“Embrace that you are an ordinary women that can do the absolute extraordinary” Lucy Perry
I recently attended an event called Women Leading Change. As you can imagine by the title the speakers were incredible. They spoke of authenticity, self care, mindset, self acceptance, being of service to others among so much more. I am going to need at least a week to let it all sink in. My mind was just blown away with the wisdom they so generously shared.
It got me thinking about how I can apply this to my eco lifestyle journey and how I do my best to live in harmony with our earth and our oceans. How can I articulate my message in a way that is kind, loving and creates unity not separation?
Something I have realised for a while now is that when it comes to changing or shifting an area of your life so much comes down to mindset. We can so easily be overwhelmed by what living an Eco friendly life entails. You have to be organised, creative, willing to step out of your comfort zone and try new things (menstrual cups anyone?!). There are highs and there are lows just like anything in life.
By cultivating an Eco-friendly mindset you can reduce your overwhelm. It all comes down to these 5 simple steps I want to share with you.
5 steps to cultivating your Eco-friendly mindset
1) Find your why
Why do you want to live an Eco friendly life? What motivates you? Is it your health, your kids, your dog? Or maybe you love walks in nature and hate seeing it trashed. No matter what it is, If you are feeling overwhelmed or you need some inspiration to take your Eco journey to the next level, Tap into your why. Ask yourself those questions. Write it down. Put it in your journal or on a post it note. Pop it on the fridge. That way you can always remind yourself why you are doing this.
2) Love/ kindness
We must come from a place of love in all that we do, whether it’s picking up rubbish off the beach for the love of our oceans or not beating ourselves up when we forget to take our reusable bags to the supermarket. We have to lift ourselves up, be gentle, kind and compassionate towards ourselves and others when we live this journey. You will make mistakes. Plastic will make its way into your home. Be kind, be gentle, and know that you can make a better choice next time.
3) Find your Courage
Sometimes we have to dig deep to find courage to move forward on our eco journey. Getting out of our comfort zone can bring up a lot of uncomfortable feelings. Deciding to use baking soda and apple cider vinegar on my hair was terrifying the first time (probably because I forgot to dilute the ACV, and it got into my eyes and stung for an hour) but I seriously thought I was going to end up with a huge birds nest on my head. Luckily for me, I got the courage to take the plunge and my hair has never felt better.
4) Health/ wellness
We must look after ourselves before we can look after another, including our planet. If we are run down, stressed and sleep deprived we won’t be able to give 100% of ourselves to anything or anyone. I remember a few weeks ago I was down and out with a cold. A couple of times that week I forgot to take my reusable bags to the supermarket. I got to the check out and was instantly hit with green guilt (that sinking feeling in your gut that you get anytime you don’t make a planet positive choice). I don’t do it often but I know I’m way more likely to forget my reusable bags, cup etc when my head is foggy and I feel like crap.
5) Community
We can achieve so much more together than we can ever achieve alone. Share your experiences with your Eco soul sisters, friends and family. Join some supportive Facebook groups that share Eco tips, recipes and inspiration. The more we can create a community around living lighter on the planet the better for our Mother Earth, right?
All of these steps are so intrinsically linked together, choose one and start with that. Make it fun and remember every time you make a planet positive choice mother earth is smiling at you.
How do you cultivate your Eco-friendly mindset ? What would you add to this list?
Regan Jade xx
Regan Jade Taylor is a Marine Biologist and Eco-Wellness Coach.
Her site reganjade.com is a space for ocean loving women to learn how to get out of overwhelm and transition to a toxic free life that nourishes you while looking after our beautiful oceans. She makes it fun, easy and fashionable for the modern eco-warrior.
www.reganjade.com
www.facebook.com/reganjade.ecowellness
www.instagram.com/regan.jade
www.pinterest.com/reganjadeeco
