Hi Beauty,

Last Friday I woke up and just felt blah. I didn’t feel like getting out of bed and so I didn’t for quite some time. But I wasn’t exactly relaxing.

I’d had a few things on my mind all week that were weighing on me and I was starting to feel lethargic, unmotivated, bored and anxious. Not a great combination.

I also haven’t been back to my usual routine since moving to New York. Specifically one routine that keeps me sane, calm, centered, and grounded.

Moving homes and cities is tough. It’s hard to stay on top of self care and it’s even harder to stick to routines.

Often the things that worked in your old life don’t work in your new life and usually you’re just trying to take it one step at a time. At least that’s been the case for me. In the last 9 years, I’ve made 4 moves and it almost always feels like a Herculean task to get back into a wellness routine that feels effortless, nourishing and consistent.

But moving aside, the reality is that there are many times we struggle to get back into a daily wellness routine. I struggle all the time even when I’m finally settled into a new place and home.

A bad week, a bad day, or an unpleasant, exhausting interaction can throw me off.

There’s one thing that helped me last Friday morning that I want to share with you. It’s something I often use when I’m feeling blah.

I told myself all I need to do is get up and do one thing that will make me feel better. Keep it short and simple. And after that if I still want to crawl back into bed, then that’s okay.

The one thing I chose was a downward dog for 5 breaths.

So I did that. I rolled out my yoga mat next to my bed, got onto my hands and knees and pushed up into a downward dog. As I stayed there for 5 breaths, I started to feel better. And guess what! I ended up going into my 15 minute meditation routine. Not planned at all. Definitely not something I wanted to do before.

The benefit of just doing one thing is that you might actually do more – and that’s great…

but more importantly

if that’s all you do (and I really mean it when i say, that’s all you really need to do), then you’ll feel a little bit better. And sometimes, in life, all you need is to feel a little bit better.

Feeling a little bit better about ourselves and about our place in the world is what helps us carry on and put one foot in front of the other.

When we’re feeling out of sorts, we tend to think in extremes. We think we need to do things at a 100% to feel like our happy, chirpy, balanced selves. But that’s just unrealistic and a lot of pressure!

FEELING BLAH - sometimes all you need is to feel a little bit better

So dear Beauty, my offering to you is that the next time you wake up and feel blah or anytime that you’re feeling not-so-great, then just pick one small thing and do it. A downward dog for 5 breaths, stretching for a few minutes, taking a few mindful, deep breaths, writing half a page in your journal, etc.

Pick whatever feels easy and within reach and is short! That’s the key to making this happen.

Warmly,

Aarti

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