With the start of Spring just a few days a way, it feels like a good time to reflect on how the first quarter of the year has been going in relation to the word/theme I set for the year: PLAY.
I encourage you to grab a pen and paper and do the same with your word of the year! It’s a pretty straightforward process, composed of three parts:
What’s going well?
What feels tough?
What do I want to change going into the next quarter to make this theme work better?
This is what my reflection looks like:
What’s Going Well
Overall, PLAY has felt like a very natural and (let’s be honest;-) FUN theme to integrate. It’s been a joy to brainstorm ways to bring PLAY into my life—both in big ways and little ways. The big ways (i.e. the planned events, structured activities, dates with kids/friends/hubby, trips) feel as though they are easier. Maybe this is because I’m generally a planner, like to organize things, and put events on the calendar? The little ways are feeling a bit more tricky (more on that in the next section!) Here’s a few highlights of how I’ve really embraced PLAY in 2024, so far:
—started a weekly virtual art class PURELY for fun (i.e. not to have as a side hustle or to learn a serious new hobby or for my health or any other reason EXCEPT to play—this feels important to say!)
—made outings with friends/adult family members a priority (took a quick weekend trip to Austin with my sister, enjoyed lunches and city adventures with a dear mom friend, and went out with my bookclub friends on a Friday night OUTSIDE of bookclub!)
—started a chess club at my son’s school with my husband, which has been so much fun and something so different than what we normally do together—another great thing I’ve learned about play! To embrace the new and novel.
—planned several playful outings with my little ones, including taking them to an Off-Broadway play about an Ice Queen (they loved it, and so did I!), having a pizza party with the whole 2nd grade class, checking out the kid’s sections at museums (these are fabulous!), and making lots of trips to the library to read new-to-us books.
—created a Playbook, and have updated it daily. You may remember in my article introducing PLAY as my word of 2024, this was a goal. So far, it’s a daily note kept in a journal of one new thing I learned, did, or created that day—which does help me to have a more playful attitude about embracing things outside my direct line of interests.
What Feels Tough
While putting things on the calendar and executing them has been pure bliss, remembering PLAY in little ways through the day has been more of a challenge. There have been countless times when I start to feel my annoyance build with my kiddos, and instead of putting on an upbeat jam and having a dance party like I originally imagined, I’ll resort to increasing the volume of my voice and turning into “strict mama” (the kids’ words, not mine;-) And while I have definitely been proactive about taking the kids to new-to-them playgrounds, I can’t say I’ve been amazing about getting down and dirty in the sandbox with them and playing. But then I ask myself: is this needed? Is it even wanted?
Another way I hoped to PLAY more in 2024 is with Hygge Yoga. While I have added in a monthly chair yoga video for paid subscribers (thank you!) and have been having a lot of fun creating different kinds of Reels on Instagram (such as what I eat in a day, how I Hygge episodes, and what to replace your evening cocktail with in Ayurveda), I feel like there’s more potential in this area, which I’d like to explore.
What I Will Change Going Into The Next Quarter
Rather than having to REMEMBER to be playful with music when we’re having frustrating moments as a family (because that’s not exactly the time to be searching for songs, right?;-), I will proactively make a PLAY Playlist ahead of time of jams I know will lighten the mood. This way I can open Spotify, go to the playlist, and click on any song. BAM! Instant mood elevator, instant dance party.
For playing on the playground (or at home, etc.) I will be mindful about engaging in the first 15 minutes of play. Kids want to be pushed on the swing? Great! They want mama to help build a fort out of couch pillows and blankets? Sure thing! And then after the initial 15 minutes, I’ll let them engage in independent play (guilt free!) while I get cooking done or look at the sun:-)
Finally, for Hygge Yoga play I’m going to spend some time brainstorming playful ways to bring holistic health to people…making it feel easy, enjoyable, and dare I say fun?
I’d love to hear how 2024 is going for you so far—let me know in the comments, or respond directly to this email!
Sending light and love,
Jess (Your Ayurvedic Health Counselor, Making Holistic Health Cozy, Not Clinical)
p.s. in case you missed it, here’s a chair yoga class for spring: