Hi,
If you are a regular at our online events, you probably know I was
traveling around Portugal at the beginning of this month. (If it's on your list
of places to go, I highly recommend it.)
I have been very fortunate to travel to many places all over the world and
one thing that I greatly appreciate about many European countries is their
values around vacation time, health, meals, community, rest, and family.
Here in the US we are taught to "hustle", and that success is tied to how
"busy" we are. Paid vacation time? What's that?
Sitting down and truly enjoying lunch? Huh? An afternoon siesta? Are you out of
your mind?
As holistically-minded business owners we often have to set boundaries with
ourselves, and around our chosen lifestyle, that goes against many American
societal messages.
To give you an example, here are a few of the things I've implemented over
the years that I attribute to my experiences in other countries:
- No computer/Zooms/work stuffs after 7pm. Too much evening screen time
affects my sleep. I would rather use my evenings to connect with my husband over
a light dinner, teach yoga (in-person), or have my daily call with my 91 year
old father who lives in Miami.
- Speaking of a light dinner, when I can, I make lunch my biggest meal of the
day and take a short walk/stroll after. I love how Europeans gather with each
other during lunch time to mindfully eat and connect. It also makes sense from a
physical health/digestive perspective to not eat a bunch of steak and a loaded
baked potato before bed.
- If I need a 20-minute nap, I take one. This whole idea of having an
afternoon coffee and a donut to "push though" the afternoon slump does not
compute.
- I heavily guard what I put in and on my body. I love that I can travel
overseas and not worry about sugar, GMOs, soy, and other crappy additives in the
food. I also love that I can buy lotion and not worry about the 1000 chemicals
that are banned in Europe but still allowed to be in US beauty products. This
means that I have to be diligent about reading labels, where I source my food
from, and blocking off time to prep my meals.
The point of me sharing this is to give you permission (if you need it) to
adopt "other" ways of living that better suit your definition of holistic
living. It's ok to say "no", and to share your boundaries with others. When you
do this, you are truly practicing what you might be
preaching.