty clothes get into the laundry hamper that's 5 feet away. 

Link to original website:

http://www.overstuffedlife.com/2014/10/31-days-to-less-clutter-and-more-peace_8.html

Day 7: Clutter Cleanse Organizing Electronics

Today's assignment: 

Organize electronic clutter

The biggest issue with electronic clutter in our house is where the cell phones and all their accoutrements go from charging bugs, charging cords and headphones. 

It would be nice to have one specific place for these things to live. We are always searching for our phones or charging cords. 

I used binder clips to keep the cords separate. 

I liked the inspirational posts featured on the Overstuffed life blog. This is the one I liked the most from the Bluebird Sing blog:

http://www.bluebirdsing.com/post/50665250995/i-organized-my-phones-i-updated-my-moms-old

I found a bamboo mail organizer at Ross and it's worked great for keeping the cords at bay and the phones in one space. It's definitely improved the visual clutter on our countertop. 

I didn't end up drilling holes in the back. The charging cord come right down from the outlet into the box. 

Link to original post: 

http://www.overstuffedlife.com/2014/10/31-days-to-less-clutter-and-more-peace_7.html

Day 6: Clutter Cleanse: Organizing Toys

Today's challenge: 

Decluttering and organizing toys

This is a problem in our house. My toddler likes to dump everything in the floor and doesn't pick things up. The toys are jumbled together no real order. I tried to make it organized but never got around to labeling the bins.  I had and idea for this problem. I hope it works.  

I purchases 2 inch binder rings and I had some large blank index cards.  I bought a laminator a while back for this project. 

Here's the idea:

Take pictures of what is in the box and print out pictures and cut them to fit the index cards. I tried to find a plain white background. It ended up being my kids art table. 

Print the labels of what's inside the bin.  

Glue photos and the labels to a large index card. 

Laminate the cards. 

Punch two holes on top.  

Place binder clips in the holes and attach to your handled bin. 

I wasn't able to finish this project today, but I will continue to work on it in the next few days.  

Link to original challenge: 

http://www.overstuffedlife.com/2014/10/31-days-to-less-clutter-and-more-peace_6.html

Day 5: Clutter Cleanse: Closet organization

So today's task is going through the steps with another hot spot.  Lara used her time to work on her closet.

My closet needs improvement for sure. It's a bit crazy in there.  During my organizing work today, I found one of my son's shoes that's been missing for days.  My toddler hid it in there. I'm so glad to have found it! He only has 3 pairs of shoes. 

Getting rid of shoes is kind of difficult for me.  I did decide to pair down in one black pump since I have several black heels and a coppery colored heel that I've never worn.  I do like them, but I just don't see myself wearing them. Someone gave them to me almost 5 years ago. 

I have clothes I haven't worn in some time, because I was pregnant and then it's taken awhile to get back into my prepregnancy state.  I do plan on getting back there.  I've been trying on my old clothes intermittently. Slowly but surely I have been able to fit back into my clothes. 

I have pregnancy clothes to get rid of. 

I didn't have enough time to finish my closet.  It was way too messy. I'll work more on it yesterday. 

I am loving my kitchen island being clear and I worked on one of the cabinets in the kitchen. It was badly in need to some sorting and cleaning. The shelves were covered with dust. 

Link for today's organizational task: 

http://www.overstuffedlife.com/2014/10/31-days-to-less-clutter-and-more-peace_5.html

Day 4: Clutter Cleanse

Today's assignment: 

Find a permanent place for all those keep items. 

Ok.  I got the ball rolling on the kitchen island and it was kept clear all day except for when I was cooking and keeping my son's water cup away from his sister. 

There wasn't too much in the keep pile with just a small space, so I will have to work on another space. 

I am feeling inspired and worked on several drawers in one of our bathrooms. I feel the weight if too much stuff bring lifted. Ahhh....

For your keep items, Lara sets out steps to follow:

1. Decide where the most logical home is for each item.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Where do I use this item most?
• How often do I use it?
• Do I use other items along with it?
• Where would be the most convenient place for this item to live?

