This is me

At home with Jazz Kalus

At home with Jazz Kalus

How are you? I'm feeling energised today!

Tell us where you are and what you can see?  Sitting on my balcony looking at some trees with new Spring blossoms!
What are you reading at the moment?  Ohh I love this question! I’m listening to the book ‘Midnight Library’ by Matt Haig on Audible, but I just finished reading Atomic Habits (James Clear) and HoneyBee (Craig Silvey)- sooo good!!
What are you listening to?  My favourite podcast is MamaMia Out Loud. I listen to it 3 times a week - Mon, Wed, Fri. It’s a podcast about “What women are talking about“. They totally nail the tone of the day every time and it’s a great balance between talking about the serious stuff that’s going on in the world and joking about the not-so-serious stuff.
What are you watching?  I just started watching ‘Ted Lasso’ which is really cute! Some of my recent faves have been ‘A Million Little Things’ and ‘This Is Us’. Oohh I miss the characters so much!
What are you wearing day to day?  Well, funnily enough today I’m sporting my fave Jasmine Alexa ‘This Is Me’ leggings with a Homie long sleeve top. Love these brands and what they stand for so very much!
Have you implemented some structure to your day? Or are you taking it a day at a time?  So I got myself into a bit of a slump during Winter and then I thought “hey jazz, this isn’t fun, let’s get out of this” and anyone that knows me knows that I love a good list (I got it from my mumma) so I sat down and wrote out a schedule for the week and I’ve felt so much more energised ever since. On a Sunday night I usually sit down and figure my exercise routine for the week and I sign up to make sure it happens!
Otherwise, my weeks differ slightly and there’s room for spontaneity of course, but my one constant, which has carried me through the whole pandemic has been my meditation practice. I meditate in the morning before I get up and then again in the evening before dinner. It’s my non negotiable!
How are you keeping busy?  Meditation, exercise, walk, work, walk, meditation, TV, sleep, repeat. Anyone relate?!
I’ve actually been spending a lot of time by the ocean and feeling so very grateful that it’s in my 5km’s. I go for a lot of walks with friends and family and have recently started going for ocean dips, which is freezing and so refreshing!
I’ve also been spending time working on my business, Jazz Kalus Meditation, sharing the gift of meditation with the world!
Do you have any tips for staying sane during this time?  1. Meditate - I don’t want to sound like a meditation advertisement, but it really has been my one constant, which has definitely helped during this challenging time. Instead of worrying about the past or getting caught up in my thoughts about the future (I mean, yeah, I definitely have my moments), I’m really able to enjoy the present moment - the Spring Blossoms, the calming waves etc.
2. Making sure you have at least one thing each day to look forward to, whether that be a phone call with a friend, a 10 minute walk, your take away coffee, make sure it’s scheduled into your calendar, like a meeting with the boss!
3. Reducing news intake - I used to start my morning listening to news podcasts. Now I listen to music that makes me feel good and I feel so much better for it. I can learn about the 437 cases later in the day!
4. Dance! - I love dancing so much and chucking on some trashy dance tunes, dancing around my room definitely helps with my mood.
5. Be accepting of whatever it is that you are feeling.
Are you doing any at-home workouts? If so, what are they?  Yes! I love Here Yoga and Go Chlo Pilates. Last year I was also doing an at home workout based in America. It’s called “The Class” and it’s like a mix between yoga, pilates, HITT, meditation and dance. All my favourite things at once! At some point in the class you end up dancing around the room and och it feels amazing!
How are you staying positive?  I recently listened to this singer on ‘Americas Got Talent’ (yep sometimes I get into those YouTube holes). She is a beautiful young woman with an incredible singing voice. She has Cancer and during her audition she said “you can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you choose to be happy”. I think I’ve taken this on as my mantra and so I’ve decided not to treat life as if it’s on hold. I’m going to keep living and do things that make me feel good and keep contributing in any way that I can. So I guess having purpose has really helped… and if that means taking time to rest to fill up your cup, that’s wonderful! No judgement here!
Also, surrounding myself with friends and family who nourish me. I’m very grateful for them ☺
How are you practicing self care? What are you doing to look after your mental health?  1. Rest - reminding myself that rest is actually productive!
2. Move my body regularly - walks, at home workouts, foam roller (ohh it feels so good!)
3. Checking in on those around me
4. Continue to learn and develop - I’ve just signed up for a Diploma of Positive Psychology and I’m very excited! (Might have some new self-care practices at the end of it!)
5. Sleep! Anyone else loving going to sleep early these days? I used to be a night owl and now I don’t know what the world looks like after 10pm. It also means I’m sometimes up in time for sunrise, which is beautiful. Oh and that reminds me what number 6 is…
6. Watching the sunset! It’s one of my all time favourite things to do!
7. Have compassion for myself. Embracing and accepting all feelings. Feelings can more easily move through us when we don’t resist them.
8. Meditate daily
What are you most grateful for right now?  Each morning I like to think about 3 things I'm grateful for - something I'm grateful for about myself, about someone else and something more general so.. 1. My love for the sky because it's always there! 2. Friends and family 3. The sunshine!
What are you most hopeful for?  I am feeling hopeful that that since the pandemic, speaking openly about mental health has become more normalised so hoping to see stigma continue to be reduced.
What has been the most unexpected blessing that has come out of this for you?  Aside from learning meditation (and then as a result starting my business) I’ve loved learning that I can enjoy a slower lifestyle. Also, school somehow seemed to ruin books for me, and since the pandemic I’ve found a love for reading!
Are there any goals you have set for your self?  I want to focus on raising awareness around the climate crisis.
What are you most looking forward to in the future?  Reuniting with some of my closest friends interstate and overseas. Miss them so much!! Also, hikes!
Anything else you would like to add?  Just a big thank you to Jasmine Alexa for creating this platform, for starting important conversations and for being so open and real. I have no doubt you are helping so many people! ~ Ok, one more thing… be kind to yourself… this too shall pass! I’m always here if anyone wants to have a chat ☺