Going off the grid 😬 + Boston 💙 💛
#SimonSays...With Texas Big Star Half Marathon & 5k in the rear view mirror, Paul and I got away to Colorado Bend State Park last weekend (Hill Country area for you Texans). We looked forward to hiking, camping and spending quality time together to unwind.... which we did. But what we didn't expect was being forced to be off the grid. That's right. No cell service, wifi or hotspots - period. I'm not gonna lie, the first hours were tough. We both kept habitually reaching for our phones like total addicts. But after a while, the phone became a nice camera 📷 and not a doomsday scrolling internet machine. 😒 Have you ever been forced to be without your phone, wifi, internet, etc for a few days? If that sounds CRAY-CRAY, but go ahead and give yourself a technology free hour a few times a week. I promise, the mental benefits are WORTH IT 💯 We came back refreshed, rejuvenated and energized... Need some ideas? 📕 READ: 51 Far Better Things to Do than Scrolling Through Your Smartphone XO, jules 🧠 Content I’m Consuming…🗒️ Article - How the Boston Marathon Messes With Runners to Slow Them Down April marked ten years since I was at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. It’s always an emotionally charged time for me (and my family, who all came out to watch my first Boston!). But what makes the Boston Marathon so damn special? As every veteran marathon runner knows, Boston is slow, wicked, and tempestuous. It’s a wonderful course if you want to experience camaraderie, history, and emotional uplift. It’s a terrible course if you want a personal best… and demonstrated that even 2-hour marathoner Eliud Kipchoge can be humbled by this course! 📚 Book - Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem (Kevin DeYoung) I heard Kevin DeYoung on a podcast and knew I had to read his book on busyness addiction. This is not your typical productivity book with varying time management tips such as calendar blocking... but offers Biblical tools and references to further our understanding of what it really means to rest -- and rest well at our deepest levels. His writing is witty, fun and very relatable + with all the wisdom this book packs, I think I highlighted the entire thing! 🎙️ Podcast - Sir, You Have Anxiety (Jamie Bryson, Parkinsons Fight Club) If you've ever had mystery symptoms, been misdiagnosed or fighting a nagging chronic condition, this ones for you! Jamie shares his journey to his diagnosis to early onset Parkinson's. He and his wife Christy, share their experience together in his inaugural show. 📺 YouTube - How to Feel Energized & Sleep Better With One Morning Activity (Dr. Huberman) Dr. Andrew Huberman is a professor of neurobiology at Standford offering tips and tricks to bio-hack your way naturally to better health outcomes. In this episode he discusses how you can feel more energized and sleep better by doing one thing every morning—getting bright sunlight. Yep, pretty easy way to start changing your health, right? ✍️ My Latest Blogs and Guest PostsI’ve been busy writing on xojulessimon.com and working with other sites to offer up my services. Here’s the most popular articles from last month! 📝 5 WAYS TO START YOUR CLEAN LIVING JOURNEY AS A CHRONIC ILLNESS WARRIOR 📝 19 WELLNESS-INSPIRED MOTHER’S DAY 2023 GIFT IDEAS 📝 THE ART OF SLOW LIVING: 5 WAYS TO LIVING MINDFULLY AND EMBRACING A SLOWER PACE 🚀 Featured in...📝 For Years, I Lived with Seasonal Affective Disorder, Thinking It Was Just the Winter Blues @ HealthWomen.org What else do you want to hear or learn about in my blog? Or, looking for a writer for your site? Holler! (Simply reply back to this email!) 📱Post of the Week ….I can't believe it's been 10 years since we were at the Boston Marathon... This race will always have a special place in my heart... God was looking out for us that day... AMEN! 🙏 #bostonstrong 💛 💙 ♥️ Product I’m diggin💇♀️ Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo Light Tones Dry Shampoo is a girls best friend, am I right? After my generic brand got recalled via Amazon for using nasty chemicals, I was on the hunt for something that worked AND wasn't toxic. This one fits the bill! 💵 Btw, on the topic of toxicity ... we should probably stop tasting the rainbow. 🌈 Later skittles... A California bill could ban foods containing red dye No. 3 over potential health concerns. It’s used in ~3k products, including cake mixes, protein shakes, and Skittles. 🤔 Did you know?⏰ TIME surveyed 18 leading happiness experts about the meaning of happiness, whether happiness is a choice, if it can be bought, and what they do every day to find happiness in their own lives. Some major takeaways we all need to consider: 😊 Constant happiness isn’t possible (or even desirable) 😊 Happiness can be strengthened and taught 😊 Happiness doesn’t mean ignoring life’s real problems. 🤔 Quote I’m pondering…“A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.” - Tim Ferriss 💭 Final thoughts🌸 The beginning of summer feels like a breath of fresh air (literally!) I can hear everything waking back up from a long winter slumber.... And I too feel like I’m finally awakening from a long season of forced rest... Sit for a moment and ask yourself what changes you want (or need) to make in this new season!? I'm cheering you on... XO 😘 |
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#SimonSays... Hey there... Coming at you from 35,000 feet -- Yes, we've been jet-set the last few weeks, which has been awesome, but my inner homebody is screaming out! Which reminds me, I recently wrote a blog that resonated with MANY of you. I couldn't believe all the calls, texts and emails I received from friends saying, 'Wow, that's me too? (thanks for those, btw!) If you haven't had the chance, give it a read: IT TOOK ME 40 YEARS & SEVERE BURNOUT TO REALIZE I WAS AN INTROVERTED...
#SimonSays... Hey there... Okay, waaaait, wait, wait, can time slow down for a sec? ✋ How can it be Fall already? With the change of seasons, one thing I've been thinking about lately is how we often think that something "far off" will make us happy. We think traveling to a new place, getting a different job or meeting someone new will make us happy. But happiness will always be withheld if you believe it is somewhere else. Somewhere in the future.... The secret is to find joy in the people...
#SimonSays... Hey there... It's my birthday month! 🎉 And there's nothing quite like a trip around the sun to get you thinking.... You know how it goes – we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of chasing success. Society has this way of conditioning us to always strive for the next big thing – the degree, the job, the partner, the family. But in doing so, we often lose sight of what truly matters. We forget to take a moment to pause and reflect on what we really want out of life. It's like...