Intentional Living Best Practices: Seven Ways to Start Love On Yourself Today

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Good morning and happy Monday!

Monday morning and a post on My Jamaican Vignettes? Yes, welcome to the first Monday Morning Musings and we start off with intentional living best practices.

I want to help you to reclaim your Mondays. In this new feature series, Monday Morning Musings, I want the MJV Community to tap into how best we can practice intentional living.

Together, let’s beat the Monday blues and realise that with each new work week we have the opportunity to reset, shift focus and start to actively work towards building our best lives.

Defining Intentional Living

Before, I share the seven ways to start loving on yourself by choosing to practice intentional living, we need to first understand how we can define this path.

Living in love and light will look different for each of us, and that is beautiful. As we learn and grow, our priorities will also shift. And, if you are paying keen attention to your needs and desires, then your expression of intentional living may even look different a month or three months from now.

So what is intentional living?

Intentional living means that you are positively and consistently working to improve and live your best life. You take 100% responsible and own where you are and create the path for your best life with love, kindness and patience.

Now, let’s get into the seven best practices to help you live your best life and show up and love yourself.

1. Plan.
2. Clean and declutter.
3. Meal plan and prep.
4. Exercise.
5. Companionship.
6. Meditate.
7. Gratitude.

Plan

I’ve shared my love for planners and notebooks before, but I don’t think you understand the levels of which I am now choosing to sit and organise my thoughts and set clear achievable targets for my life.

In 2019, I am using dated vision and productivity planner from bloom daily planners plus several themed notebooks. This books help me to reflect, work through my ideas and set goals.

Presently, I am an advocate of SMART goals and since the start of the year, I dedicate one hour on a Sunday afternoon to set out my priority tasks for the week.

Now, you don’t need to go and buy a planner to start. Try using a notebook to figure out what your main hopes are. Really take some time to deep dive, ask yourself if you there was nothing holding you back: money, fear, self-doubt, nay-sayers, what would you do?

Then consider how to frame that big scary dream into a goal. Define the parameters of how to start, create clear targets. Set a deadline, measure your output and start to steadily work on that goal this year, start today.

And, if you are on IG, search #plannercommunity for inspirations on fun, vibrant planner options, you can also test out the bullet journal method as well.

Whatever planning method you decide to choose, the important part is to set weekly check-in meetings, sit and reflect, draft to-lists to help you stay on track and celebrate your achievements as you go along.

Clean and Declutter

I haven’t always been a clean and tidy person. But now I love it.

I am on a minimalist path. And, for me this means ensuring that my home is clutter-free and light and airy. I am renter, and while I don’t have complete control, I try to ensure that I tidy-up every day. And, I am really happiest on laundry days, after my clothes are clean, sun-dried and fresh and I have folded or hung them. When everything is in its place, I feel good.

Let me know in the comments what’s your approach to housekeeping.

Meal Plan and Prep

I am attempting to get back on track with meal planning . When I do meal plan and prepare food for the week ahead, I feel so good. Ideally, my meal prep day is Sunday. Since the start of the year, I’ve been using the Mealime app. 

The free version of the app allows you set eating preferences, I am a “flexitarian” at the moment, which means easy on the meat. I also like that I have the option to upload my own recipes (I am yet to take up the option). Now, the very best part about this app, is that for each meal you select the system generates a shopping list. And, I love that. I can check off what I already have in refrigerator and cupboards and when I go the supermarket the list is ready. It is easy.

Now, prep work is a little harder, but honestly, a few hours on a Sunday afternoon to chop, cook and package your meals. But, if you spend this time in the week, your belly, your mind and your purse will thank you. If you work in an office environment where you can carry your own lunch, do it.

I work from home three days each week and I love these days. I enjoy making my meals and at around 1pm, I reheat my food. You can even pre-prepare elements of your fav sandwiches.

Food can be emotional for some of us, and other times the ease of junk food, and fast meal options meals we aren’t enjoying nutrient rich meals that we need to live our best lives.

Also, if you meal plan, let me know in the comments section, what your best practices are, I am still learning this self-love technique and I want to know more.

Exercise

I don’t go to gym. In fact I hate gyms. I really don’t like machines, or the sight of other people sweating. But, lately I am keen of moving. I strive for 60 minutes of activity each day.

This means, dancing, cleaning, ironing, laundry, walking about and yoga. I wish I lived in an environment where I could easily take morning walks to start my day, but I don’t. Jamaica isn’t safe for a woman to walk around and feel safe. I am yet to experience a walk where I am free to be in nature, in my thoughts without the male gaze, cat-calls or full on harassment.

But, I refuse to let that stop me. So, I walk around my house. I am new to yoga, I only do the 20-minute guided video with YouTuber Andriene.

That’s it, beginners yoga every other day.

Until I can do the basic downward-facing dog pose without my arms killing me, I am a beginner.

No, special equipment, or gym membership required. Just start moving, sweat in the comfort of your living room and feel good.

Companionship

How does loving on yourself include other people?

It just does, we are social, even us introverts. I get warm and fuzzy and a little lightheaded when I get to spend quality time with my favourite people.

You know who the people are in your life that you love and enjoy being around. And, you also know the energy suckers.

There is a pervasive message of cutting off toxic people, and sometimes in actuality we can’t. The most toxic folks can be your co-workers, or worse your boss or even the worst your family members. If for whatever, you can’t cut them off now, limit those interactions.

This month, spend some time with your best companions. Choose to visit the people who make you laugh, the people who will hold you and hold space for you while you feel. Reach out to the people in your life who make you feel good about who you are right now.

Meditate

For the longest while, I couldn’t get into meditation and then in November 2018, I tried again. And I kept trying and now I get it.

I use the Calm app, and 10 minutes each day, I do a guided meditation. As of writing, I have 88 sessions on the app. And that amounts to mindful minutes totaling 18 hours and 5 minutes. My longest streak is 48 days. But each time I miss a day because life. I start over and I take my time.

This is a meditation practice while still fairly now, has my complete commitemnt. After a session, I feel clear, capable, light and so calm and grateful.

Towards the end of 2018, my anxiety levels were at the worst they’ve been in my life. I felt distressed most days about future things and ideas about what my life should be. And, using the Calm app got me to a better place. My overall health is a core priority and I am ensuring that my emotional and mental wellbeing are always being looked after.

You can also check out the Headspace, Fabulous and Let’s Meditate app. While I no longer have these applications installed, they work, I’ve ried them all and you can see which of them may be best for you. They all have free versions for Android users.

Gratitude

I am still a big advocate for giving thanks. And, I still use the same Attitude of Gratitude Journal App.

My app is set to alert me to write a line of gratitude each hour and I love it. Pausing to give thanks, no matter how small, makes me happy. When I say no matter how mall, I mean it, I have entries where I am thanking the app for existing or being grateful for my phone.

But most days, I write entries that are more specific and each hour. I find time to be aware of the people and experiences that I am thankful for: my life, my job, my career, my hobbies, this blog, my writing practice, and family and friends.

And, if I am in a bad mood and ready to fall into a negative state that alert pulls me back into my love and light.

Do you have a gratitude journal? Physical or digital?

How often to do you stop to give thanks?

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Thanks so much for spending a few minutes to read this post. I appreciate you.

How many of these self-love practices do you actively do?

What are your top three ways to practice self-love and care?

Did you spot a new way to give yourself some love today?

If you did, start today and let me know how your day went.

Love and light,

Chantel