“Your strength, power, and purpose start from within.” - Vital Proteins
After a year of constantly checking the news, reaching out to maintain connections and a semblance of normalcy, and working through uncomfortable and sometimes anxious thoughts, I know I’m most likely not the only one who doesn’t feel connected to my true self. As an introvert, I’ve always felt so connected and in tune with my body and mind, and I’ve been determined to regain that feeling. I think, whether you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert, connection to yourself is so important. It might look different in my life than yours, and that’s okay. No matter how you do it, stay connected.
Here are the habits I’ve implemented to help me reconnect and stay connected to my best self.
Create a Sustainable, Energizing Morning Routine
Whether you’re a morning person or not, how you start your day is so important in setting the right tone for the rest of your day. Start it off the right way by focusing on your attention on yourself - take a moment or a few to just sit and be. Some might call this meditation, but I just think of it as intentional self-connection. It starts the minute you wake up and climb out of bed. Actually, it starts the minute you fall asleep - getting a good night of quality, restful sleep. The rest of your morning is up to you! Here’s what mine looks like:
A glass of water and my supplements: probiotic, magnesium citrate, vitamin D3.
Coffee and collagen - Vital Proteins original collagen peptides. For the past 3 years, I’ve supplemented my diet with these collagen peptides everyday to support my joints, skin, hair, and nails. Because I don’t tend to eat much meat, let alone meat with bones still attached (better sources of collagen peptides), I find it helpful to supplement. Since I started including this in my routine, I’ve noticed reduced knee pain (which has always been an issue for me) and improved joint mobility, as well as softer, stronger skin, hair, and nails. With a scoop in my coffee and sometimes a scoop in my protein shake, I’m adding an extra 20 grams of high-quality collagen protein to my diet!
Journal - more to come on this next.
Workout, or any type of movement. This is part of my morning routine, and doesn’t need to be part of yours. Not everyone enjoys movement in the morning, but I’d encourage you to at least take a few minutes in the morning to schedule and plan your movement for the day.
Journaling
As part of your morning routine, dedicate a few minutes to journaling. I like to use three specific prompts when I journal: 1) three things I’m grateful for, 2) three things I’m looking forward to that day, and 3) three things I want to accomplish that day. The benefits of gratitude journaling extend far beyond just feeling happy - research shows expressing gratitude in writing can improve sleep, lower stress, and improve relationships. I recently started naming three things I’m looking forward because I found myself struggling to break through the stress of the day to find the joy in each day. For example, maybe I’m stressed about coordinating an event at work. Something I can look forward to might be accomplishing tasks related to this event, like confirming the caterer, watching ticket purchases increase, hearing how excited people are to attend, etc.
Journaling doesn’t need to take any more than just a couple minutes each morning, and what’s amazing is that those couple minutes can completely transform your focus and energy for the day.
Mindful, Intentional Time Alone
As an introvert, this one comes easily to me. Time to myself is essential - I need a dose of it everyday. I think everyone does, introverts and extroverts and everyone in between. It’s not just time alone, though. This time alone is most beneficial when it’s mindful and intentional. For me, this means going for a walk without listening to music or podcasts. It means sitting on the couch with my morning coffee before the sun rises or anyone else is awake, and just simply being. You might think of this, too, as meditation.
However you think of it, however you do it, here are the essential components:
Quiet - no podcasts or music to distract your thoughts
Space - away from other humans
Time - it’s more than just a moment or two, so give yourself time to be here with yourself
Why is this so important? Because there’s so much noise all around us today, that even when we’re physically alone, we might not really be able to spend quality time truly alone. Though it’s not always the easiest or most comfortable, like when difficult emotions arise and this time alone forces us to sit with them without distraction, over time and with practice, mindful intentional time alone is one of the best ways to establish and strong sense of self-connection.
Positive Self-Talk (Speak Kindly to Yourself)
Eleanor Roosevelt’s reminder that “no one can make you feel inferior without your consent” is perfect here. Positive self-talk is the response to both the outer and inner critics, reminding us not to let anyone else make us feel inferior. To me, this is the meaning of #ItsWithinUs. Th power to remain brave and confident in the face of negativity, adversity, or whatever obstacles come our way is within us.
Put simply, you can be your own cheerleader! Train yourself, like you might in the gym to squat heavier or run longer, to reframe negative thoughts to positive ones to propel you forward, igniting self-compassion and growth.
