Spirit Days and Goal Tracking

Original post November 29th, 2022 on WordPress

Wow, what a day! Today I had a "spirit day" AND tracked my 2000th day of nutrition and movement!

What is a "spirit day"?

A Spirit Day is essentially a self-care day. I discovered the value of a spirit day back in the early 2000s when I was a single mom, raising three young kids, working part-time, and going to school for nursing part-time. Back then I called them "reset days" and before that, I would have considered them self-loathing days...I first noticed a pattern of, when having a day off both work and school, not wanting to do anything that I didn't have to do. At first, I judged myself with thoughts like "Ok Kellie, get your but off the couch and do the dishes!" and "That lawn isn't going to mow itself..." The judgmental self-talk only worsened the feelings of wanting to detach from life and isolate.

Eventually, I became conscious of this pattern and started to notice a pattern that I hadn't before: By the afternoon of that day of not wanting to do anything or by the next day I was feeling re-energized and ready to go again! Wow! That insight was very liberating for me. It allowed me to be gentle with myself when I was feeling like not doing anything because I knew that if I honored my body and mind by allowing them time to rest (that they were so clearly showing me I needed) then they would soon be refreshed and ready to go again. Also, liberating was the shift in my mindset and self-talk. What had previously been self-deprecating thoughts turned into supportive and nurturing self-talk: "Oh, ok, today is a day to take it easy and that's ok." "Thank you, body, for telling me you need a little more relaxation than I've been giving you." "I give myself permission to rest today.".... Giving myself time to re-set allowed me to not only rest and renew but also reflect and realign my energy where I may have gotten off track from my goals or needed a shift in perspective.

P.S. My reset days were also great days for quality time with my kids because I could just play with and spend time with them without worrying about the housework or homework getting done. I knew it would get done another time or another day and that was ok.

Fast forward to now (15-20 years later) I intentionally plan a day every month to be my reset day. Only now, I call them my spirit days because I spend the day deeply connecting with my higher self and alignment with my soul's purpose. Every day I practice mindfully living my moments and conscious connection to spirit and the spirit days are the days where I dig deeper into my spiritual practice, learning, and growth.

My spirit days usually are taken during the week, with PTO from work. On the weekends there are generally things planned and my husband also has the weekends off so my energy is intermingled with his, whomever else we may be seeing, and whatever else we may be doing. When I plan a spirit day the intention is to be alone with my own energy as much as possible; to cleanse away energies that aren't serving my higher purpose (from situations and/or others) and center in my baseline vibration again. So far, today, my spirit day has consisted of sleeping in until 8am. Enjoying a breakfast of a hard-boiled egg seasoned with lemon pepper and then joyfully indulging in a cinnamon roll from Kwik trip (warmed up and with melted butter) while sipping an espresso. Side note: Cub Foods has the best cinnamon rolls with Kwik Trip being my second favorite (and you can find them for 1/2 price after 6pm), and Hy-Vee being third runner-up for the best cinnamon roll award. For the next few hours of the morning, I listened to modules from my Silva Mind course while tidying up our living space with a grateful heart; stopping here and there to practice the meditations that are part of the Silva Mind training. After lunch, I enjoyed a workout, grateful for my body's ability to move and support me and appreciating where I was noticing improvements in strength and flexibility. This afternoon I'm making a week's worth of Kitchari (an Ayurvedic cleansing food) for my lunches and banana bread for my husband. I'll end the day with a cup of night-time tea and reading Letters to a Starseed by Rebecca Campbell. This book has brief chapters that help awaken the reader to a higher consciousness and purpose in life. I find a lot of inspiration in Rebecca's books. I keep my journal close by while reading to capture any insights and downloads before they fly out of my mind again. That is my spirit day so far today - they are all a little different and always with the intention of deep connection to my spirit and reset of my energy to refresh and renew me for the coming days. ----- I wrote the words above earlier today and now I can round them out by confirming the banana bread is made and my husband is enjoying it as well as I've now completed my 2000th log in my nutrition planner. I wonder if there is significance to a spirit day and the number 2000? When I type it into my Angel Numbers app it tells me "God is talking to you. When you see a zero, it's a sign of the endless circle of omega without a beginning or end. God is trying to get your attention with a word or reassurance or divine guidance." This doesn't surprise me as I've seen the repeating numbers of 111 and 444 as well today; also letting me know I'm aligned and on track. One of the clear messages I've been receiving lately is that I am here to practice fully grounding in my body while also experiencing human life through the eyes of source; To practice living life in this way. That's it. It sounds so simple and what I've experienced over the years is that as I open more and more to this purpose, I am challenged with life experiences that can either be seen as traumatic or as gifts for me to practice fully feeling and experiencing the depths of human emotions that unembodied source cannot. Back to tracking nutrition and movement. I've always loved exercise. Movement helps me to feel grounded in my body(aka, part of my purpose), helps decrease anxiety for me, and elevates my mood. 2000+ days ago I also realized that I felt the most comfortable in my body when my weight was around 115lbs, and I started taking steps to maintain that and have continued to do so. There are two tools that have been instrumental in this: My Fitbit and the Lose It app. I'd been tracking with the Lose It app before I had a Fitbit and it worked well. When I got my Fitbit and used that app, I found that the way it tracked things worked differently. I didn't like it and so went back to the Lose It app. My ultimate goal is to maintain a workout routine that is SUSTAINABLE and maintains my weight. I've changed my rules around food and fitness a lot over the years, as I found what worked and didn't work, and they will surely continue to evolve as I do. Currently, my movement routine includes getting 7000 steps/day on most days (5-7 days/week) and doing a 20-40 minute workout on most days (4-7 days/week). I trust my consistency and because of that trust when a day comes up where I just am not feeling it (steps or workout or both) I allow myself that rest without guilt or shame and with gratitude for my body. I know that I'll be inspired soon enough again to meet my step goal and/or do the workout. The same is true with my nutrition. I generally eat healthy and in moderation so when the weekend rolls around (or a spirit day!) and I want to enjoy a cinnamon roll I do so with great joy and appreciation for the sweetness of the frosting and the delicious contrasting taste with sips of espresso.