Unless we’re talking about the return of our favorite TV show, the word “return,” doesn’t always feel good. For example, if you’re returning home to move back in with your parents, because you don’t have your next step in life, it may sting of defeat. “Returning to the scene of the crime” doesn’t only refer to a bank that’s been robbed, but also to places where we’ve messed up. Maybe even places where we’ve been hurt. And, “Returning to the gym” isn’t often a very promising phrase either. In many situations,
Returning doesn’t have a victorious ring to it.
It can however, have all the comforts of familiarity and belonging. In certain cases, it can feel like sleeping in your own bed again after vacation. In others, it holds all the nostalgia of your childhood wrapped up in one location. Returning can be good, even if it is humbling.
…There are things in our past worth returning to. And not just our grandmother’s kitchen, the city where we found our independence, or that restaurant with those incredible noodles.
In contrast, many of us have been programed to believe we always need to be arriving, reaching a new milestone, or leveling up. We’ve been taught producing and moving forward is the goal. Going backward is failure.
Only more often than not, there are things in our past worth returning to. Not just our grandmother’s kitchen, the city where we found our independence, or that restaurant with those incredible noodles. There are practices we’ve held in the past, that we’ve gotten away from. Routines or activities that used to bring us health, energy, and even joy. And I believe,
In 2021, it’s time for us to return.
For some of us, it may be as simple as getting back into our routines that went out the window as soon as the holiday season arrived. Though for many of us, I have a feeling, it may be returning to habits we lost within the first month of the pandemic. When we all went into survival mode, some of our healthiest routines were replaced with ones that gave us comfort.
There is no shame in looking for comfort.
However, we all must reach the point, where we return to the practices that feed us—mind, body, and soul—in order to find strength for this unexpected journey we’re still traversing. In my free Start Here 2021 guide, I give us space to figure out what we need to return to, to help us move forward. Here are three things I’m returning to, based on that process:
Moving My Body
Almost fifteen years ago, I discovered yoga. In a stressful season, it helped me take care of my body, and to breathe more fully. Over the years, I’ve included it in my exercise routine. Then, when we bought our house this past year “moving my body” became unpacking our belongings. But this season, I am making yoga my primary and almost daily exercise. I am finding it’s helping me strengthen my muscles, release tension and anxiety, and once again, it’s helping me truly breathe. It’s not burning a lot of calories, but it is exactly what I need this season.
Taking My Vitamins
Did you know Pennsylvania gets more rain than Seattle? I found that out a few years ago, when I wasn’t feeling so great and my doctor ran some tests. Turns out I was deficient in Vitamin D. My doctor said Vitamin D deficiency is common in my state, and it can greatly affect our emotional health as well as our physical health. So, in these months when we barely see the sun, it’s important for me to take my vitamins to be at my best. Do you know if there are any vitamin deficiencies you need to be looking out for, where you live?
Journaling
All of us are taking in a lot of hard stuff right now—whether personally or from our world. And, we all process it in different ways. Over the years, one thing that has helped me process my thoughts and feelings, is journaling. Sometimes, it feels like I don’t even know how I feel about something, until I write about it. Journaling is where I express what feels impossible to share, and it is one way I meet with God. This season, I am trying to bring it back into my weekly schedule, and it is helping me feel grounded in a season where it’s easy to get caught up in all the feelings.
What connotations does “returning” hold for you?
What do you need to return to this season?
Wishing you had started 2021 with more focus, but feeling like it’s too late to make any changes? It’s not! Sign up for my email list and get my FREE Start Here 2021—a guide to help you find focus and strength for the New Year.
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