Comfy that lasts a lifetime.

This month‘s theme is comfort, which is very fitting for the setting i’m in right now. I am curled up in my bed, with my bamboo lamp on next me scattering some very soft ambient light, and I can hear the rain pitter patter on the top of the roof. The wind has been extremely high these last few days, and a wind advisory he has been posted in my area. I am in for the next few days and am loving having the personal time to get comfortable.

I wanted to share about some of the things that bring me comfort during these windy seasons that tend to keep me and most other people indoors. It’s often lonely to go through the winter months, and I think sharing about some of my coping skills will help other people supplement their daily activities so that they feel at their best.

One method I have recently turned to is when I wake up in the morning I will turn on some acoustic guitar music, or a relaxing artist that I have enjoyed in the past. This just starts my day off on a warm tone and let me enjoy rhythm in harmony while I am stretching and getting breakfast and taking a shower, it sets the tone for a calm but lively day. It’s almost a way of getting energy as if you were at a live music gig, and it makes you feel more relaxed as you think through your morning to do list.

The next thing I have tried is switching from scrolling on Instagram reel page to listening to Ted talks or TED podcast. I have a habit of scrolling for 30 minutes or longer when I know it’s just a method to procrastinate or take my mind off of things on my obligation list. I find switching to TED talks more mentally engaging, and I end up learning and gaining vocabulary that I know will serve me in my career later on. It’s just a more efficient way to spend your free time, and connect to the larger community that is getting up on stage and sharing about ideas that can change lives for people. It helps me feel more connected to the larger bustle of society and helps me navigate through it, because we share information with each other that that helps us get through difficulties such as self isolation, fatigue from work, or relationship difficulties.

My next comfort technique is to watch reiki healing sessions on YouTube, because you are face-to-face with a person who has positive intentions for you and has studied the body and its energy systems and ways to regulate and calm it through slow sensory movements and positive affirmations. It is also just visually calming, so spending time being almost pampered through a computer screen is rewarding, and it always helps call me down and refresh my personal energy. It also helps connect you to a community that is into mindfulness and meditation and personal transformation, so you can start there and find other accounts that have tips and tricks for wellness and getting through difficult seasons.

Another trick I like to use is making time to either paint my nails, take a shower, do a facemask, go talk to my mom for a little bit, go up and visit my niece, all of these are ways for me to step outside by to do list and my usual day today activities, and make sure that I’m taking time to replenish my own means to take care of others. A lot of people identify this with self-care, and whatever falls into that category for yourself is perfect. This could be hiking, this could be shooting at a gun range, this could be basket weaving, this could be reading a book, this could be playing in puddles, but whatever brings you joy is a great comfort during the winter months.

This next one is going to sound kind of morbid but I have also found that going onto websites that share obituaries is a great source of information because you get to see how these wonderful human beings spent their lives and what activities meant to the most to them, and you can broaden your library of places to go or things to eat or activities to try with your friends, because every single person comes from a different social circle and unit and carries unique ways of going about life. I also use this method when I am looking for career inspiration, so I will find people within a profession that I am interested in and go and learn about what subtypes of jobs are available through that field. This is a great way to learn about how to stay comfortable throughout your life because these people usually have lived 70 to 80 to 90 years and have a lot of gold to share. If you are moved to pay respect through affiliate websites the obituary websites usually have links to causes you can donate to, such as a charity that meant a lot to the individual who is deceased.

And of course last but not least I have to throw in a plug for yoga, because it is so lovely to have quiet time throughout your day to just take to your muscles and your tendons and your joints and to stretch them out and roll them and relax them. It’s just such a naturally self regulating activity- I use it often.

I hope you are staying well through these trying times and remember that the future is not yet decided you can always find ways to integrate BOUNDS of comfort and joy into your daily life. Stay warm, stay healthy and we look forward to hearing your stories on and off trail!

Much love and warmth,

Abby Folsom