Week 16: Reconnecting with Myself

What practices make you feel like *you*?

Good Morning and Happy Pizza Friday,

By now you may recognize that I love a “glimmer” which I associate with noticing the simple joys in life and taking stock of them - seeing something sweet and letting it sink in rather than moving past it. It’s a practice I think I have always tapped into in a way but it’s been a steady and intentional exercise over the last few years of my life and has truly improved my well-being and my general outlook in so many ways.

This week as I got back into routine after all the whirlwind travel I started thinking about the way I love to feel connected to myself and my experiences and the way I recharge by employing some of the following specific practices.

I don’t have a catchy name for these activities yet but I am curious, what makes you feel connected to you?

For me, there are a few things.

1. Music - I have a few playlists, mostly of indie-folk music like Noah Kahan, Caamp, The Head and the Heart, or of course, Taylor Swift. I put my headphones in or light a candle and turn the sound system in my apartment up very loud. Within a few songs, I start thinking about life in a way that I can only describe as “Alison”. It’s where most of my ideas for this very Substack come from.

2. Journaling - I have always relied on journaling as a way to process my emotions, I have journals dating back to when I was 6 years old. Recently, I haven’t journalled much with pen and paper because I have been even more consistent with Substack than any journal I have ever had (so thank you!). There is nothing like sitting down to write as you feel a jumble of feelings and surprising yourself with the clarity or perspectives that appear on the paper.

3. Running or more recently biking - while I had knee surgery a few years ago and sadly haven’t been able to run well since, for me, running has always been a practice where I go to work through things. During a particularly difficult time in my college years, I took up running in a moment of desperation and amidst the heart pounding and panting, I found the strength, energy and clarity that I had been missing. While I am working toward running again one day, my near daily (weather-dependent) bicycle commutes have filled this void to a degree. I do my best thinking on the move. I am so encouraged that the days are getting longer and warmer and my regular bike commute will be more frequent. I also am going to try taking up road biking as a sport and I wonder if I’ll get that runner’s high I have been missing. If you’re a road biker, please send tips!

   

4. Dancing - a practice I don’t do nearly enough, but since I was a child, tapping into my sense of silly and spirit makes me feel amazing. As a kid, my family called it “Big Al’s Dance Party”. I had one CD with a burned playlist featuring wedding-DJ hits like ‘Jump (For My Love)’ and ‘Footloose.’ I would hit play and turn the volume up loud and take over our kitchen, throwing my body around without a care in the world. To this day, if I’m alone at home and the mood strikes, I will absolutely destroy a rug. Just don’t ask me to remember an ounce of choreography… that’s simply not the type of dancing I do - ha! A few years ago I got really into one specific workout class and would do it at home during the pandemic too - called “The Class”. A portion of the class was a dance workout with no choreography and I loved it. Speaking of, I should go back.

5. Walking Rigby in Central Park - few things come close to the delight I feel as I walk Rigby in the park during off-leash hours. Whether I am joined by James or a friend or on my own with my headphones in, I simply love it. I have a well-worn routine of picking up coffee on the way in, watching him romp for an hour or so as we make our way through the beautiful park, stopping often to read the bench inscriptions or meet other New Yorkers and their pups. I always return with a renewed sense of self and my love for this challenging, interesting and inspiring city.

I would love a little audience participation and am genuinely curious what a practice (or two) is that you delight in and helps you feel connected to yourself and your life.

My hope for you this weekend is that you get to enjoy at least one of those special activities just for you, and if not, maybe you can think about when you’ll next be able to prioritize it.

With love and glimmers,

Alison