Namaste November

I woke up this morning in a lousy mood. I was annoyed that I once again was going through the same daily routine dragging myself out of bed at 5:30 a.m. And even though he doesn’t have to Hubby got up at the same time I did so he could spend time with me before I had to leave to work. Honestly, I was annoyed with this- I wasn’t in the mood to have conversation or be all “huggy.” READ: I am not a morning person.

I sulked on the couch without getting ready to leave until 6:35 (I leave before 7). Talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed. Frankly, I’ve been waking up on the wrong side of the bed nearly everyday lately. I allowed my grouchy mood to follow me on the way to work in the car and even as I walked into the office. About 30 minutes later I saw Rachael post this on twitter.

Hmph. In the midst of my terribly disgruntled mood I hadn’t even taken note it was a new month and it dawned on me that I’d started the morning, or rather the month, off on the wrong foot. It was then I reminded myself.

I am the only one in control of my attitude.

I’ve spent a lot too much of my time being overwhelmed lately with  my schedule. Between all the things I need/want to get done like working, working out and reaching fitness goals, being a good wife, dealing with household chores, tasks, and errands, cooking, blogging (or at least attempting to)- I stress a lot. I’ve come to realize that stressing actually causes me to lose productivity and lose focus on the things that are actually important. When I’m stressing or in a foul mood because my plate is too full I actually accomplish less.

Life is too short to be overwhelmed and to feel stretched too thin. That’s why I’m declaring this November Namaste November.

I’ve been practicing more yoga lately and I have fallen in love. For those of you that don’t know at the end of each yoga class most teachers, bow their head and say “Namaste” and the students bring their hands together and respond together the same. I’ve always wondered what it means and the best definition I’ve found is this.

“A good definition of Namaste would be "I bow to your true self". The true self might be seen as the deeper, more essential you, less connected to ego, social expectations and pretensions.” source

After some reflection and thought  (and telling my Hubby sorry for being a grouchy bear this morning) I think I need to devote some time to myself and getting back to my true self. Although I do a good job taking care of my self physically and nutritionally I have allowed my social and mental health to slack. Healthy mind and spirit are just as important as physical health.

Our “health triangles” aren’t complete unless we can balance mental, physical, and social health and our over-all well being can suffer if we aren’t in balance. Just as we have to re-evaluate our diets and recommit to exercise at times- we have to re-evaluate and recommit to ways to reach mental and social health as well.

I’m going to spend the month of November working on myself and fixing the areas in my life where I stress the most. I’m going to devote each day towards making another stride towards this goal by:

• Recapping and reflecting on the things I’m grateful for
• Getting organized with tasks
• Practicing better time management
• Planning time with loved ones
• Practicing only a gracious attitude, no complaining, no negative self talk
• Reading daily devotionals from my bible
• Determining goals for the future
• Continuing to practice yoga

Honestly I’m not 100% sure where my Namaste November is going to lead me, but I know I’m sure ready for a new month and a new attitude. I’m looking forward to getting my daily tasks and long term goals organized and focusing on my mental health.

Feel free to join me in Namaste November and follow in your own version of self-reflection or to read along as I unfold what the month really means for me. I’m determined to finish out a great last and un-stressful 2 months of 2011.