Carolyn Carleton
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Finding Quiet

3/30/2021

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Life is full of chaos and noise. It has gotten to the point where we are afraid of quiet.

Whenever there is quiet our thoughts take over and those thoughts can scare us sometimes.  So we choose to keep adding to our lives. 

Tonight our daughter was working on homework assignment, my husband was at band practice so I finished up the dishes and thought I would go and sit down and rest for a few minutes. While I was sitting down to relax I turned on the TV to watch the news, then I thought that I hadn't read the paper today. When I finished the paper I picked up my phone and started to play a game on it.  All of a sudden I realized what I was doing.  I had planned to sit down and relax for a few minutes and now I was bombarding my brain into overload. 

Why do we willingly do this to ourselves?

It is time my friends - to embrace quietness and stillness and learn to just 'Be'.

It takes time and practice, it will not be easy for me - I can tell you that!  But it is something that I know I need to do.  The first step I believe is to find a place where you can find quiet.  Also, if you have children that would include a time as well. 

I have friends that will get up at obscene hours in the morning just to guarantee their quiet time.  I am not a morning person.  I get up because of necessity to take care of my family and get ready for work.  I like dusk, my family has quieted down for the night and I have time to think about my activities of the day - the conversations that took place - and what did I learn today?  I want to start working through my 2021 Reading List and drink more tea.


Use those precious moments during your day to pause and "Be".  I am told that your quality of life will increase dramatically. Life throws so much at you each day - I want to be able to treasure those moments of silence and solitude, and use them to become a better wife, mother and friend and to truly Enjoy the Everyday!

Anyone want to join me on this journey? I am going to need all the encouragement I can get! 

Leave a comment below with your favourite time of the day to find quiet, and what that looks like for you.
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Social Media Cleanse

3/16/2021

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Last year I found myself scrolling a lot.  I was checking the news all the time, wanting to keep up on the latest COVID reports.  I was trolling through social media to find connections and to constantly check on everything.  Completely wasting a lot of time.

Finally I got to the point where I had to stop watching the daily news reports, I had to stop listening to people who were always speaking from the negative.  

I have always tried to look at situations from the positive.  Focusing on the negative - always seems to bring more negative.
Less scrolling - more living
​I had to consciously make a choice as to how I was going to deal with social media and my news consumption. 

Here is a list of steps that I took:
  1. I turned off notifications.  The red dot gets me every time.  If I see it, I have to make it disappear.  So I went through my notifications for my social media and turned them all off.  I do not always have to be available to everyone at all times.  Once I got started I went through every app on my phone and set the notifications appropriately for each app.  
  2. Then I went through my social media accounts and I unfollowed quite a few people on Facebook and on Instagram and I hid a few peoples stories, I don't need to see them walking around their house everyday telling me their every move.  I unfollowed "influencers", my bank account can only handle so much influence.  😂  If I didn't recognize the account, then I unfollowed.  I even unsubscribed from a bunch of emails that I never read but would show up weekly in my inbox.  It felt like a really good cleanse.
  3. I went through a change in my business last year and so I decided to go through my Facebook groups and pages that I followed.  Everyone changes over time and there were a lot of things I didn't need to follow or be a part of anymore.  Some groups were not monitored well and I found them quite frustrating, so I left.  I'm sure no one noticed that I was gone, but it felt good to not have to scroll through content that I was no longer interested in. 
  4. Limit your time scrolling.  This is a hard one because it becomes a habit, you see your phone just sitting there so you have to pick it up.  Then the next thing you are doing is scrolling through all the apps, and then wondering how the phone ended up in your hand.  A couple of tricks to limiting your time.  Only scroll standing up, you will spend less time scrolling if you are standing and set a timer.  Some apps have timers of how long you spend on it in a day or use the timer on your phone.  It is amazing how quick you can loose 30 minutes.  I was speaking with someone on the weekend and they do not go on any social media on Sundays.  I think that is a good habit that I would like to start.
  5. Break the habit.  In order to break the habit I had to replace the desire to pick up my phone with something that I wanted to do more or something that I should be doing instead.  In the mornings I would sit with my coffee and scroll, now I do at least 30 minutes of yoga and have my coffee when I sit down to work.  I want to spend more time reading in 2021, so at night when I have to urge to sit and scroll, I pick up a book instead.  Once I start reading I usually don't want to quit.  So now I am spending more time doing yoga and reading and you know what?  I am not missing out on anything that is happening on social media.

Social media has it's benefits and it can be good, but when it gets in between you and the one life that you have to live, then there is a problem.  I think most of us have a problem finding that balance.  

This week I am asking you to take a little self check and see how you are doing.  Click below for a checklist that I created that you can add to your journal pages.
click here for your social media cleanse checklist
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Creating time & Space

3/9/2021

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In order to commit to a weekly date with your journal - you need to create time and space.

​Carve out a space in your home.  Beautify it, declutter it, add a plant, add nice lighting - add whatever motivates and inspires you.

I like to journal first thing in the morning on Saturdays while my family is still in bed.  So I prep the space the night before so that when I come downstairs and make my coffee the first thing I see my space ready for me and I remember to sit down and make time for my journal.   I fill the diffuser, place my journal on the table beside my chair, find my special pen and put my favourite blanket to snuggle in beside the chair.  Sometimes I like some background music (preferably jazz)  but most of the time I like the quiet stillness of the morning.

Before I begin I like to pause for a few minutes just to enjoy the stillness.  An opportunity to take a few deep breaths and savour this time.

Define your space.  What does your space look like?

You do not need to remodel a whole room, maybe take what you already have and move it around and create something for you.  You deserve this time and this time is essential.

​I have learned that I need to be disciplined and committed to writing in my journal once a week.  It is too easy to convince myself that I will make the time and then another day passes, and then another day.  Then I feel guilty, and then it feels like something I have to catch up on .  


I learned a new trick to dedicating a time to write in my journal, and I wanted to share it with you.  I pick a time to spend time journaling and then I choose to stick to it, then I open my OAK meditation app.  This is now one of my most used apps on my phone.  The breathing exercises are a great way to start your day and I fall asleep to the relaxing sounds every night.  When I sit down to journal I use the unguided meditation and I set it for 30-45 minutes depending on how much time I have, I add my favourite background sound and I set the chimes.  I have an interval bell go every 5 minutes because my mind tends to wonder when I am writing in my journal, the chime brings me back to focus on my journal time.  It is a bit of a discipline exercise but it has been really good for me.  If you think it would help you, then please give it a try and let me know what you think!

Leave a comment below and tell me about your ideal time and space to write in your journal.
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