Settling Into the Unsettling - Why I’m Embracing Taking Myself to Summer Camp
/First off, yes, I’m serious about summer camp and all of the things it involves- days of snacks, outdoors, creating and crafting, singing and more! I’m also saying out loud for the sake of every weary, sad, freaked out, angry, anxious, exhausted human - the wave of uncertainty and all the things is so real and unsettling but we can find a way to settle into the unsettling. I’m sharing how I’m starting to do just that.
We have all endured a lot of things in a short period of time. Some of us have been rolled up in balls, perched on pillows on the floor; while others sat in the closet listening to nature sounds on repeat (owning that might have just been me). We have crafted our makeshift at-home desks of Amazon boxes and stacked books and pillow configurations; made dinners out of what we could creatively combine from the cupboard; prayed for toilet paper and vaccines; and some found ourselves called to be in streets with signs and doing some real soul work of examining self. In each of our own ways we’ve been riding a very wild, unpredictable roller coaster.
As we settle into this unsettling I have gotten much clearer on what my grounding points are. I have come to find my routine is an important one, and it’s not what you’d expect. In reality these days my routine is a loose set of activities with some clear, priorities and daily goals that I set each night before I go to sleep.
What I am learning is to help ourselves settle into the unsettling we need to give ourselves some room to rock and sway and be in motion but also find enough structure for comfort and joy to thrive. What this has looked like for me is the following list of daily options I mix up as needed and fondly call- summer camp:
1- Snack breaks
2- Reading time
3- Nature time
4- Movement/Play/Fun time
5- Focused time
6- Creative time
7- Connection time
I credit this “taking myself to summer camp” with making my days and weeks feel okay and even slightly more joyful. I wake up early and get my nature time in with an AM walk- no plan where so I call it a wander and just let myself go wherever I feel called to- left, right, to the hydrangeas bush, the blue house, the park….Then a good stretch on the floor maybe a little yoga. I meditate. I read a little. Then wash, dress and onto focused time- aka work.
AM snack time- something healthy and yummy- banana and almond butter- then it’s back to focused time. Lunch time and maybe a little reading time or just back to focused time. A little creative time in between meetings maybe it’s a doodle or capturing a quick brainstorm. Connection time check-in with a friend maybe a quick text. You’re getting the idea here.
I’m learning this settling into the unsettling requires fluidity, I have to be okay to flow and have the places for myself to go- the reading time, the nature time etc. I know my options and they all provide a place to land for a little while. They all fill me up in different ways and that’s what has helped me lean into this ongoing wave of uncertainty.
You might say this sounds like a messy tornado of a day- I’d say what keeps me from spinning is the goal setting and calendaring. Every night nestled amongst too many pillows and all of the blankets I ask- what’s important for tomorrow and I pick 2-4 and I put these things, people, words on my calendar in big blocks of time:
8am-11am grant research, find hiking boots, call Brit
3pm-5pm groceries, blog post, paperwork
And so on and so on. And the beautiful thing is, I do cross almost all the things off the list. Again I give myself space and time- it’s loose but still has a focus.
So maybe as we are all settling into the unsettling we need to give ourselves a little more room in our routine. We need a little playfulness and kindness for ourselves to help us meet each day with a sense of can-do with a smile, some snack breaks and some love for all of ourselves - mind, body, soul.
Maybe we need to take ourselves to summer camp! Perspective shifts- they are so powerful.
If you want a fun and free template to build your week at “summer camp” and get more ideas on “camp activities” be sure you sign up for my monthly newsletter and snag the download link after signing up!
I hope you begin to find your own tiny moments of joy, your own grounding points in your routine and maybe you take yourself to summer camp this week!
xx
D