Life Hacks Archives | Jess Carrier

Spring Equinox & Letting Shit Go

by jessicacarrier | Mar 24, 2023 | Alternative Healing, Detox, Life Hacks, Mindset

I attended a peaceful yoga/meditation class with Amanda Rush on Tuesday evening. The class was in celebration of the spring equinox. Amanda mentioned something during the meditation that caught my attention. She referred to spring as the new year. The focus was on creating a new beginning and letting go of all garbage from the past year. At first, this was weird for me, as I had already attempted this in January! You know… “New Year, New Me!!!” Only to quickly get knocked back down on my ass, leaving the rest of the month incredibly dense.

Amanda’s words sparked some curiosity in me. I began to wonder about the connection between spring and the new year. I spent the next two days researching the history of the calendar, astrological years, lunar years, etc.

What I learned was on point with what I was thinking.

Spring equinox is the beginning of a new astrological year, and up until the Julian calendar went into effect, March 25th was the original beginning of each new calendar year. This makes sense as spring starts the beginning of everything in nature; however, a long ass time ago, a roman emperor who was superstitious about numbers decided to add two more months to the calendar and screw up all of the days.

Honestly, I have read so much and I can’t find a legitimate reason for changing the calendar that makes sense. I did read that January was named after Janus, the Roman god of all beginnings. Cool story bro… I don’t know about you, but I look around in January and see nothing new in nature beginning (at least in the US Midwest).

Could this be why most “new year’s resolutions” don’t work out? Or, possibly, why the baggage from the previous year(s) tend to linger? Here we all are, in the dead of winter (when the rest of nature is dormant), some of us drowning in seasonal depression, setting intentions and goals to be healthier, more organized, and better versions of ourselves, only to fall on our faces! I don’t know about you, but usually, by spring, I say screw it and hope for better things to come the next year.

I thought it didn’t work.

Shortly after the meditation, where I had asked god to help me let all things go and look at this spring as a new beginning, I found myself crying on the bedroom floor. “Would you look at that” I thought to myself, “the meditation didn’t work.”

That was until I realized, this wasn’t depression. This was my soul literally cleansing and letting go of everything I had held onto for so long.

This was unlike any other time (women tend to cry often, but this was different). I literally felt all of the baggage leaving my body until a moment where there was nothing left.

Then I seen the light.

It felt rough in the moment, but as soon as I came to a more stable place, I could feel as though the universe had finally given me a clean slate to work with. Was this rock-bottom or a bomb-ass cleanse? Did the meditation actually work? I can tell you this: my throat hurts, my eyes are puffy, and my head is now killing me, but I have never felt more clean and optimistic about the future.

I have been through some crap in my life, but at no point had I ever asked, in a meditative state, to be able to let it all go. When the universe delivered, and I let it all go, I soon realized how much I had been carrying. My tears cleansed my spirit as the spring showers cleanse mother nature.

What if?

I wonder what would happen if we all could align our goals, new intentions, and growth with the seasons of nature. What if we let spring wash away all of the shit from the year before, not just in the weather but in our minds, bodies, and spirits? What if we then ushered in all of the new, pleasant things, dreams, and goals into our lives along with the spring equinox and the blooming of the flowers?

I think if you want to get more organized, eat cleaner, or exercise more, or ask to let go of the baggage you have been holding onto, forget January (did I mention that month sucks?) The TIME IS NOW.

Don’t be discouraged if your New Year’s goals didn’t work out. Everything in nature was going against you. Try again this spring, and see how it goes.

I’m leaving the previous notion that new beginnings are the first of the calendar year, and I’m celebrating with spring equinox. I’m taking the goldfish too… Who’s coming with me?

That was referencing Jerry McGuire for those of you who didn’t get it 🙂

I did a similar Tik Tok series on this experience. Feel free to check it out.. and if you want to do a Nutritional Cleanse this spring… I just so happened to have created an entire program, and it’s available on Amazon! Keep scrolling…..

You don’t have to fight any fight alone, seek help whether you are asking god, or the universe, attending meditations, energy healing, or seeking professional help from a counselor or psychologist.

The information I have provided in this article is of my own personal experience and is not meant as medical or mental health advice. I am not a doctor and I am not making claims that this tool will heal you or even work for you. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis please visit your nearest hospital or call 911.

If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) any time, day or night, or chat online. Their Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741.

Spring Cleaning For Your Body: Eat Clean 21

Free Your Mind With A Brain Dump!

by jessicacarrier | Mar 7, 2023 | ADHD, Life Hacks

First of all, What the heck is a “Brain Dump?”

Brain dumping is a technique meant to take what is in your head and put it on paper, freeing up thought space.

The idea is that endless ideas and overwhelming mental to-do lists can harm productivity. Being a person with many ideas is a fabulous quality – if you are able to actually stay organized and implement them.

How To Do A Brain Dump

Start by getting your self a notebook paper or opening a blank document on your computer.

You are going to want to open your mind to the endless thoughts, tasks, ideas, to-dos that are taking place.

Start writing them down.

Don’t try to prioritize right now, or over-think each idea’s importance; just write.

Write until you can feel the pressure in your mind starts to ease.

Please don’t worry about holding on to your ideas. They will be on this paper and out of your mind.

Be specific. This can be household tasks, personal calls you need to make, conversations you need to have, work tasks, grocery items, it can be wanting to make time to spend with kids, it doesn’t matter. Whatever the thought is weighing on your mind, write it.

Now that the thoughts are out of your head and onto paper, you can simply stop here and use that paper as a checklist. Or, you can move on to my scheduling technique.

Here’s an example of my own brain dump (everything that came to my mind in 5 minutes):

Get caught up on laundry. Create spicy superfood chili recipe on blog. Carson golf clubs. Golf schedule. Dog hair. Floors. Book signing. Wrestling camp. Pedicure. Meal plan.

Schedule It All Out

I personally have to take the brain-dumping a step further. If I use notes, then looking at the “checklist” is almost as overwhelming as what was going on in my brain.

I start by breaking things down into smaller tasks that will need to occur and placing each task on my calendar. Once the task is scheduled, I mark it off the list. This tells my brain I no longer have to think about it or dwell on it. It’s on my calendar, so it’s part of the plan. This works for me because if I put something on my calendar, I stick to it as with any other appointment. I then get to throw the paper away and feel a million times better. Here’s a look at how my brain dump looks on my weekly calendar. ***keep in mind this is not what a day in my life actually looks like, and this is not the accurate amount of time it would take for each task.

This technique works wonders with some of my clients that come to me and say, “I really want to do XYZ, but I don’t have the time” I simply tell them, SCHEDULE IT! Then I ask, “if you had a doctor’s appointment on your calendar, would you say “no, I don’t feel like doing that today?” No, you would go because you have made a commitment. The same needs to apply to your thoughts, ideas, and tasks.

What happens if I write it down and realize it isn’t a good idea or it’s someone else’s job?

If you brain dump something that needs to be done by someone else, or a task that you should be delegating, all you need to do is schedule the correspondence. If the garbage was full and on my mind, I could put on my calendar, “remind Carson to take out the trash” If I simply decide that my thought was a bad idea, I can mark it off the paper, not put it on my schedule, and the bad idea ends up in the trash – not my brain.