THE ART OF LIVING AN ALCOHOL-FREE LIFESTYLE
Tip: # 05 Savoir Vivre // Make the mundane special
THE ART OF LIVING AN ALCOHOL-FREE LIFESTYLE
A series of one-off tips served with some straight talk, a bit of sass, and a penchant for not taking oneself or life too seriously.
Tip # 05: Make the Mundane Special
Savoir Vivre
savoir vi·​vre -¦vēvr(ᵊ), -v(rə) : ability to live elegantly
If you are reading this here, you know me well enough to know that I am not about to give a lesson on elegance from a perspective of pinky's up, over-the-top, luxurious living for the 1%.
Nope, not me nor my style.
I would, however, like to share how we can live elegantly in a doable, cherishable, and 100% personable way. It's about the small things. The tiny details. It's treating ourselves well in those otherwise easily forgettable moments. It's about slowing down and taking the time to appreciate everything around us.
When you decide to quit drinking, you may find that the day-to-day may not be as, dare I say, exciting as it once was. Of course, this isn’t true for everyone, but hear me out. Going out, being amongst friends, and doing fun and spontaneous things is exciting. Even the shitstorms that we get ourselves into, the drama we cause, can be addictive to our nervous systems. And once we stop this behavior or simply back away from the party scene, we may find ourselves thinking (due to our nervous system being all jacked up)….what else is there?
When I take the time to elevate even the smallest of experiences, this can do so much for my psyche and how I feel. As someone who no longer checks out regularly with alcohol, I am wide awake to my environments and the way I feel in these environments. So I quickly learned that I feel good when I pay attention to making my spaces and my experiences special. My nervous system feels good because I feel like I am truly caring for myself in the simplest way.
It doesn't have to be expensive or require a lot of work, and it may not even be something anyone else would consider significant. But to you, it is.Â
You will be required to slow down and pay attention. Notice where you can treat yourself with a simple act. Find enjoyment in the moments that you may typically just let pass by.
Savoir Vivre – yes, by definition, means the ability to live elegantly. And yes, the word elegant may seem over the top. But we can bring elegance into our lives by merely paying attention. If we put 1/10th of the amount of time that we used to spend hanging out drinking into choosing and creating ways to make ourselves and our spaces feel a bit more special, it would be incredibly transformative for our new day-to-day way of living alcohol-free.
Again, this is 100% personable, but I wanted to share a few to get you thinking:
Putting your phone on airplane mode for several hours a day or even an hour a day.
Placing your jewelry in a beautiful tray after wearing it all day
Burning the good candles
Going for a walk with nothing but your camera
Warming up a blanket in the dryer before curling up on the couch with a good book
An aromatic diffuser in random corners of the home
Taking a bath and using more salt than necessary
Anonymously buy the coffee for the woman behind you having a bad day
Arranging wildflowers in a vintage vase you found at a thrift store
Ocean drives (ex. Big Sur PCH)
Choosing the convertible at the car rental shop
Warming up your coffee twelve times because you like to take your time
Organizing your lingerie
Travel alone
Automatic out-of-office reply on summer Fridays and Mondays and maybe even Tuesdays
Travel pack with all your favorite mini luxury products so you are ready anytime
Charlie Parker on a Sunday morning
Planting and picking from your own herb garden
Taking your time lathering oil on your body post bath
Frame your favorite photos.
Making yourself a decadent meal
Having crystals near you
Art. The practice of creating, observing, & collecting
Satin/silk pillowcases
High tea on a random Tuesday afternoon
Laying in the sunshine
Read an erotic book out loud to your lover
Take yourself out on a date without your phone
Sit in a café with a journal and French music playing in your ears
Cook your favorite meal with the most nourishing ingredients
Allow someone to cook for you as you watch lovingly
Vintage dresses
Sunset picnic at the beach
Never underestimate the power of quality over quantity
Perfume
Dinner parties
At-home sugar scrubs. They also make a great gift.
Gift yourself a night alone in a hotel room in the same town you live in
Spend hours hunting down your all-time favorite out-of-print journal
Morning rituals
Listening to music that lights you up
Dancing by yourself
Silk pajamas
Fill your backyard with twinkle lights
Dine al fresco
Guiltless sleep
Learn the language you want to learn, not what you think you should learn.
Start and finish a book in a day
Stay in bed till 2 pm watching foreign movies
Two words: Yoga Nidra
Taking your time, going slow, ease, ease, ease…..with anything and everything.
Let me know if you need any more ideas to elevate your spaces and experiences. Have fun with this!
And if you’ve been considering joining the Feel Good Studio, we are currently covering financial health. But this space also includes more in-depth topics such as midlife madness, travel, leaning into grief and loss, yoga nidra/breathwork recordings, movement practices, and my personal favorite, resourcing sh*t that feels good, to name a few.
Thanks for being here!
xx, Mia