I first discovered nomad challenges to a wellness practice when I made my first trek from NY state to AZ. I was so discombobulated by the time I hit the midwest that I didn’t brush my teeth again until I hit New Mexico!
The nomad challenges to a wellness practice are unique to the nomad way of life. We need ample amounts of time and planning just to provide for our physical needs, the constant relocating, and basic maintenance to stay alive! Our lives revolve around the weather, staying warm or cool, keeping stocked up with water, propane or solar, figuring out waste disposal … the list goes on endlessly.
Nomad life is a wonderful life, but it takes incredible amounts of time and mental labor!
And the perfect Instagram pics do not show the shear physical labor it takes to maintain this free lifestyle! We may be free, but we pay for our freedom with our labor.
My own to-do list on any given day looks like this: Put out the solar panels, move the 5 lb batteries, check propane and butane, cook and clean up without running water, fill up water jugs, laundry day, shower day, weather check, batten down the hatches it there’s rain or wind, never-ending maintenance and organization it takes to thrive in a small living space … or be at risk for losing one’s sanity!
That isn’t even taking into account disasters like the day my screen shelter blew down and took out my entire kitchen, or spending weeks jumping through hoops to return a defective solar battery, or dealing with critters or obnoxious neighbors!
If I was Superwoman
Removing all the maintenance tasks that need to get done, My ideal day would go something like this:
Wake up and do positive affirmations, breathing and stretching before I get out of bed.
Turn on uplifting music as I make my bed and organize the van for the day.
Meditate and do yoga for an hour.
Have a super healthy breakfast while I sit and savor nature.
Go for a walk.
Have a light healthy lunch.
Practic Tai Chi.
Late afternoon meditation.
Have a super healthy dinner.
Connect with my tribe, socializing.
Play my guitar, or work on crafts.
Write.
Commune with the Earth, sky, sun, plants, wildlife.
Get off my phone an hour before a reasonable bedtime.
Sleep all night with 9 hours deep sleep.
Don’t pick up my phone in the middle of the night.
Wake up early!
Here’s What I Really Do
Sleep in. Curse myself because now I won’t have as much solar sun time!
Try to remember to not start my day off with negative thoughts … the car needs an expensive repair, I live on a fixed income, need groceries, miss my family, I’m alone in the wilderness …
I DO turn on some uplifting music, OM SO HUM by Lincoln Jesser is my favorite lately.
The very first thing I do in the morning is MAKE COFFEE. Forget anything before that.
Yes to the healthy breakfast, organic gluten free cereal. Coffee.
If I don’t get sucked into the internet black hole, I meditate.
Do yoga or Tai chi, if it’s not raining or blowing sand outside. No room in my minivan for that!
Or, check Facebook.
A walk? Maybe? Maybe not.
Yes to playing my guitar, or crafts, or writing!
Weather allowing, I do Commune with nature. This is why I became a nomad!
Before bedtime, on my phone with a movie, show or mindless scrolling. Bad habit.
I sleep pretty well, nomad life has improved my insomnia immensely!
Sleep in. Let’s face it, I’m not a freakin’ morning person!
Factor in chronic illness that saps my energy.
Let’s not even get into eating well. Before I hit the road was strictly organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free. Now I just do my best.
How Do We Define Wellness?
Even before I was a nomad, I realized the answer to wellness isn’t an obvious practice.
If my wellness practice goes to the wayside for a day, I give myself grace that I’ll try again tomorrow. Today everything is exactly how it is meant to be.
Wellness isn’t about sticking to a strict regimen. I learned years ago it’s not about fixing my body or pushing myself to meet goals that aren’t realistic for me.
What I have figured out is that adding just one thing can sometimes make a big difference, which agrees with the 80/20 rule called the Pareto principle. Put simply, it’s the theory that 80% of our results comes from 20% of our effort. For example, instead of sticking to a sullen morning mood, I made myself a playlist on Amazon Music of mantras and chanting mixed in with modern musical artists with tracks like “I Call My Power Back,” and “Bad Bitch Energy.”
Wellness is about knowing that wherever you are on the continuum of physical, mental, emotional or spiritual health, you are already whole.
Internal Practices
Staying focused on internal wellness has proved to be the most healing practice for me.
Like practicing gratefulness, a powerful life shifter.
The continuing practice of being the leader of my thoughts, instead of letting my brain take me down negative pathways.
Letting go of perfectionism and feeling not good enough.
Nomad Life IS A Wellness Practice!
Just living the nomad lifestyle has been good for my wellness! I get fresh air, sunshine, and exposure to the natural climates of Earth which I believe gives us vitality. I’ve gotten stronger just with the daily activity of being a nomad.
I aspire just to be better, not perfect.
My wellness practice is about internal fitness when I remember to have self-love, compassion and acceptance of what I AM capable of!
Oh yeah, and I remember that I am a BADASS nomad!
This post is crossposted on my nomad website, CosmicNomadVoyager.com!