July Reflections from Mary

July has been a full, fun and very hot month - one that has been filled with small special moments and learning more about myself. I've recently been exploring Human Design and have finally taken the time to explore more about my design and how I feel it aligns with my emotions, outlook and approach to life. And let me tell you, it resonates so deeply that I finally feel like I understand myself! Ok, that may be a little dramatic but in all honesty, this is the first personality test - which it's technically not a personality test but rather science and astrological - that actually is me to a t. For those of you who know human design, I'm a projector - and if you know in-depth about human design I'm a 4/6 splenic projector. Which explains why I have such deep, gut intuition, so much so that I've had premonitions for car accidents (twice) and breaking a bone, but they all haven't been bad, I did have a premonition about who I married! Anywho, July has been busy with getting my health back on track, connecting with friends, planning so much for MARY YOUNG that I sadly can't talk about yet and most importantly, growing deeper in my relationship with self. So here we go, same thing as last month, using recap as an acronym for different thoughts and experiences I've had.

ROUTINE

This month has had a big focus on getting back into routine, especially after my travels early June and back flare up that set me off. I'm also a big routine person, I like consistency and structure to keep me motivated, but I still need some flexibility. So rather than building routines that are rigid and the exact same everyday, I approach routines with a recipe. Specifically my morning routine; I focus on three things - mental, physical and emotional. I have to do something for each area in my morning, creating a little routine, before I start my workday. Lately it's been going for a walk or run first thing, usually ending up around 30-40m, which is obviously falls into the physical category but is also so good for my mental health. For mental I've been incorporating some breathwork or meditation, which don't come naturally to me so that can vary from 2-10m. I also do my weekly affirmations, which I'm now sharing with you on the MARY YOUNG Instagram broadcast channel (you can join from our IG profile) and these always help me feel recentered and connected with myself. For my emotions, I set aside 10-20m for my devotions and readings that remind me that the world is bigger than me and my problems. This gets my emotional state in check, along with my mental state so I feel prepared to head into the day. Oh and of course, breakfast which is protein focused these days and if often two eggs with season fruit or a protein smoothie. You can also watch my morning routine on YouTube!

ELIMINATE 

This month I've committed to eliminating negative self talk! What a concept? I've found that these small negative thoughts about myself have been creeping in and I've had enough of it. I completely understand that these things come in ebbs and flows, but I also know the only way to stop them is from being intentional with recognizing them and redirecting them. My negative self-talk has been showing up in ways like, why does anyone want to see me or my life, why would anyone care, I'm not cool enough, and the list goes on. A lot of this comes from spending too much time on social media and the comparison that comes in when consuming so much content. If you saw my recent reel on Instagram, you'll understand a little more and see that I'm putting myself out there and holding myself accountable for showing up more - visually - on all things MARY YOUNG. Because I am cool enough to be seen and share my journey as an entrepreneur and founder - I say this on repeat at least 10x a day!

COMFORT

I am a creature of comfort, which is why I like routine because I can lean into it and know what to expect. Outside of my routine there are a few things I like to do to add more comfort into my life. And not just cozying up on the couch! A lot of things that bring me comfort have to do with my childhood and going back to that feeling of comfort at a young age. Some of those things are doing puzzles, playing card games and colouring. I've been incorporating these acts of comfort into my week and allowing myself to feel like a kid again with no judgements or expectations. This idea of comfort also ties into last months experiences, seeing as many of those experiences are ones I loved doing as a child. So catch me by the pool, playing cards and belly laughing well into August and hopefully September too. 

ASKING FOR

This is a big one for me, as it also doesn't come natural to me, but I've been asking for help more. And in some ways, asking for help for the first time. There are some areas of my life that I feel comfortable asking for help but in all honesty, most areas of life I struggle with asking for help. I don't need to get into why that is, as I'm sure if you relate it is a mixture of childhood wounds and past experiences, but rather I'm focusing on flexing that muscle to ask for help. This has been as simple as asking my husband to carry things in from the car that I could do myself, but it would be easier to have his help to get them. But it is also as big as asking for more support from mentors and friends I look up to and want to learn from. I believe in the importance of community and supporting others, I love to give and help others but I haven't taken that knowledge and brought it back to myself. If I want to help others when they're going through a hard time, why wouldn't I ask for support when I'm going through a hard time? I've had to shake off that negative self talk and ego, that I should be able to do it all alone, because the reality is, we all need others to be our best selves. We need to learn, grow and experience life together with the love, support and help from one another to continue on the journey of a fulfilling life.

PROTECTING

This month I was really focused on protecting my peace and the importance of it. It started with focusing more on peace during the month of June and I quickly realized how peace can be shaken, disturbed or even taken away from you if you aren't aware of your boundaries and implementing them. Protecting my peace has shown up mostly with technology - hello the ultimate time waster! As I mentioned previously, when I spend too much time on social media I find my negative self-talk grows and grows, which is very much the opposite of peace. From realizing how impactful social media has been on my peace I've started to implement stronger boundaries with social media and my phone in general. I have a 'game plan' for when I open Instagram or TikTok that allows me to post and engage the way I want to with a reasonable amount of time of scrolling and a hard stop. No more doom scrolling! I've also had to do the same with responding to texts and answering phone calls. The fact we are all 'available' with cell phones has me very much tied to replying to texts right away and answering calls no matter what I'm doing. Which I've realized means I have no boundaries to protect my peace when I'm at home or just living. Of course, when it's work related and during work hours I'll reply and answer those calls, but if those calls or messages are personal conversations I limit my time I give to replying and I don't answer personal calls during the day. I also have time set aside for myself in the morning, hello routine, that is 100% for me and isn't about replying to texts that I received through the night or early morning. This focus on protecting my peace may seem selfish, and that's something I had to overcome, but in reality when I have more peace in my life I'm able to show up for work, friends and family in a more real and authentic way.

Thank you for joining me this month and I hope it inspires you to also explore these topics for yourself. If you do, I would love to hear them - if you want to share of course. Feel free to leave a comment or DM me on @ITSMARYYOUNG to chat more. The beauty of all this, especially being on the internet, is to feel less alone and reminded that we truly are in this together. Thank you for being here, thank you for being you.