Plans Don’t Always Go As Planned, and That’s OK.
Helpful hints to help you stay calm and experience joy in stressful situations.
Learning to be flexible and open to change are great tools to help keep you safe outdoors. When things go awry, don’t fret, that can be when where the real adventure begins and usually makes for the best stories - - eventually.
Jess, founder of Changing Currents Yoga, showing off the views from Section 13 along the Superior Hiking Trail near Finland, MN during our July Unruly Women Backpacking Adventure. www.unrulywomen.org
Itineraries are great to have, they give us a sense of control and predictability that is comforting especially in intimidating situations - - but sometimes the fun gets lost in the hustle or if things don’t quite go as planned.
It’s important to try and keep an open mind when things don’t go exactly how we thought they would or wanted them to. When our mind is open, it leaves room for ideas and creativity which can limit stress, allow for more joy, and help keep you safe.
Sometimes when I feel stressed or scared I have a narrowed mindset, the blinders are on and I feel like my options are limited or nonexistent - - which has led to either expensive consequences or dangerous situations.
I’m not talking about toxic positivity, but instead realistic optimism. Where we can see what’s going on, acknowledge the situation, stay calm, try to have fun thinking of all of the possibilities, and sometimes getting creative is exactly what we need to continue on. (*cough- cough* this translates into work & life too, not only when backpacking)
Grace overlooking Egge Lake during sunset while out on our June Unruly Women Backpacking Adventure. www.unrulywomen.org
The next time that you’re feeling stressed or you’re in a situation where your itinerary has fallen apart or everything you’ve planned has been completely obliterated - - I want you to:
Stop
Step away from the situation if you have to or are able to
Shake it out, your arms, your legs, your fingers - shake out that tense energy from your body
If it’s safe to, close your eyes
Swallow and unclench your jaw
Relax your shoulders down away from your ears
Take calm deep breaths in through your nose (restricting flow through nasal passages allows for a longer inhale) and out through your mouth as if you’re blowing through a straw with pursed lips (again restricting the passage allowing for a longer and controlled exhale) - there isn’t a magic number, just keep breathing until you feel your tense body relax and your mind stop racing (definitely return to normal breathing if you start to feel light headed)
Open your eyes
Return to the situation, try to see anything that you might not have before you stepped away and/or closed your eyes, without judgement or fear try to see if any new ideas have come to mind
Repeat if necessary.
Jess crossing over the boardwalk of the beaver dam area near Section 13 during out July Unruly Women Backpacking & Yoga Adventure. www.unrulywomen.org
This technique isn’t only for the outdoors but can easily be used in work and life situations too. This technique worked great and was completely necessary sometimes when working in the medical world and even now with my small business when I find myself in a creative block or like I don’t have any other options.
Something I’ve been learning and have to remind myself has been to just do the work and put it out there or to just do the thing and stop waiting. I often get swept up in waiting until it is perfected, or for the right timing, or for someone eles’s schedule to open up.
The problem with that, is that sometimes it doesn’t ever feel perfected or I don’t ever feel ready- ready. Sometimes the moment feels missed and the energy behind the idea is gone, and sometimes I forget about it completely and it just sits in my idea notebook or on my computer never to see the light of day.
Or worse… I realize that I’ve put off a trip or an adventure or something I really wanted to do because I didn’t have anyone to go with, or I was waiting on someone who kept changing their plans and it never ended up working out.
Before Unruly Women, before therapy, before finding my voice and my confidence I waited… a lot.
Because my fear of going alone, my lack of confidence in my own skills, and/or being vulnerable, showing up and maybe making a mistake or it not being how I thought it should look kept me from doing the things I deeply wanted to do.
Mistakes are necessary and they’re going to happen. Trying and getting outside of my comfort zone is where most of my best learning experiences and memories and adventures have come from.
The next time you feel there’s no other option, that your plans are falling apart or that you’re just plain stuck…
Here is your reminder to step away, take some deep breaths, find your calm and explore what your mind is trying to show you.
You’ve got this.
I believe in you.
***There are 2 out of the 3 backpacking spots open for the August trip in George H. Crosby Manitou State Park - I was just up there on Monday to check it out and it’s absolutely beautiful - - really hard work but it’ll be worth it!
Waterfalls in the Manitou River in the George H Crosby Manitou State Park - Unruly Women August Backpacking Adventure will be here :) www.unrulywomen.org
What has Unruly Women been up to lately?
June:
Unruly Women Backpacking Adventure was a success with beautiful weather and great adventure! Follow - up Blog post and pictures still to come!
Volunteered with a local Minneapolis Non-Profit Project Success for 1 week co-leading a group of 6th-8th grade girls out into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - where we canoed, portaged, camped, cooked food, went swimming, had fun, endured massive storms and mosquitos and ticks — — and we all learned many lessons and made many memories!!
July:
Unruly Women Backpacking Adventure with Jess from Changing Currents Yoga was an absolute blast! Follow-up Blog post and pictures to come too!
I was on a podcast last week! Definitely stepping WAY out of my comfort zone there…. trying not to be too hard on myself about it and reminding myself that I have to start somewhere, right? It’s not like I can out of the blue come out sounding like a radio host professional - so I’m trying not to stress about how it went and I’m showing myself some kindness.
This past weekend Unruly Women collaborated with the Superior Hiking Trail Association and had an incredible group of volunteers making the trail reroute of a section of the Superior Hiking Trail near Grand Marais a complete success! Pictures and Blog post follow-up to come!
I scoped out the George H Crosby Manitou State Park for the August Backpacking Adventure (Link above to read more), it is BEAUTIFUL - I would say quite literally the Pacific Northwest of Minnesota. It’s going to be a tough one, but worth it!
I had a mountain bike multi-day trip planned for this week but I’d hurt my ankle (it’s healed now) and wasn’t sure I’d be able to participate, ended up losing out on the 14 day refund (whoops!) luckily no-one had signed up, and I’m just over here learning business lessons the hard way (financially) haha. All I can say is “Uff Da!” :)
new merch coming!! A custom Unruly Women Kula Cloth is in the works and will be available next month!
