Hello kindred spirit! Welcome back to the blog!

Today’s post – the 15 things I do everyday – is rather simple, and yet I often find a lot of inspiration in hearing the routines and daily acts from my favorite people and creators. So, why not share my daily lifestyle rituals with you? ☀️

The private things we do everyday make up our lives.

While I love to share my life openly on the internet, through Youtube videos and Instagram stories, I also have a richly personal life, filled with many things that aren’t ever shared.

Here are the 15 things I do everyday.

Make My Bed

So simple, but the day is not started until I make my bed. I open the windows in my bedroom, get some fresh air swirlin’ around and let the bed air out before making it. Back in the day, when I lived in New York City, I would often not make my bed and returning home after a long 15 hour+ day running around the city, always gave me stress. Now I have a built-in habit that every morning, the bed is made. And it makes returning to it in the evening so lovely. I once heard the idea that even if you’re having the most sluggish, unproductive day ever, simply doing the one task of making your bed is a great accomplishment!

Meditate

Meditation is the most important part in my day, hands down. Some days I don’t want to meditate in the morning and I’ll just put on Insight Timer for 5 minutes. Other days, I’ll sit in silence for 10-15 minutes. A few times a week I’ll listen to a To Be Magnetic DI meditation. And then some days I’ll sit on my yoga mat and gaze up out the window at the tree or clouds. Simply observing nature and being mindful of thoughts, bringing the attention back to the breath, is a form of meditation. This grounding practice is the foundation for the rest of my day. For some tips on how to get started with meditation, I wrote a blog post on meditation here or you can get my entire collection of guided meditations in my slow living online course here!

Have a Hot Drink on my Yoga Mat

After sitting in silence, I’ll get up and make a cup of coffee or lemon ginger tea. I always sit crosslegged on my yoga mat when I do this. Being on the floor is really grounding and my yoga mat is my favorite place to be in the entire house! There’s something magical about the simple ritual of having a hot drink to start the morning. Cupping a hot drink, in my favorite ceramic mug, and being present with it connects me with my senses and reminds me to slow down and enjoy my day. The coffee will start to wake me up and at that point, I’ll put on soft, spiritual music on Spotify and look up at the clouds, all the while I’m swaying and humming! ✨

Free Write Journal

Never do I ever, ever, ever miss a day of journaling. Like, ever. This is my me-time. It’s my favorite part of the day, because writing is how I best communicate my heart, mind and soul. Even if I have nothing to say, nothing on my mind, I still write. I write on whatever is around me. I write to-do lists, action plans, goals, dreams, places I want to see, what my intuition wants me to know. I’ll communicate with my angels, have back-and-froth conversations with God. I’ll write poems when I’m feeling dreamy. Or whatever spontaneously springs forth. Once I start writing the first page, I continue until I’ve written three full pages. I got through entire journals in a matter of 2-3 months. These journals are never for anyone else, but for me. As someone with a very curious and active mind, I need a place to put it all down. When I go for a walk, a tiny pocket notebook is in my back pocket. When I go to a cafe, a journal is always in my purse in case an idea springs forth or my inner voice sends me a message. Journaling is my entire world. Everything in my life is sourced from these pages.

Read for Pleasure

After journaling, I read a few pages for pleasure. This always happens in the morning and at night before I fall asleep. I always have two books placed near my yoga mat: one spiritual and one nonfiction, depending on how I feel in the morning. I’m not a big fiction / fantasy reader. I love non-fiction, spirituality, history, astrology, tarot, philosophy. I’m usually reading three books at one time, jumping between them while I feel excited and inspired to do so.

