STOP HERE

STOP HERE

Which is to say, Start Here. Day one.

Stop. Pause. Keep pausing. Then after a good long while, ask- “What do you (I) want?” 

I’ll get ya started. What do you want by May 24th? The last day of school. 2024 ___

More narrowly, how do you want to feel by the end of this school year?

How do you want to wake up in May?  

Rested? Regretful? Removed? Numb? Valued? Gracious? 

See what I mean here? 

School life will keep you focused on rigorous grades and an eventual graduation. College/Job. Future orientated stuff. I’m asking about the now. The daily. 

Start of the school year is often optimistic. Filled with hopeful, inner dialogue like, “This year will be better. I’ll be better.” Then by mid to late October, public school hallways look more, oh how to describe? Um,  Apocalyptic? Zombie- zoned?  

It’s hot in August. You might get sick by September; Then it’s more Make-up work, homework, tests, assignments pile up. You get overstretched, over-stressed. No breaks. Relationships get tested. You get the idea.

We see it year after year. I saw it year after year.  

If you can relate, we are related. Publicly schooled, ‘family’. Now, I cannot sit here and offer much, apart from hypocrisy. No matter how many times I said, “This year I’ll be better at pacing myself.” By May- I was zombie zoned. A month or two of recovery. Resist and repeat. 

I can offer this, however. DO LESS.  Less of anything and everything you possibly can. Ideally the stuff you sort of know, deep down is not helping you. Or worse, wasting your time. Both in and out of school. 

That’s it. Simple. Yes, and..

For those I.Students daring enough to try this. To ‘do’ less… Go ahead. I dare you. If you want to be part of a whacky experiment. Try it. Let me know how it works for ya. I’m not trying to taunt, it’s just that school has a sneaky way of occupying a lot of your time and mind. And there is constant pressure to Do. Something. All the time. 

If you can get used to unoccupied time. Daily. It may help balance life a bit better. For the long gig. It will give you more freedom, because you won’t have to constantly “need” and depend on outside stimuli. You are good with or without. Yes, yes? 

Then when you get good and bored, you can begin to self-discover. And the more you know______.

Okay, enough of that, for now-  

NOW- START HERE

What you may want: 

  1. A Notebook.  

  2. A pen or pencil. 

  3. An idea of an AM and PM routine. 

  4. An empty jar, scrap paper.

Here is what you may want to do:

  1. In your I-notebook, Write today’s date.

  2. Write what your first few days were like this school year; and write what your morning and evening routine is now. 

  3. On the last page, write about May 24th. About what will you want the end of this year to be like for you. How do you want to feel?

  4. On scrap paper, write three things you want to nurture- stuff you like; and three things you want to banish- get rid of.  Now, through May. Add to jar.

Notes: 

It is important to hand write, in a notebook, not a phone. It has to do with the brain-wiring stuff. 

Routines are some of the smallest and easiest things to do for yourself- for your brain to feel like it has more control. Your future self approves. 

That’s it.

Why? 

YOU ARE living history. Record it. You may want to use it. Or even re-write it. 

I.Suggestions: 

Mornings: 

  1. When you wake up, before you open your eyeballs, just lay still but stay awake. Pause for a few moments and see if you remember a dream. If so, great, write it down. Any part of it- just a few words or doodle pictures will do. Or write an emotion you woke to, before your brain fills with other stuff. ;) 

Rationale-

If you do not recall a dream, that’s okay, now focus on how you feel- emotionally. Why?

If you are more aware of your moods, more power to ya.  Because dreams effect moods, whether you remember them or not. And your moods effect people, which potentially effects relationships. Which assumably effect you. Yes?

2. Make your bed. Every Morning. 

Bed, brain, subconscious. It’s easy, and more empowering than you might imagine. 

Evenings:

  1. Write down one thing you learned about yourself today. 

  2. Brush your teeth. Wash your feet.  Now I’m making up stuff here; and yes, you are “doing’ something, but it is doing something YOU initiate, not school. Make up a relaxing, simple activity to do each night. 

  3. Imagine a lasting routine- conditioning you more to your own needs. 

What do you want?