March 2021 – Daily Gift of Vitality

Wednesday, March 31

Today is Wednesday, March 31, 2021. Every day, here in the neighborhood, there appears to be more blooms. Seeing more birds and animals, there is more movement.

Finding meaning this March. March marked the one-year mark for the Daily Gift of Vitality (DGoV). This month, we have been exploring and connecting with what is meaningful. Let’s finish the month with a focus on taking that meaning as we move forward.

Set up for a reminder to connect with what is meaningful to you.

- Consider scheduling on the calendar the next time you will review or deliberately check in with what is meaningful to you.
- Jot down the mindset or environment that will help you stay anchored to those things that are meaningful to you in the month of April. Keep it visible.
- Keep a visual reminder or a photo of who inspires you to do the next thing.

Photo by: Monika Grabkowska

Recharge yourself and share positive energy when you repeat:

“I am [*Name*]. I am open to the positive energy around me. I appreciate myself and others as I connect with love and kindness. As I think about those I love and care for, I send loving kindness and compassion to all people including me. We share our humaneness. Together, we can do great things.”

A quote by Dalai Lama XIV: “Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back and reasons to stay.”

Use this Mindfulness Activity to re-energize your Body and Mind:

- Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
- Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
- Now, shrug your shoulders up and down multiple times and let your arms dangle.
- Shake out or jiggle your legs.
- Reach your arms overhead and stretch up and out.
- Gently bring your chin down and to each side, smile the largest smile ever, and allow yourself to be re-energized.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP

Monday, March 29

Today is Monday, March 29, 2021. Here in Chicago, so many buds, so many new signs of spring and life, so much to appreciate and enjoy. The sun seems brighter.

Finding meaning this March. March marks the one-year mark for the Daily Gift of Vitality (DGoV). This month, we have been exploring and connecting with what is meaningful. Let’s finish the month with a focus on making meaning out of it all.

Today, take a moment to review or write down what you learned from this month about what is meaningful to you. Return to this summary, add to it, reflect on it at regular intervals to anchor you. We started the month with journaling prompts and then shifted to expanding our hearts and minds through connection and new experiences.

Photos by: Susan Chubinskaya

Recharge yourself and share positive energy when you repeat:

A quote by Jeffrey J. Fox: “Everybody is somebody’s somebody.”

Use this Mindfulness Activity to Re-energize your Body and Mind:

- Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
- Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
- Now, shrug your shoulders up and down multiple times and let your arms dangle.
- Shake out or jiggle your legs.
- Reach your arms overhead and stretch up and out.
- Gently bring your chin down and to each side, smile the largest smile ever, and allow yourself to be re-energized.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP

Friday, March 26

Today is Friday, March 26, 2021. Tree buds in the Spring, bring the beauty of flowers and leaves that we get to enjoy!

Finding meaning this March. March marks the one-year mark for the Daily Gift of Vitality (DGoV). This month, we explore and connect with what is meaningful. Weather changes motivate readjustments and resets. Let’s continue to focus this week on making meaningful connections.

Be curious about finding meaning through new experiences. Being curious allows us to observe fully and see things differently.

- Star gaze.
- Fly a kite.
- Watch a new sport.
- Try a new exercise routine.
- Read or listen to a book from another time or translated from another language.

Photo by: Robert Thiemann

Recharge yourself and share positive energy when you repeat:

A quote by Steve Jobs: “Much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on.”

Use this Mindfulness Activity to calm your Body and Mind:

- Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
- Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
- Be curious about the effects of Belly Breathing. Check in with your body non-judgmentally prior to starting your breaths and after you have completed. What do you notice?

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP

Wednesday, March 24

Today is Wednesday, March 24, 2021. There are 282 more days in 2021, in other words, 282 opportunities to be curious.

Be curious about finding meaning through new experiences. Being curious allows us to observe fully and see things differently.

- Try a cuisine you have not experienced before.
- Explore new spices.
- Listen to a podcast on a new topic.
- Groove to a new genre of music.
- See something new. Sit quietly and really notice the nature you may “see” daily. It is always changing – the clouds moving in the sky, a sunrise or sunset, trees, a plant, the water, the wind, the dirt, the sand, etc.

Photo by: Jenna Beekhuis

Recharge yourself and share positive energy when you repeat:

A quote by Walt Whitman: “Be curious, not judgmental.”

Use this Mindfulness Activity to calm your Body and Mind:

- Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
- Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
- Be curious about the effects of Belly Breathing. Check in with your body non-judgmentally prior to starting your breaths and after you have completed. What do you notice?

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP

Monday, March 22

Today is Monday, March 22, 2021. Birds are returning; pause to hear the music they are sharing with us.

Be curious about finding meaning through new experiences. Being curious allows us to observe fully and see things differently.

