A Recipe for Comfort

Hello friends!

Yesterday, I met with a long-time client and friend. As we caught up, we drifted to the current state of affairs in Washington DC. Amidst our fear and disbelief, she said something profound: we all have a “sphere of influence” that we alone can control. We may not be senators or movie stars, but we have our own perspectives, special friends, and families – our own sphere of influence.

 

Living Room of a special client that evokes tranquility. Photography by Christina Wedge.  

 

Her words got me thinking about what I can control within my own sphere to ease my mind and stay present. The answers surprised me.

I can control my home environment. Making my bed, washing dishes, and keeping things tidy gives me a sense of calm. I can often control my reactions to things that are said or done. Listening and choosing control over my emotions by being silent and sitting with a feeling has taken time, but I’m improving. This quiet allows me to be with myself and observe my thoughts. Often, these thoughts are irrational and harsh, but if I sit with them, they usually pass. Just knowing this gives me a sense of control over my emotions.

 

 Photography by Christina Wedge.

 

I can also choose to move my body each day. Even on cold or rainy days, I can dress appropriately and go outside for a walk. I can work out in the morning because I have the discipline to make it happen. My body is something I have a great deal of control over. I am far from perfect at this, but I am aware and improving at this aspect of my life.

Another thing that I am learning is how to have some control over my time. With my own ADHD, I often start spinning and struggle with executive function.   I am becoming aware of how I spend quality time and how I  waste my time.  I know that I am most productive in the morning and that I get tired around 9:30 pm.  I work in short bursts, and I get easily distracted, so I have learned to set a timer at work to minimize my distractions and focus deeply.  I also realize that I say “yes” too often socially, and I get depleted fairly easily.  These realizations have taken me a seemingly long “time” to learn, but I am grateful to finally get a glimpse of this possibility of controlling my own time.

So what does this blog post have to do with design?  Honestly, I am not sure and maybe if I dig deep, I can make some brilliant tie-in. One small thing is that all of the beautiful imagery is from the client’s home that inspired this post.   However, it is late (10 pm), and I just wanted to share that even in times of uncertainty, there are important things that we can control, perfect, and even enjoy.  I encourage you to reflect on your sphere of influence, and I know that there are even more ways to master yourself and feel better because of it.

For more thoughts like this, I enjoyed reading Ryan Holiday’s Discipline is Destiny.  So many juicy nuggets of wisdom on stoicism and the “joy” of self-discipline.  The time management books that I am currently reading is Cal Newport’s Slow Productivity and Francesco Cirllo’s The Pomodoro Technique.  (The timer idea came from this book.)

Thank you for reading this each week.  This week was not very design-y, but I hope it was still thought-provoking.  Let me know your thoughts: stephanie@balancedesignatlanta.com.

Until next week,

Stephanie