Maybe you have days like these too. Days where, from the moment you open your eyes, you are on the go. Maybe it’s work related or family related or both – or maybe you just over-scheduled your social calendar once again.
I’m talking about the days you have where it feels like you are running a marathon that doesn’t have a finish line. Those kinds of days. (Or maybe you aren’t running the marathon – but your mind is).
I can’t remember who in my circle coined the term, “Momathon” once upon a time, but it felt so fitting for my life (more so pre-Covid than post, these days anyway).
Recently I had one of those days. In a pre-Covid world, marathon days were my norm. I’d have household duties, children responsibilities, a fully booked in-person client schedule and often my “down time” was spent prepping for the next day of work and life. In a post-Covid world, there are way fewer of these days, and it started to make me wonder how I ever even managed to do it all.
But during my most recent “Momathon” day, I remembered.
“Stealing moments” was my go-to for getting through these crazy hectic days. I cannot quite remember when I started this little practice, but I know it has been with me for almost a decade of my life.
When I say, “stealing moments,” I am referring to taking the time to pause and be fully present in that very moment and connecting to the deeper aspects of life.
There is a lot of talk about “being present” out there, and it is all great and wonderful and I try to be as present as I can be too – but I am also pretty realistic about it. The reality is that most of us are not just floating on through each and every day in full presence and awe at the magic of just being alive.
Instead, most folks are running from one thing to the next, thinking about a time that isn’t actually right here and right now, or distracting themselves from the moment they are in, or making their grocery list in their head, or reminding themselves for the 14th time that if they don’t go pick up that dry cleaning soon the cleaners will probably end up giving their stuff away to charity.
And unless a person has created a particular practice around being present – it is probably not happening.
Now, I am all for meditating and practicing yoga and taking the time to sit in stillness and just be. However, when the day starts immediately and doesn’t end until it is time for my head to hit the pillow, my lengthier practices get pushed to the side. That is when I call in my “stealing moments” practice.
Stealing moments is intentionally taking a moment to connect with the deeper aspects of life – even if just for one moment – despite the hustle and bustle of daily activity you may be presently involved in.
Here’s what it literally looks like in practice:
Pausing to really “see” what is in front of you – whether that is a work of art, something beautiful in nature, another human being, or even your own reflection
Taking a moment (literally a moment- it might only be 2 minutes) out of your day to take a few deep breaths and connect with your body and quiet your mind
Doing a mini meditation to reconnect with yourself – just a few minutes (like while waiting for the doctor to see you or while your kid is at sporting practice)
Really listening to the sounds around you, like your children laughing or a bird singing or the rain falling
Spending a few minutes in full gratitude about whatever you can think of to be grateful for in that moment (it can even be as simple as having clean, hot water in your home)!
Anything else that you can think of that works to bring you to center and fully present, even if it is only for a moment.
It’s not complicated, but it can drastically alter the way you experience your day.
Now here’s one important thing: if, when you close your eyes to try to connect to your center or tune into your breath and you find that your mind goes crazier rather than quiets down, please don’t throw this idea in the trash.
That reaction is an indication of a few different things:
1. You’ve got a fair amount of unresolved trauma or old stories running in the background that need some healing
2. You’ve never tried to do this before, so your brain and body are like, WTF?
If this is your experience, you have a few choices:
1. You can start to heal the old wounds that might still be following you around every day, disrupting your peace (my signature program, Four Weeks to Freedom, is designed to help you do just that. Read more about it here).
2. You can KEEP DOING IT and preferably, more often. Because with consistency and commitment, anything is possible.
Our minds are flexible and while yours might seem resistant to change at first – with continued effort, it will bend and mold to meet you where you want it to instead of where it presently exists.
I’ve seen myself and hundreds of clients do it, so you are no different. You can do it too.
Also, some fancy scientists have spent a lot of time researching stuff like mindfulness and meditation and they say it really works wonders for your mind and body, in case you need more evidence than my personal experience and that of my clients.
So, here’s my challenge to you:
Give it a try. Whether your days are crazy busy, or they are just moving smoothly along with lots of free gaps in time, bring the stealing moments practice into your life.
I promise you it will shift your energy.
I promise you it will change your perspective.
I promise you it will deepen your experience of life.
Choose one of the bulleted items above and commit to doing it at least once per day for the next seven days.
That’s about two minutes a day, for seven days. Fourteen minutes total. Of course, feel free to do plenty more if you’d like. But commit to something to get yourself started.
And I want to hear about it! Post your challenge on social media with the hashtags #stealingmoments and #soultosoulsessions and be sure to tag me in your posts! (Remember, if you’re private, I won’t get notified).
Instagram: @soultosoulsessions
Facebook: @sessionsforthesoul (or simply tag Erica Onofrio)
If you aren’t the social media kind, feel free to drop me an email: soultosoulsessions@outlook.com
And for the next seven days, I’ll be participating right along with you, posting my stealing moments from each day on my socials!
The world we live in might be a crazy place at times. And our own minds and days might get a little crazy too. But just beneath that craziness, there is peace, simply waiting for you to discover it.
It’s already yours. Now, you just need to claim it.
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I love to guide people towards peace. You can work with me individually through my signature program, Four Weeks to Freedom (read more about that here) or individual sessions (check them out here).
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Hi, I’m Erica
As a Yoga Instructor, Reiki Master, and Intuitive, I’ve come to experience the world in a very different way. I am a lover of all things energy! I believe, more than anything, that energy affects everything. I’m here to help you shift your energy and change your life!