My Mindful Boho Lifestyle.

Twenty years ago, I took the biggest, most rewarding risk of my life and left my safe, predictable existence to travel the world with my now-husband. Leaving on this trip marked a shift in how I lived and how I began to see the world. Sometimes I wonder how different my choices would have been if I had social media to compare myself to.

I learned to let go of the superficial and inconsequential and hold on to the vital as tightly as I could; things that defined my identity, memories and experiences that I will always treasure. I was lonely, but a special, necessary kind of lonely; an isolation chamber where I could transform into my best and brightest self. Sometimes I worry that my children won’t be able to experience that kind of lonely, growing up into an age where every choice must be strained through the filter of social media culture.

I talk about my travels so often, but friends are always surprised that I don’t have many pictures. They forget what a different time it was 20 years ago; cellphones didn’t yet have a permanent place in people’s pockets, and taking pictures was a much more tedious process. And honestly, I like it that way. Because I wasn’t focussed on documenting every blade of grass and grain of sand, I was able to wholly immerse myself in my experiences and truly exist in each passing moment, filling it up to the brim, hovering in it until it finally pushed me into the next.

Here are some ways you can live mindfully and in the moment:

• Journaling. Not everyone is a writer like me, certainly, but there is a type of journaling for everyone. It’s not rocket science. Write about your feelings, what you’re grateful for, what troubles you. Be as haphazard or neat as you like. And write it down, on real paper with real ink. There’s something soothing about spending time with just your thoughts and a blank page.

• Practicing minimalism. Contrary to popular belief, minimalism isn’t aesthetic white walls and house plants and only creating a jar of trash. Living minimally just means valuing experiences over material items, not using shopping as your therapy, and surrounding yourself with things that are meant to last and that genuinely bring you joy. For me, that’s books and clothes. Every novel holds a little piece of who I was between its pages. Every item of clothing I’ve carefully, meticulously selected and holds years of memories in its sustainable fibres. For my husband, it’s Starwars legos, but nobody ever said you had to understand your spouse, just respect them.

• Spending time in nature. This one is the most important. Go for walks, for hikes, go camping, explore. Don’t take pictures of everything and just absorb it in your soul. Grow plants from seeds and experience the awe of watching something grow. We’re so disconnected from nature and it takes an immense toll on our psyche, one we sometimes don’t realize until we return to it and feel relief.

I don’t look down on those who consider social media an essential part of their lives. There are certainly benefits, like mine and my husband’s remote careers. But there is no denying that as much as there is gained, there is also lost. Don’t let yourself be lost as well.

Love, Jess

Rose & Rebel