Written by : Giada Combusti
Life can be tough. It can leave us with a sense of bitterness, injustice and anger, it can harden our hearts and make us want to give up on EVERYTHING.
We’ve all been there and it is not nice. I know.
However, I think God ( or life as you might prefer to refer to it) has planned to give us more than this sense of harshness.
Every day we can choose how to live our lives and even when the world looks like going against us, it is always worth making an extra effort to be kind, gentle, loving and understanding with the people around us but mostly our family members. Is it easier to be an asshole than a nice person but the results are incomparable. I CHOOSE TO LOVE.
Here’s how I make sure I give the best to my family.
Bear in mind I don’t always succeed but as I often say “I try my best !”
- Sleep, sleep and sleep
Sleep is so important for me, whenever I have a poor night the day after is just miserable. I’m half patient, I feel lethargic and I perform really scarcely. Sometimes we underestimate sleep and we think we don’t need to sleep that much but soon or later the body would let us know that something is missing.
2. I fill up my cup
I, most of the time the one who wakes up earlier in the morning, 1 or 2 hours before everyone else. This is my time, when I pray ( meditate ), work on my projects and where appreciate the silence and the birds singing.
I am also the one who goes to bed at the latest as this is the time when I read my books.
Those two things for me are essential to start and finish the day in the best way. What are your things? Perhaps running? Cooking?
3. Healthy diet
I’m Italian and in our culture, there is no junk food, even ready meals from Italian shops are like home-cooked ones, so I have a very strong base and general knowledge of how to eat healthily; although there are temptations ( 🙂 ) everywhere I try to keep my sweet intake very low ( I have noticed that sugar gives me a bit of depression mood ) and I eat a lot of vegetables, fruits, nuts and dates. I only drink coffee, tea and water. When I feed myself well I feel good, strong and more focused therefore I give the best to the ones around me.
4. I choose to keep quiet rather than fire up a fight and so should you
With time, the tension in our relationships will rise and expectations will let us feel treated unfairly by our partner. This can be a challenge but what I tend to do is to try to ‘’fix’’ myself first, analyse my thinking and way of being, have conversations in the most constructive way and when things get nasty I just choose to keep quiet and I wait till the water has calmed down to discuss about that issue. It is easier to say than do but as I always say I try my best!
5. Do more of the things I love
I choose to minimise the things we do and the things we own and to spend more time doing the things I love which are drawing, shooting with my camera and spending time in nature.
SPENDING TIME IN NATURE is something I would never stop recommending to people who want to have a happier life.
Spend more time in nature. Is it as simple as that, we are natural beings and we should implant in our heads that nature is us and we need to be there to feel GOOD, more often the better. There are tons of studies about how good for our well-being is to spend time in nature here’s one: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032712002005
However not every time we have the possibility to go out due to bad weather or lack of time, so I would suggest finding something that you truly love and embracing that thing, indulging yourself in your hobby. This is another article I wrote about how to find your passion: https://peaceful-space.co.uk/how-to-find-your-passion/
6. Connect with other humans
Talk to people. Say “ Hi” to them, make new friends, be nice, encourage them, try to leave a positive note in their day and make sure to smile! Be a river of compliments, there is always something nice to say to anyone!
Even in our darkest time, a chat with someone, anyone, can really flip our mood, we shouldn’t be shy because there is nothing to miss and everything to gain.
7. Keep our home clean, tidy, and uncluttered and try to create a Peaceful Space
Our home should be our sanctuary.
Home should be a place where we feel at peace.
Home should be a place where you can rest – regenerate ourself.
I used to be a full-time fashion model and for years I moved from one place to another and I never had a chance to settle down and create my peaceful space. That came to an end when I became a mother over five years ago. In that time I learned that settling down is not just about having a fixed abode but creating a home where I am at peace. When my home it tidy and uncluttered I feel at peace and I found out how the balance of my home can interfere with my mental health. Minimalism is the key to success and I can firmly say less is more.
Less stuff is equal to less time wasted on cleaning, maintaining and replacing stuff with don’t really need. Everything has a place in our home and how nice is to wake up to a clean and tidy home, this makes me start the day on a very positive note.
8. Quiet time
In our era we constantly try to keep ourselves engaged in something, we scroll our phones to see what other people are up to, we call someone to have a chat, we watch videos on YouTube and we listen to podcasts; this can’t be necessarily all bad, it can actually be good and educational HOWEVER what I have discovered recently is that is GOOD to just do one thing at the time and just listen to the sounds of our homes and dive into our thoughts while chores. I found this sometimes to be therapeutic and necessary to feel connected and content.
9. Writing
When I write I can better picture my feelings, I can understand myself more and reassure my heart, I have done this since I was little girl and I can’t live without it. Writing my feelings, desires, fears and much more helps me to be connected and feel secure about myself and my values.
There is always a light at the end, look for it, don’t give up and just try your best, the rest will come with time….
10. Praying
Is the era of meditation and everyone is talking about it, I am a more classic/simple kind of person and I like to call this practice prayer. I dedicate this practice lots of time in the day by being grateful for every small / grate miracle I witness, as the things I can experience with my senses; I thank God for the beautiful things I have in my life, including the hardships, I ask for guidance for a more meaningful existence, a life at the service of others and I pray for the best for family, friends and the oppressed. This is food for my soul, light for my heart and clarity for my mind.
I hope this was a nice inspiring article for you guys.
With sincere Love
Giada