Use this season to adjust your perspective and inject some variety into your life. Springtime is the perfect time to re-think your thinking and “see” things differently.
Start by considering the phrase “garden variety” from the title. If you’re itching to adjust your perspective—to switch up your tired routines, to change your focus on your stalled career, to take a new view on your health habits—you might really get a rush out of choosing a “Garden Variety” approach. Does that sound backwards somehow? It shouldn’t. If you think of it, choosing a variety from a garden means picking edibles and flowers from a wide array of choices. So, in reality, “garden variety” is a wide assortment, not the same, tired picks.
Spend this spring switching things up a bit. Ready for a new view toward something that’s become ordinary? Choose from a variety of options: little changes make your brain work differently and better, put some spice back into your robotic reflexes, and help you create new habits that have the potential to serve you better than the old ones.
One pick from your garden’s variety is absolutely free: change your routine this spring by getting in bed 30 minutes earlier every night. This is a subtle change that will have a surprisingly rich pay-off. Millions of people are sleep-deprived, and you may very well be one of them. Adjust your evening routine this spring for two weeks; that will be time for your body and psyche to notice a shift. Stop goofing in front of the TV or computer or texting on your phone, wasting time with blinking, buzzing gizmos that delay your restful sleep at night. Go to bed an extra half hour earlier every night for two weeks, and see if each spring day finds you feeling more rested and calm.
Or try this: switch up your “garden variety” drive home from work. If you drive home and it’s safe to do so, change your typical commute and notice how the scenery and your responses to it shift. The new patterns tune your brain to a more heightened state of awareness and alert. You pay more attention to your physical surroundings for these shifts, and that’s challenging to the worn ruts in your thinking patterns. Shake It Up! If you ride the train to work, change your usual trek through the grocery store, starting from a completely different aisle and working toward your former “start.” Pay attention to new choices from displays that look fresh to your eyes and kick-start your usual diet. What’s the expression? Variety is the life of spice? The added bonuses from this switch are the early spring fruits and veggies that make “garden variety” even more tantalizing.
Find simple ways to add a little variety into your routines, especially the ones that can be sapping your energy or imagination needlessly. Change your view of the world, and change yourself for the better. Stimulate your brain with the jolt of some razzamatazz, and the whole world becomes your enchanted garden.
Mix It Up—With Love,
Dr Mell
