Notes From a Twenty-Something

It appears that the current trend among young people (and us a little older for that matter) is that most of our time is spent so far away from whatever it is we are actually experiencing. We are re-living things that have already happened; things that we regret or are embarrassed about or wish had done differently, or we are worried about things that haven't happened yet; worried about how things may go or stressing about different possible outcomes of situations, or, and this is probably the most common among the Gen X-ers of the world, we are multi-tasking, having conversations with people online while we eat at restaurants, checking our Facebook while watching a movie, watching the news while we eat our dinner, you know how it is… And I myself am guilty of all of these things, in no small or infrequent way.

The concept of mindfulness is quite simple really, and yet it is one that I am finding more difficult than I thought I would to implement. Mindfulness involves us living in the present moment, being aware of our surroundings and sensory experiences, and accepting whatever feelings, emotions or sensations we may be experiencing at any one time. Something I found particularly interesting is that we can be mindful while doing anything, you can be in a mindful state when driving (it's probably encouraged that we are really), when eating, when spending time with people, even when watching a movie. It just involves really engaging in what is happening around you and how you feel. 

During the day we engaged in various activities around the different senses which really opened my eyes to the things going on around me that I am just not always aware of. Little activities like stopping, closing our eyes and identifying five different sounds we could hear, not out loud, just ourselves being aware of what was going on around us. We also did some breathing exercises which are quite similar to the kind of breathing you would do in yoga.

Some of the activities are things that I will be able to use with young people who have issues with anxiety or anger management, but I also took away so many things that I want to implement in my own life. For me, one of the reasons mindfulness stands out to me is that it isn't about cutting anything out of your life, it is a common misconception with meditative practice that it is about blocking everything out, being at one with only your thoughts and feeling bad if you day dream or your thoughts wander, I realise now that is not the case.  For me it is just about being where I am and enjoying what is happening, if I'm having a conversation with someone I want to really make sure I'm listening properly to what they are saying, if I am eating something delicious I am going to savour it and if I decide I want to watch a movie or an episode of something I am going to pay attention to it and enjoy it without checking my phone at the same time. I think I might be a work in progress for a while but I definitely think this is something I want to have a real go at doing properly.

Do you engage in mindfulness practice? Or do you have trouble staying in the 'present moment'? I'd love to hear your thoughts or experiences.

Zoe xx

There was no big party for me this year, just some good food and great conversation with wonderful friends and I hope that that is a reflection of what is to come for me this year. 

She mentioned she was giving "No Spend February" a go, I hadn't heard of this before but from what I can tell it originated on the Simple Savings website, and while on my little Googling adventure I discovered quite a few others have written their accounts of attempting a spend free month, some of which are quite entertaining… 

Basically the general idea is that for the month of February you only spend money on the absolute essentials; food, petrol, mortgage etc. and say no to all those little purse-draining extras that quickly add up. It sounds a little scary but I figure if I'm going to give it a go, choosing the shortest month of the year is probably my best bet! I'm also really hoping to take myself on a holiday later this year, so saving for that is nice motivation...

Tomorrow I return to work after the most relaxing, beautiful five week break so I think this is good timing for me to commit to a month of no spending. Over the last few weeks I have enjoyed many meals out and just popped down to the shops on several occasions, a venture that always leaves me with lighter pockets than when I arrived… 

I have a few commitments this month that are going to mean I may struggle sticking to the plan; a 30th Birthday, a Hen's Night and a wedding on the 1st of March, but I figure the fact that I am thinking about these things and how much they will set me back in advance is actually already a step in the right direction of being more money aware. 

So, wish me luck! I will update you at the end of February on my successes and challenges.

Do you have any money saving tips to help me in my quest to be more money aware? Are you the kind of person who likes little challenges to keep you motivated to save? If you feel like you need a little challenge to kick start your savings feel free to join me on my February adventure, we can encourage each other! 

Jumpsuits! I love a good jumpsuit and there is lots of great options in the shops at the moment. Surprisingly, as a colour lover, I am also loving the white and black trends that are hitting the stores, but with bold coloured accessories. I am finding myself attracted classic, structured pieces this season.

I had so much fun collaborating with Megan on this post, head on over to her blog to see outfit posts, some lifestyle posts and more recently some posts on how she is decorating her new house which I am particularly enjoying.

Zoe xx