- If you are a master vegetable gardener, maybe try your hand at a shade garden.
- If you love pets, volunteer at your local animal shelter.
- If you want to add to a better future, connect with someone as a mentee, mentor or sponsor. Share your knowledge with someone through tutoring.

Photo by: Darryl Lee

Recharge yourself and share positive energy when you repeat:

A quote by Albert Einstein: “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”

Use this Mindfulness Activity to calm your Body and Mind:

- Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
- Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
- Be curious about the effects of Belly Breathing. Check in with your body non-judgmentally prior to starting your breaths and after you have completed. What do you notice?

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP

Friday, March 19

Today is Friday, March 19, 2021. Everything is changing outside. There are signs of new life all around and there seems to be a new flow of energy.

Be curious about you. Connect with you. Find quiet moments today and/or this weekend to connect with yourself. Listen to the sounds around you. Observe your body. Reflect on your thoughts. Journal.

- How are you doing?
- How is your energy?
- What is influencing your energy?
- What’s one thing you can do to recharge your energy?
- Make a list of ways you can recharge yourself.

Photo by: Bantersnaps

Recharge yourself and share positive energy when you repeat:

A quote by Buddha, “Since everything is a reflection of our minds, everything can be changed by our minds.”

Use this Mindfulness Activity to calm your Body and Mind:

- Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
- Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
- Purse your lips as you exhale your belly breath to help add some energy to your day.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP

Wednesday, March 17

Today is Wednesday, March 17, 2021. The ice has melted. The ducks are back. The bulbs are poking through the ground. Getting ready, anticipating the new season.

In the middle of the week, it’s easy to inadvertently miss out on connecting with loved ones. Take a moment to pause, reach out and connect with someone you care about. Send a note, schedule a time to connect, make a phone call, drop off a thoughtful gift, bring a cup of tea or coffee, make time to share a meal together without interruptions (putting the phone away).

Photo by: Anne Nygård

Recharge yourself and share positive energy when you repeat:

A quote by John Friend, “We seek fulfillment in our lives through heart connection with others. This is our soul’s essence of joy, which spontaneously pulses through us, longing to share itself with another.

Use this Mindfulness Activity to calm your Body and Mind:

- Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
- Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
- Purse your lips as you exhale your belly breath to help add some energy to your day.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP

Monday, March 15

Today is Monday, March 15, 2021. The day after Daylight Savings Time changes, is National Nap Day. It is an unofficial holiday that recognizes the need for extra sleep after we “spring” forward. In most of the U.S., that day is today.

There are lots of connections we can make: connections with nature, connections with acquaintances connections with coworkers, connections with friends and family. Today, let’s consider ways we can connect with acquaintances on a daily basis.

- Ask someone how their day is going?
- Make eye contact.
- Pay someone a compliment.
- Actively listen.
- Smile 😉
- Hold a door open for someone.
- Say good morning.

Photo by: Johannes Giez

Recharge yourself and share positive energy when you repeat:

A quote by Marianne Williamson, “You have to make space in your heart, in your mind, and in your life itself for authentic human connection.”

Use this Mindfulness Activity to calm your Body and Mind:

- Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
- Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
- Purse your lips as you exhale your belly breath to help add some energy to your day.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP

Friday, March 12

Today is Friday, March 12, 2021. Accepting change. The water is flowing again. Observing the ducks.

- As the seasons change, consider how you might want to adapt your current physical activities and/or exercises, to maximize the new season.
- This may be a good time of year to make a plan to try something new or tweak the current routine. What would make it more fun? Or move you forward towards your goals (strength, endurance, speed, intensity, ability, etc.)? What would feel like progress?
- Write down what you plan.

Photo by: Gabriel Lamza

Recharge yourself and share positive energy when you repeat:

A quote by C.S. Lewis, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream another dream.

Use this Mindfulness Activity to calm your Body and Mind:

- Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
- Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
- Begin walking or tapping your foot.
- Notice what your toes are feeling.
- Working up from your toes, notice all of the muscles involved in that movement.
- Smile.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP

Wednesday, March 10

Today is Wednesday, March 10, 2021. The sun feels warm as the brisk wind chills the skin.

- What physical activities are enjoyable to you and also connect you with loved ones, other people, pets, and/or nature? (walking, gardening, grooming, exercise class, preparing vegetables to share, outdoor exercise/sports, dancing, window shopping, exploring museum, volunteering, etc.)
- How do you allow physical activities and connection to be a regular part of life?

Photo by: Dan Deziel, “Apricity” (a word from the 1600s meaning “warmth of the sun in winter”)

Recharge yourself and share positive energy when you repeat:

A quote by Vanda Scaravelli, “Movement is the song of the body.”

Use this Mindfulness Activity to calm your Body and Mind:

- Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
- Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
- Begin walking or tapping your foot.
- Notice what your toes are feeling.
- Working up from your toes, notice all of the muscles involved in that movement.
- Smile.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP