For the next month, I'm going to be doing a series on what it looks like, in my life, to live healthily (if thats even a word) in my mind, emotions, body, and spirit. There are so many philosophies on living a healthy lifestyle and I don't think any are wrong. It's about what works for you and your lifestyle which is why I'm writing from my perspective as an out-of-college, single women in my 20s working a handful of random jobs.
So, if you don't know me and what I'm doing, hi my name is Taylor. I'm 24 living in the Los Angeles area working as a sales associate in clothing, as a web designer for a real estate company, and as an editor and website manager for a travel blogger, while pursuing financial stability under the mentorship of some incredible entrepreneurs as well as trying to figure out if the film industry is where I want to create a career and a future. Welcome to my world. It's a lot busier than it actually sounds, I promise. Which leads me to my first topic today: keeping my mind healthy in such a crazy, and honestly, often non-challenging environment. So, if you can't relate, I'm sorry, but keep reading because hopefully you'll be able to relate to some of the things I say today.
So my main job is working part time in retail. Now, if any of you have worked retail as an associate (not a leader or manager), you would know that your main job is customer service, which is where I find myself most days. And honestly, I've never found it mentally stimulating or challenging. I mean, I enjoy the social aspect of it, as I love to talk to people and serve. But mentally, it just doesn't do anything for me. And that's why I'm trying to be more aware of keeping my mind healthy.
The first thing I do to challenge my mind is read. And this seems like the most no brainer way to keep your mind active and learning, as that is basically what the first 22 years of our lives are. I'll be honest, I hardly ever read in school. So this wasn't really an established routine for me, nor did I really see the importance of reading...or let me specify, reading educational and developmental books. I always loved reading fictional books, especially 19th century European literature (yes I'm one of those weirdos). But reading a book about budgeting or time management was never even on my radar. But over this past year, I've found it incredibly helpful to keep my mind challenged, especially because some of the topics I've read about are practically implementable, which has and still does take mental effort on my part every day. But it's kept my mind incredibly active. And don't get me wrong, I still love reading fiction, but sometimes it doesn't challenge me the way a personal development book does. So that's the first thing I've been doing to keep my mind healthy.
The next thing I do is listen to podcasts. Living in LA, you spend A LOT of time in the car...A LOT of time! So, as sad as this is to say (because I absolutely love music, which I'll talk about in a few weeks), music gets old after a while. I've noticed as I'm driving somewhere, I'll get bored because I'm not being mentally stimulated or challenged. So one of the things I've been doing for that is listening to podcasts instead of music. This is something I'm still working on as I do really love music, but I've noticed how much more aware I am when and after I listen to a really good, inspirational podcast and how my mental state changes, becoming more engaged and more active which in turn affects how I go out and interact with people. So that's the second thing I do to keep my mind healthy.
The last thing I do is be creative. I've always leaned towards the creative world in one way or another growing up. Sometimes it was through art, sometimes it was through writing, sometimes it was through music, and sometimes still it was through dance. These have all been important throughout my life and have kept me mentally active. So, over the past week or two, I've picked up both music (I told you music is important to me) and art, drawing specifically (and this blog of course but that's been for the past two months or so). Getting back in to guitar has been such a mental challenge, trying to do something I'm not used to and trying to remember chords that my hands physically can't reach. It's frustrating, but so exciting at the same time, knowing where I'm going and knowing that I'm taking steps to get there. I can't wait to be able to play that first song some day but it definitely does not come without its challenges. I've also picked up drawing again, specifically drawing my dream home, and one of the things I've loved about the mental aspect of this is trying to create a three dimensional space in my mind and bring it to life on paper from one perspective. It's been so much fun doing research on different windows and courtyards and trying to make sure the perspective is consistent all the way through. It's been incredible to get lost in the creative possibilities of this project. So, all I have to say, is don't underestimate your creative abilities and the affect it has on your mental state. Try is and see what happens.
Reading developmental and education books, listening to inspirational podcasts, and finding a creative outlet are all things I do to keep my mind healthy and active in a world where the work I do isn't always the most stimulating or challenging. If anything, just try out one of these and see what happens throughout your week. I think you might be pleasantly surprised at the result.
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