Staying grounded through life's big changes

Hi there!

By the time you are reading this, we would have just moved into our new home in Bend! I can’t wait to share more with you about how the move went and bring you along on our future adventures.

You are getting the very first look at Boomer enjoying his favorite place in his new house - the balcony!

I know that it’s not really common for a couple in their mid thirties to sell the place they own (cross your fingers on the selling process) to pursue a new lifestyle and see what else is out there but we knew we had to take this opportunity to be able to answer one of our life’s “what ifs”.

We all go through life with some big ups and downs, and along with them come a lot of adjustment periods so today, I’m going to share some tips on how to stay grounded during huge life changes.

As you know by now, every newsletter has two sections: a health and a travel section so with keeping our long drive for our move in mind, I’m going to be sharing my road trip must haves for traveling with a dog!

As humans, we all share in our experiences of life moments - be it moving, changing jobs, having kids, leaving jobs, devastating loss, illness, accidents and everything in between that present us with a shift in our everyday life and equilibrium. It can feel jarring and tough to get settled and reduce stress levels, but here are some things that can help:

• Control the things you can and let go of the things you can’t - change in itself can bring about a lot of stress so it’s important to try to focus on things you can control - maybe it’s your meals or your daily movement or morning routine, small things you can do that give you a sense of stability to help you feel calmer in other areas that are changing.

• Self care - whatever this looks like for you, it can be a reading a good book, making your favorite food, taking a bath, calling your best friend just small actions you can take to help boost your happiness and if you need some ideas, here are some!

• Rely on your support system - it’s ok to not be ok and it’s ok to ask for help. A lot of feelings and emotions can come up during these changes. I know it can be challenging to ask for support but your loved ones will be happy to help (more often than not)

• Practice mindfulness - be it meditation, journaling or just some deep breathing, being mindful in high stress situations can help deal with big life changes a lot better. Journaling can be particularly helpful to help process the big emotions that come up during change.

• Move your body - personally, I always feel better when I get some movement in, whether it be lifting weights, or going for a walk, or taking a group fitness class through classpass (here’s 20 free credits for you to try it out), it helps break up the cacophony of what is going on in my head and I always feel better knowing I am taking care of myself.

• Eat healthy - sometimes it’s the basics that make the biggest impact and eating healthy and drinking enough water are up there on the list. Stress in the body can present itself in the form of digestive issues, lack of sleep etc, so eating a well balanced diet can really help.

• Get enough sleep - sleep is such a huge pillar to overall health but particularly so while dealing with huge life moments. If this is something you struggle with, I shared all my tips on how I fixed my bad sleep habits here.

• Deal with the change at your own terms and go at your own pace, the way Dan and I operate in these moments are very different and it’s been immensely helpful for us to understand each other and give each other the space during these moments. For example, when I do any type of packing - I need LOTS of breaks, it takes a lot out of me because of the constant decision making and I usually do it best in the room by myself so these are things I make sure to advocate for. This is also particularly useful when going through grief, it looks different for everyone and it’s so important to go at your own pace!

• Be patient with yourself - change takes time, and acclimatizing to a new life also takes time so give yourself the grace and kindness as you go through this!

Let’s talk long drives with dogs - we travel a lot (majority being in the car) and while I always recommend starting off with shorter trips to make sure your dog is comfortable, we have even done 17h drives with Boomer so we have a lot of experience in making this an enjoyable experience. Here are things I recommend:

• if your dog is not comfortable for long drives and can’t settle down, working on some play / training time right before the drive helps along with doing some training before starting your trip as well

• making sure you feed your dog well before you get in the car so their stomach isn’t unsettled to start off the drive

• bring a water bottle for your dog. I love this one because you don’t waste any water

• a foldable dog dowl is a must have in all cars for meals or snacks or water!

• a car safety harness that is crash tested like this one by Sleepypod is so important for safety. you can also use a crate but we don’t so I don’t have one I can recommend for the car.

• a car hammock helps your dog feel secure in the car and it can also keep your car clean (particularly useful for camping/beach/hiking trips)

• if you want to give your dog calming bites, I recommend this Pet Honesty max strength or Zesty Paws calming bites, we have tried both these (slightly prefer the Pet Honesty one) and they actually help him sleep better and we give them only on those 12h+ drives

• take frequent breaks during drives, we usually take a break every 2h and stretch our legs and go for a walk or play some fetch

• change the music levels in the car to have the sounds mostly coming from front speakers so it’s not too loud for your dog in the back

• bring some treats or a long lasting chew to enjoy during breaks, I typically don’t give Boomer anything to eat or drink when the car is in motion.

• a favorite car toy if your dog likes toys, Boomer has his Bear toy that goes everywhere with him!

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Please let me know if I missed anything and I can update this list! I hope this is a helpful guide to get your dog comfortable with drives and you can enjoy some fun adventures together this summer!

One easy/healthy recipe to try : 

I want to make these sweet chili chicken sandwiches this week!

One positive affirmation to remember : 

I intend to live this day to the fullest and practice gratitude for what I have

One thing I am actually obsessed with :

I have talked about Eight sleep a few times before now, and they just released a new version of their pod. I have an older version but this single product has given me better night’s sleep than anything else in the world could. Don’t get me wrong, it is a very pricey investment, but I can completely feel the difference in my nights I sleep with or without the Eight Sleep pod!

We have one special request - can you please email me ONE TOPIC you want to see me cover in a future newsletter? I want to tailor this to be most helpful for you and your feedback and time to give me feedback is so appreciated by both Boomer and me!

I am so excited for this new chapter in our lives and to bring you along as I continue to find more inner peace and happiness and share everything I learn as well! Together, I know we can find more health and happiness!

With fluffy hugs, 

Charishma + Boomer (@life.with.a.landcloud)