Since the issue of motivating adult children who are living at home has been coming up a lot in my counselling / coaching work, I decided to do a video on this topic. (Link below). Also, this past week in the SHINE FaceBook group I chatted about the importance of ‘daily delights’ – scroll to the bottom to find out more…
High School is Over but They are Still at Home!
After doing some research into adult children living at home I was surprised to read that a 1/3 of persons between the age of 21 and 34 years old were living at home or with family member (StatsCanada 2017).
That is a large number!
Yes it likely has something to do with economics and the high cost of housing in certain parts of the country, but I know from my work that often other issues are at play. Issues such as mental health concerns, a lack of purpose or motivation and /or enabling behaviour from parents or family members.
In my new video I share 10 techniques to help in dealing with an unmotivated adult child living at home.
You can check it out HERE.
Daily Delights
I was thinking how sometimes between work, caring for family and friends, and carrying out our many other responsibilities, that life can end up seeming like a bit of a grind.
When I’m feeling a bit ‘grindy’ I know it is time for a ‘daily delight’.
What is a daily delight you may ask?
Well last week I was thinking about daily mood boosters that I rely on when things seem a tad dreary and I identified a few ‘daily delights’ that work for me which you can read about below.
An Assortment of Delights
Here is what I identified one particular afternoon this past week:
- Topping up my backyard bird feeder and watching the chickadees, stellar jays, squirrels, and even a racoon! gather round to eat and splash about in our new bird bath.
- Reading J.R.R. Tolkein’s ‘The Two Towers’ to my son at night before bed (we have previously finished ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ – and let me tell you they are looooong books!)
- Walking our dog Rebus (and currently my parents dog Coco as we are dog sitting) in the mornings before school and work (pic above) – a great way to start the day and get the blood moving!
- Having a creative outlet. I am currently enjoying creating YouTube videos and learning more about social media and filming. (If I don’t have a creative outline, like my emails to you, or the YT videos or even baking cookies or preparing a delicious meal for my family etc. I start to feel really sludgey as there is no outlet for my creative energy and in my experience, stopping up that energy leads to a low mood).
More ‘daily delights!’
- When possible, doing my work from a funky coffee shop instead of home alone in my office.
- Having something to look forward to such as brunch or dinner with a friend, a movie, a hike, an overnight stay in the city.
- A great book! (see below pic for a BRILLIANT book I am currently reading.. Run to your book store and buy this book, or to the library and put a hold on it, if you haven’t already read it! )
- Ordering a meal in! After a busy week and doing our weekend meal planning, I love to play hookey by ordering in, and that is what Steve and I did last night (Indian food from My Shanti with the world’s best ‘Democracy Samosas’ (lamb / beef combo). That take out dinner, with a beer while watching ‘The Politician’ on Netflix (hilarious!) was the perfect end to a hectic week.
What daily delights did you experience this past week?
You might like to take a moment and think about a few delights you experienced this past week or maybe even today?
Do you have something you are looking forward to scheduled into the calendar?
If so, that is marvellous!
How about a creative outlet? Where are you putting your creative energy?
Is there any way you can up your creativity game or sprinkle more ‘daily delights’ through your week?
Well I am now going to have a little think about the week ahead and see where I can add a few more ‘delights’ into my life!
Don’t forget to check out my newest YouTube video HERE and if it resonates with you, please leave a comment, give it a ‘like’, hit the notification bell and subscribe.
More videos on relationships and mental wellness will be coming soon!
Thanks! 🙂
xo
Eliz