Turns out, it's a lot (at least for me).
Hey there, holistic health people. I hope you’re all having a great day today, and, if you’re not, I hope that turns around for you! I’m sitting in, you guessed it, my favorite coffee shop. I was about to sit down and write a post about food when I realized that I should write a post about why I’m literally always sitting in a coffee shop. It does have to do with my slight caffeine addiction, but, today, literally today, I realized it has to do with so much more. There’s something about coffee shops for me. The hustle and bustle of the counter and the quiet corner where you can find me snuggled up with my laptop - it’s all very comfortable for me.
One thing that my health practitioner told me is that I need to be more mindful. I’ve always heard that word thrown around. Mindful not mind full (which, let’s be honest, I’m usually the latter). Mindful of your eating, mindful of your surroundings, mindful of the people you bring into your life. Like, I get it- you have to think about things. Sooo, I’ll be honest, I was a little peeved when my doc said I had high cortisol levels (cortisol is the stress hormone that your body releases) and needed to work on it ... trust me, I already know that I need to stress less and relax more. One action step she gave me, however, was to be more mindful.
This is one of those things about holistic health that I’m still learning. Holistic medicine and holistic medicine practitioners believe in the mind-body-connection, and I’m still learning to prioritize and think about that. I’ll be honest with you all, it’s been really, really hard. As you all know, I have a little bit of trouble with my own thoughts (take a look at the My Story section under the About Me tab if you haven’t read about my struggles). They often consume every part of me and lead me to not-so-great decisions. Fun stuff, right? So, as a little exercise, I’ve been trying to think about things as they’re happening. Be a little more mindful, I guess.
And that brings me back to my coffee shop. When I sat down today and began to write about food, I wondered why. Why did I come here again to write? Why did I order an iced Americano with almond milk even though I get that every time? Why didn’t I go to Ross or the UGLI or a different coffee shop? And then it dawned on me, I was being mindful about my work.
This little realization gave me a teeny bit of hope about my never-ending stress and high cortisol levels. I was talking to my mom the other day, and I was worried about how I was going to deal with my stress, especially with graduation and real-life coming faster than I could ever want it to. Stress has impacted my life and my health so negatively, and I’ve been really concerned about how that’s going to translate into the “real world.” But my little coffee-shop epiphany made me realize that maybe I’m not too far off.
I repeatedly come to this coffee shop because it’s comfortable for me. I love the soft pop the owner plays in the background, the hint of sweetness in the espresso that they serve, and the occasional pastry that my favorite employee will slip me if I’ve been in my corner long enough. I’m a creature of habit, and every time I come here it’s the same. Every time I come here, I know that my senses will be stimulated in a way that makes me want to write, to be productive. I’m never stressed about the work that I have when I’m here because I know it’ll get done. It’s comfortable for me, and I’ve realized that I’ll just have to find that comfort in the “real world.”
So, if the world’s biggest realist can realize that mindfulness doesn’t always mean counting your bites as you eat your dinner or meditating for twenty minutes everyday, I think you might all be able to. Think about something you did today … why’d you do it?
You just practiced mindfulness my friend :)