I’m a planner, a scheduler, and a worrier but if I let my mind wander to the past or the future all the time, I end up missing what’s happening in the moment. When I’m working I try to remind myself to come back to the present every time I glance at the rings on my fingers, and at home I remind myself to stay with the moment when I see my little dogs. Having visual queues has been a great help, and I find that as I’ve been practicing this my days seem longer, I’m more relaxed and I’m less stressed.

Working for myself means that I always have multiple timelines on multiple projects up in the air, and sometimes I get carried away with scheduling my time. Remembering that I need down time in the evenings and on the weekends allows room for my life, and for me to be spontaneous, give myself the time I need to process difficult things that happen, take naps, and daydream. Giving myself that space makes me a better designer, business owner, friend and wife!

For a long time I was great at this, but over the past year I’ve been out of this habit and only recently realized how much I miss it! When I have my camera nearby I look at things a little differently because I’m on the look out for beauty. It helps me to approach my life with gratitude and to recognize the power of simple things, like seeing wild rabbits in my neighbourhood while walking the dogs in the morning, to make me happy! If everyday life can make me happy, I feel like I must be setting myself up for a meaningful, beautiful life.

While I love to bake, I’ve never been a big cook but this year I’ve been trying to change that. By making mealtimes something that I look forward to, from the planning & prep to the dishes, I’ve been able to add more times into the day that I’m focused on taking care of myself in a really tangible (delicious!!) way. I eat a number of small meals every day, and each one holds possibility for creative flavours to mingle, and healthy habits to become more a part of my life. It also means there’s something to look forward to every few hours! You can’t beat that.

For a long time in my life, I wasted a lot of time agonizing about things I didn’t like about myself and worrying about what was going to happen next. While my worrying and anxiety was eventually diagnosed as an anxiety disorder, so many women struggle with similar feelings. Being trapped in a negative thought cycle, or by your worries, is terrible, but being aware of the negative thoughts you have and beliefs that you hold is a powerful step toward letting them go! In the past few years I’ve stopped apologizing for myself & fixating on changing things about me and have started celebrating myself and adopting positive habits instead. I’m loving the quirky parts of myself better than I have in a long time, and it makes every day so much more fun.