September 2021: How Are You Showing Up?
As we enter a new season, it’s a perfect time for introspection. Read more about how the ways in which we show up in the world and how we can become more mindful of our presence.
September Theme
To kickstart this month’s theme, I invite you to, first, ask yourself three questions:
- How are you showing up in the world?
- How do you want to show up?
- Are your answers to the above questions in conflict with each other?
Ideally, how we want to show up and how we are doing so are one and the same. However, in a time when we have all experienced so much difficulty, I wouldn’t be surprised if many of us feel that how we want to show up in the world is misaligned with how we actually are.
Recognizing how we show up
Throughout most of 2020 and into 2021, I spent an embarrassing amount of time rage scrolling and sharing my outrage on social media. I’ll spare you the details. But let’s put it this way: I was pissed, and everyone knew it.
My anger grew with every swipe and scroll on my phone until a few months ago when I was sitting on the couch with my (then) five-month-old baby in my lap. She was content while I was angrily scrolling on Instagram. It was a moment of clarity: I looked at her, and it dawned on me that none of this matters to her. The drama and divisiveness of the world, quite literally, don’t exist in her mind.
That’s when I realized they don’t have to exist in my mind either. At least not all of the time. I don’t have to let conflict control the way I show up in my daily life.
The keywords: “show up” and “in my life.”
Really, most of last year, the way in which I was showing up wasn’t reflective of how I want to live. And I am brave enough to suggest that is probably true for many of us. When we dwell in patterns and habits that aren’t useful to ourselves (or others), we are not present.
Changing how we show up
It takes a healthy dose of uncomfortable honesty to acknowledge the ways in which we arrive in the world each day. And it even more honesty and a little bravery to change our ways.
Recently, I have made a conscious choice to mindfully enjoy the seemingly mundane parts of my life. In a recent Facebook post, I shared that I am working on “staying present with reality while also making space for things that offer simple joy each day.” Here are a few things I’m doing each day:
- Sticking to a morning routine (wash face, get dressed, unload the dishwasher…nothing fancy)
- Going outside and getting fresh air every day
- Listening to music while cooking
- Decorating my front porch — and actually lounging on the daybed out there
- Prepping healthy food on Sundays
- Letting as much sunlight in my house as possible
Do these small bits of joy change the world? Not directly. They do, however, keep my mind focused on the parts of life that I can control. These small acts of joy have replaced big moments of anger. And let’s be honest: when I am busy enjoying my daily life, there isn’t as much time for social media algorithm-induced outrage.
Showing up this way in my daily life makes me feel better. In turn, it makes me do better. Inevitably, I keep finding myself back on social media, but a shift has occurred. Most recently, an acquaintance shared an inflammatory post on Facebook. I couldn’t help myself; I had to respond. What I found was interesting though: I didn’t want to engage in a fight. I wanted to show up in a way that offered my perspective in a useful way.
Unlike many interactions over the last year, I felt good about how I showed up in her comments. I didn’t leave the conversation angry. It didn’t eat away at my day, my thoughts, or my mood. My presence was aligned with my beliefs, who I am, and who I want to be.
And that’s how I want to show up in the world for myself — and for you.
—
Show up for yourself each day with these moon + magnolia products!
