What are your daily non-negotiables ?

Things I need in my life. Every day.

Photo by Anukrati Omar on Unsplash

In today’s post, I’m going to share some of my daily routine. 

It’s not going to be a “ how much I get done” in a day kind of checklist. It’s going to be more of a “ experiences I need to have on the daily to be able to show up in the world”.

I share some of what my daily habits are in my Instagram Stories but I thought I’d go into a bit more depth today. 

A quick disclaimer. There are some things in my life that are very important to me but because I have chronic migraines and can have up to two or three migraines a week, when that happens, all that I’m mentioning here below goes out the window.

So, what I mean is that every day, if all is well, I try my best to do the following things. 

Caffè al bar. Now, that caffè doesn’t have to be an actual coffee. It can be a cappuccino, a ginseng, an orzocaffé. But it does have to be al bar, with clinking china, chatter in the background and a quick skim of the local paper. It’s not about the drink, I aim for the whole package. It makes me happy, I don’t know why.  And  it’s something I’m able to fit in on most days. Turns out happiness is affordable. 

Walks with my dog Jaime. Possibly in the countryside when the weather allows. Dog-owners know how special walking with your dog can be. In my case, Jaime happens to have a very intense  social life with both dogs and humans so these walks also turn into social moments. Which brings me to the next point. 

A quick chat. I work online and most of the people I see are on a screen and I stare at a computer/phone for long hours. . So for me, a quick face-to face chat with acquaintances is a breath of fresh air. I’m an introvert who needs to see people. Does that make sense? 

Watching the sun set. As often as possible and when the weather allows. It fills my heart. I take pictures as if it were the first time because it’s always special to me. My camera roll on my phone is full of semi-identical sunset pictures and I’m happy that way. Each seems special to me.  

Journaling. I don’t do it every day but I do it as often as humanly possible even if I feel like “ no, today was boring, I have nothing to write”. It can be just for two minutes. Something always comes up and I always feel better after I’ve done it. Plus, I see it as making a gift to my future self. 

Using The Finch App. This is not a promotion of any kind. The Finch app  is quite simply an incredible self-care app. You have to take care of your birb and watch it grow by feeding it the energy you get from taking care of yourself. The birb asks you questions and sends you encouraging messages throughout the day. It’s funny, cute and inspiring. You learn powerful lessons of self-love by taking care of the tiny bird and starting healthy habits. It takes its cue from Tamagotchi but develops on it. 

I don’t watch the news. It’s not something I’m remotely proud of but it’s given me so much peace of mind. I do believe that to be a decent human being we should keep updated on world events but I noticed that it was having a terrible cumulative effect on me. I believe our brains are exposed to way too much information, (it’s not even of the best kind)  more than we are wired to handle and that it’s not healthy. News when it’s truly relevant, has a way of finding me anyway. All I can take is the local newspaper which, in the case of Cremona, makes for extremely boring ( in a good way) news.  For now, that seems to be working. Which brings me to the next point. 

Conscious scrolling. I’m limiting social media time, especially Instagram. I hate saying this because Instagram was my favorite social but it’s become an unhealthy environment where we’re bombed with so many different messages in a matter of seconds. I owe so much to Instagram, what it used to be,   but now it simply promotes scrolling.  I’m out of the loop of current events and trends but I’m so happier for it. 

Moving my body. I try to do something every day. Whether it’s dancing in my pajamas with my dog looking, restorative yoga or some qigong on Youtube to soothe my migraines I try to fit it in no matter what. It all started some years ago when my migraines got out of hand and I’m so grateful to have started listening to  my body’s needs more. 

Languages. I love to play around with other languages or nurturing the ones I know.  It can be a movie in French, listening to a history podcast in Spanish or just some messing around in German on Duolingo. Sometimes five minutes is all I do, other days I dedicate more time to it but not a day goes by that I don’t dedicate some time to language learning because it keeps me excited and inspired.  

This is my list. I changed my life drastically ten years ago because I realized that there so many things I never wanted to miss out on each and every day. Apparently tiny things that make a big difference.

We all have them and sometimes we overlook tending to them in the wear and tear of daily life. If we’re not careful, we might forget to prioritize them but they capture the essence of who we are. Neglecting them means depriving the world of our true inner light. It’s so easy to forget this.

So, now, I’d love to know what daily routines are truly important to you ? Why? 

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.