Prayer

Prayer is something I do throughout the day. A lot of people assume I’m religious when I say this. I’m definitely not. I’ve made this spiritual relationship my own and I don’t follow any rules. And yet, I have a very active relationship with God / Source / the Universe. Throughout the day, I do a check in. I’ll express my gratitude for a day of life, for the joy I’m feeling on my daily walk, for the sunshine, for giving me my darling Alex, for showering me with support. When I need courage, I’ll ask God to send me courage. When I’m feeling anxious, I’ll ask Universe to send me soothing support and lift my fears. When my friend is struggling, I’ll pray for her. When I need to find a parking spot, I ask the “parking angel” to assist me. I’ve seen and witnessed the miracles of life. And it’s all about opening yourself up to something bigger. Leading with that softness and possibility. It all comes down to communication and this ritual of daily prayer has never let me down. 🙂

Tarot Card Pull

After setting my intention for the day in my journal and checking in with the Universe through prayer/my journal, I’ll pull a tarot card form my traditional tarot deck. One card: the tone of the day. I let my intuition tell me what the card means. I’ll often light a candle, allow my intuition to open up and communicate through my voice, pull a few more cards if I need some clarity. Just takes a minute or two!

Get Outdoors

Getting outdoors for a walk is my daily exercise. My walks usually last 1-2 hours and I love walking to my nearby forest, along the beach or through my suburban neighborhood. Sometimes I’ll run errands or go to the University library / coffee shop to write (where I am now as I type this). If I skip a walk or don’t get outside everyday, I feel reaaaaally off; I feel closed off from the world, in my own little secluded bubble, and it makes me feel disconnected from humanity. To combat this feeling, I enjoy taking the local city bus into town or sitting on a park bench and people-watching in my neighborhood. My days are so much lighter when I go for my daily outdoor walk, and somehow it makes me connected with the world.

Listen to Music or a Podcast

I’m often found listening to music and movie soundtracks as I drive or while cleaning or getting ready for the day. I love soft movie soundtracks while I’m working and I also enjoy podcasts every once in a while, but it depends on that season. Sometimes I feel very sensitive to listening to other people talk and need to disconnect from social media / online content, podcasts included.

The podcasts I tend to listen to the most are Pod Meets World (the cast from the 90s sitcom Boy Meets World), the Astrology Podcast (astrology learning), Cosmic Keys (astrology), Girls Next Level (I loved the Girls Next Door as a teenager and Holly and Bridget feel like my internet BFFs), Wild and Awake with Bridget Nielsen (spirituality, her energy is so pure and uplifting), the Life Coach School with Brooke Castillo (people tend to either love her or hate her: I’m in the category of “I fucking love her!”) and the Expanded Podcast (obsessed).

Check in with someone

Honestly, I’m an hermit and don’t need a ton of in-person social interaction to feel fulfilled in my life. Not to mention, I connect with 3 clients every day, 4 days a week for astrocartography consultations. So I get enough socialization as an introvert! But a quick social check in keeps me connected and it’s nice to have people to talk to, aside from my husband! Friendship is far more important to me than family (family blood means diddly squat to me) and I’m quite social on my phone through Whatsapp voice memos. I check in with a friend once a day, whether that’s a quick hello / life update through voice memo, a phone call with a friend or my mom, or doing a magical morning practice with someone. I don’t really text or Instagram message unless it’s the only way to get in contact.

Online Learning

Learning and growth is one of my most important values in life, and since I was 22 and discovered the world of online courses, I’ve always been enrolled in an online class of some kind. I enjoy learning in the evening after I finish my work for the night. I’ll light a candle, make some tea, pull out my notebook, pens and highlighters, and take notes from an online class. Sometimes classes are live, most of them are pre-recorded and self-paced. I take classes through a plethora of sources: Brit + Co for creativity, Skillshare, Oracle Arts, Astrology School, NORWAC, and the various teachers and content creators I’m inspired by online. I’ve taken astrology course programs, classes in jewelry-making, watercolor painting, history, psychology, business, marketing, SEO, philosophy, art history. Unless it’s math or something like chemistry, you name it, I’ve taken it. If I’m not taking an online class, I’m learning something new on Youtube, in a new book or browsing Wikipedia / internet forums. The point is: learning is a daily occurrence.

