Today's post was written by my dear friend Chris Paul Thompson.
@chrispaulthompson - IG // @chrispimages - Twitter
Walk
Focus
Have fun.
Before Laina asked me to contribute to her #loveyouchallenge I had been reading her blog and thinking about the ways I take care of myself. I spent a considerable amount of time not taking care of my self or my health. I was spending a majority of my time working on my book, working on my clients projects, or helping my girlfriend with her business,which consumes most of my time and mind. When corona and quarantine hit I was left with a lot of time and not a lot to do. My bad habits amplified so much I couldn’t ignore them. Before quarantine I had just started working out again but with all the gyms closed, it was easy to just lounge all day. After a month of sitting in the house eating sweets and being bored I decided to change.
I started taking walk every day. It started just as a reason to go outside but it’s now my daily self care starter. The first thing I do after I brush my teeth in the morning is walk. I plan for two miles but for the month of May I averaged 6.9 miles a day. It’s been good for fitness as well but, I use the time in my walk to write, think, see, and connect. I walk by myself usually but once I started posting about it people wanted to join me. I started meeting friends and walking with them getting their thoughts on current events and their life’s. Helping each other decompress. Still my favorite way to walk is alone. In my solitude I’m able to meditate on ideas and visualize ways to make them happen. That leads me to my next part of my self care, focus.
I’ve always had a problem with over commitment, because I want to help everyone. Over committing caused me to lose clients, peace, and money. I finally made the decision to reduce it all. Not being able to shoot because of corona gave me so much time to actually finish projects and focus on me, that now I’m always my first commitment. I set aside 2 or 3, 1 hour blocks every day to just work on me. Read, write, wander, adventure, anything I need to feel good. When I’m working on my clients projects, which I’ve reduced to only the ones I feel feed my spirit in return, I’m fully focused and passionate. I take longggg breaks from my phone as well because the internet will always be there I won’t miss anything. It’s been the best hack for staying sane and staying focused during this time of unrest. I spend a lot of time visualizing, bringing my desires for my life and the collective future into clear focus, so that I can do my part in creating that future.
Lastly I do something fun everyday! I like to laugh and I love to make people laugh. Be it cracking jokes or dancing around like a fool for my girlfriend I try to bring some light to the world and to myself everyday. It’s okay to relax and have fun. It relaxes the mind and gives you the energy you need to keep going on all your other daily tasks.