In a world of Should’ve, Would’ve, Could’ve…

While sitting on the beach today, on one of the most beautiful days in October, I had a moment of thinking ” I should be doing XY&Z” This didn’t last long, as I got distracted by a paddle boarder falling off of a wave, and a the beautiful stones amongst my feet. Being in nature has a way of rebalancing me and I think it does to most people because the natural world rebalance’s its self. For me, its hard to feel anxious when in nature surrounded by beauty, which is one reason I have chosen to live my life the way I do today. When I am feeling anxious, walking in a forest or on a beach, swimming in a natural body of water, or just gazing at a sunset can be the best medicine. Today, I appreciated slowing down and putting my feet in the water, letting my worries wash away.

We live in a world of should haves, would haves, and could haves. We tell ourselves “I should have done that, I should do this, I could have done that..” all day long. For example; today, on a Sunday, the first thing I did was make a list of what I should get done today. I have done this most of my life and sometimes it is helpful and sometimes it isn’t (as far as my anxiety goes). When I write a list a mile long of things I should do I tend to get anxiety because accomplishing all of those things would be nearly impossible and then I will run around frantically trying to get everything done. Frantic for me = ANXIETY! It means that my heart will race all day, I won’t digest anything, my shoulders and neck will tense up, and I won’t sleep well. When I write a list of 3 things that I need to accomplish during the day I tend to stay focused and get them done with far less anxiety.

So, today, after I wrote my 3 should do list I decided to ditch it, go to the beach, and take solace in knowing that without my list, without getting anything done, I can be ok and the world will keep going. I walked amongst big trees and put my feet in the cold salty ocean. After all, Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest…so I did that.

My advise to my readers: practice allowing yourself to do nothing sometimes and try doing it in nature because its much easier and the benefits go a long way!