2.  Use what you already have: bins, baskets

3. Label it!

Link to original post on Overstuffed life:

http://www.overstuffedlife.com/2014/10/31-days-to-less-clutter-and-more-peace_4.html

Day 3: Clutter Cleanse

Today's assignment:

Clear the clutter out of your chosen problem area. 

Work on top priority problem area.  It's definitely the kitchen. There are currently 4 piles of stuff in the kitchen. Mail to open, papers to shred, toys to get rid of, tools to put away, bottles for a project at my sons preschool, extra cords from the television, bad batteries, coins, a juicer we haven't used in a long while, a basket full of pacifiers, charging cords and headphones for our various electronic devices. 

Put away the items that already have a designated place.

Pile of tools.  Go to workshop. 

 

Ok. The big bad paper monster. I'm going to tackle you today!  

Good bye junk mail.  Separate into shred pile and useless envelopes into the recycling.  

Papers to file:  Calendar for preschool. 

Bills to pay: write checks and use those new stamps I just bought.  

Send out last few New Years cards. So late but, c'est la vie. Note to self: I still need addresses from husband for a few more of his friends and relatives. A few more cards still hanging out in a pile. :(

Sort the remaining items into trash, donate, and keep piles.

I already got rid of a lot of paper. Not too much to donate so far. I need a proper way to dispose of batteries. Coins need to be collected and sorted. 

Times up.  Things are better but not perfect. I need more time on the kitchen. I guess the point was to focus on one problem area, but I did more.  I'll have to work with more focus next time. At least the kitchen island is clear!

Day 2: Clutter cleanse

Today's assignment is making an action plan. It involves identifying problem areas and homeless items, setting priorities and scheduling daily time to work on decluttering. 

Lara has a free printable on her site for identifying the problem areas in your home. Also, it's the link to day 2 if you wish to follow along. 

Link is here: 

http://www.overstuffedlife.com/2014/10/31-days-to-less-clutter-and-more-peace.html?m=1

Identifying the problem areas

My biggest problem area is in the kitchen. Things often get piled up on the kitchen island so I can read them, often mail or magazines, or do something with these things, like pay bills or respond to mail, when I have a moment while being home with my kids. The truth is that it sits there sometimes indefinitely until it's a big problem. Maybe I need to schedule time to read them instead of waiting for some free time that is so infrequent and unreliable. 

I also have a huge pile of things to get to on my desk in our office. It amasses a never ending pile of mail and things to read as well. This place is where the pile from the kitchen goes when I get fed up with the mess in the kitchen. This pile if things to read seems to be the root of my problem. Never getting to read or respond to papers that accumulate around the house. 

I realized that I have this bad habit of stashing potentially hazardous items out of grasp at the nearest shelf, closet, etc. It means I have items where they don't belong in various hiding spits around the house. Note to self. Stop doing this. 

There is an issue of what to do with clothes that have been worn once but are still not dirty.  Do other people out it back with their clean clothes in their closets or is there another way. It seems everyone in our house has that question/problem. The clothes get piled everywhere, the bathrooms, the top of dressers and the floor.  

Setting priorities:

The kitchen island is definitely the biggest priority. As the hub of the house, it really effects everyone in the house if it's cluttered. It's the first thing we see when we get home and come into the house. If I could fix this problem area, I think it would really improve our life. 

Scheduling daily time:

I am going to try to work on this project an hour a day. Days that I have help I will be working in it during the day. Otherwise, I will be working on it after the kids go to bed. 

A 31 day Clutter Cleanse Day 1

Our house is nearly always full of clutter.  It's a bad habit that I am going to try to work on this month. 

I found this great website that has a 31 day no clutter plan. It sounds like a good idea. So let's try.  

The website is called Overstuffed and the link to the 31 day clutter busting plan is here: 

http://www.overstuffedlife.com/2014/10/a-place-for-everything-31-days-of-less.html

Day 1 is orientation. Got it. Clear out clutter to get more peace in life. Sounds good to me.  Sometimes the clutter in the house is overwhelming from the never ending pile of mail to the kids toys everywhere. I would love to have it more orderly around here. 

Tomorrow is the Action Plan.  I am excited to start another challenge. I hope to make it through this one in the coming month and I feel hopeful that this will bring me more peace.