Create 1 Thing

Creativity is how I fill my cup, soothe my soul, express my heart and make sense of the world. Everyday, I must create 1 thing. This is a nonnegotiable. Period, end of story. This is a rule of my life that I adhere to, and it’s also very easy to do because I’d rather create than consume. It’s pure enjoyment! Sometimes it’s as simple as posting an Instagram post or reel. Sometimes it’s writing a letter to a penpal. Sometimes it’s a soft watercolor painting in my journal, writing a poem or two in my private journal. Or sometimes it’s as big of a thing as filming a video, recording a meditation, working on a module of one of my online courses. Creation isn’t just for the public; it’s for me. For the upliftment and joy that the act of creation gives me. And it only has to be one small daily thing.

Clear the Clutter + Put the Kitchen to Bed

The day is never finished until I put the kitchen to bed! I love waking up to an empty, clear space. Anything spotted on the floor is quickly picked up and put away in it’s proper home. Any clutter on the kitchen counter, coffee table, work desk is put away in cabinets and drawers. Alex is in charge of cooking dinner and I’m in charge of the cleaning! We have a nice system. <3

Shower + Self Care

I love to shower at night, with the window cracked open so I can look at the stars. My little nightly self-care ritual brings me so much joy. Sometimes I listen to a spiritual podcast or soothing music, other times I enjoy the silence. First I dry brush, then I light two candles, turn off the bathroom light, and take a 10-15 minute shower (I wish I had a bathtub, because if I did, I’d be in there for an hour until the water gets cold – I’m such a water baby, and I feel most at home in water than on land. Seriously, I wish I were a mermaid sometimes….). I have a natural sea sponge and a bar of lavender soap with bits of fresh lavender in  it and the scent brings me so much joy! I will then do my nightly skin care: cleanse, toner, serum, moisturizer, eye cream. Brush my teeth with my bamboo toothbrush. I’ll apply body lotion as I listen to a podcast, tweeze my eyebrows and file my nails if needed, put some rose-hip oil to my neck and chest. It’s a process that I delight in! Also, I don’t ever paint my nails – I like a clean, natural  look. 🙂

Cuddle with My Honey

Cuddle time always! Pillow talk everyday! Alex and I love to talk long into the night, and we’re very affectionate. If a cuddle session doesn’t happen, the day feels weird. We’ll talk about whatever is on our mind, what the highlight of the day was, what we’re looking forward to in life, what our dreams are, something silly we saw / heard that day. Sometimes he’ll catch me up to speed with the worldly happenings here on Planet Earth (he’s very connected to the news and world events) and I’ll teach him something about his birth chart or the current transits lol! Cuddle time is a daily occurrence, always. And with his light work schedule, we spend a lot of our time together!

Gaze at the Moon Before Bed

I always light a candle before slumber and gaze at the flame before falling asleep. I also pop open the overhead ceiling window and gaze up at the moon, stars, and small town before I get into bed to go to sleep. I mutter a little thanks to the Universe for another beautiful day of life, or whatever is on my mind. Looking up at the moon is an act of remembrance. My soul, not of “Helena” but of my inner being, comes alive when I look up at the cosmos above.  This only takes a minute, sometimes 30 seconds, but it’s my favorite way to end the day. 🙂

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So there you have it, lovelies! Those are the simple things I do every single day. Every day is different, in terms of work for the day, clients to see or places I go, but these daily small acts are the things that always happen. If you’re ever curious what I’m up to or what my nightly / morning routine looks like and you’re wondering, “I wonder what happens in a day for Helena? 🤔”….well, that’s it!

This might all sound rather boring, but nonetheless, I thought I’d share! 💕 I so enjoy sharing my heart on this blog, and I want to do more of it this year. ✨

I’m sending you the warmest hug, kindred spirit. Have a magical day!

Love,

Helena!