A positive outlook on ADHD/ADD

In our society, we treat ADD and ADHD as a disorder. It is because we are not able to sit still for more than an hour (or 5 minutes), focus and do our administration properly, we need to take medication and go into therapy.

Though medication and therapy can be very helpful for people with ADHD, it’s not always the long term solution for everyone. It wasn’t for me. For the last couple of years, I’ve been living successfully with ADD without medication. I write about this on my blog.

What if we look at it differently and see our ADD/ADHD - on top of the problems that it brings us - as a strength?

I’ve been living with ADD/ADHD without medication for a few years now, with success. I have my own business, feel happy and healthy and my administration is not that big of a mess (just a little bit;-)).

This is why we should celebrate our ADHD/ADD…

Some general superpowers of people with ADHD/ADD

People with ADD or ADHD usually are:

• Highly intelligent
• Highly creative
• Talented in different fields
• Generous, warm-hearted and helpful
• Spontaneous, sparkly, fun to be around
• Innovative
• Compassionate
• Good-hearted
• Humorous
• Good at improvising
• Full of ideas
• Good in a crisis
• etc…

Sounds pretty amazing, doesn’t it? These superpowers can make a very happy and healthy life, when in the right circumstances.

So why else should we celebrate our ADHD/ADD?

Life is never boring

When I was on medication (I tried Ritalin, Dex-amphetamine, Methylphenidate Retard and more) my life was more boring, compared to my life before the meds. Allthough my administration was more structured and I didn’t loose my keys all the time, I wasn’t feeling happy. I stopped playing piano and guitar, didn’t dance in the kitchen and sing in the shower anymore, stopped having interest on many subjects so I wasn’t learning as much as I did before and I lost the feeling of being spontaneous. Even my friends mentioned I had changed. Luckily, I found a way to live with ADD without using medication.

With ADD or ADHD, life is never boring. Because we have so many interests, there is always something to do, read about or explore. If we find the right place for us -which is most certainly not a corporate environment and probably not a big city- we can thrive as a person and enjoy a very fulfilling life, full of adventures, activities, freedom, love, learning, and friendships.

ADHD/ADD makes better entrepreneurs

ADHD is defined by three primary symptoms: hyperactivity, inattentiveness and impulsivity. Although these conditions do not correlate with success in institutional settings (schools, corporate environments), it is definitely possible to be successful in life with ADHD.

Successful business people like Richard Brandson (founder Virgin Group), Ingvar Kamprad (Ikea found) and David Neeleman (founder JetBlue Airways) have proven this over the years.

Several studies seek to explore how ADHD may suit and benefit entrepreneurs, with great results.

Why can we be so successful in business with our ADHD?

• We are highly creative and can therefore come up with successful business ideas
• We can think outside the box, think ahead and be a pioneer
• We are hyperactive and high in energy, which means we can do a lot of work in a little amount of time
• We can use the hyperfocus, with the same result as above
• Acting impulsively, we are more willing to take risks, which is necessary in business
• We are action-orientated; we are poor at planning, good at acting, and to have a successful business you have to act before the opportunity goes away.
• We can multi-task

ADHD/ADD make great musicians, artists, athletes

Many famous musicians like Justin Timberlake, Mick Fleetwood, Will.i.am, Cher, Adam Levine (Maroon 5), Solange Knowles and Ozzy Osbourne got diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. Also some great artists, tv hosts and successful athletes are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, like Emma Watson, Michael Phelps, Tim Howard, Ty Pennington and Michael Jordan.

Our minds might be chaotic, but they are also extremely creative. We might not be able to sit still, but with our high level of energy we can accomplish a lot.

So celebrate your ADHD/ADD and let your creativity and positive energy come out in a positive way!

Do you have ADHD or ADD like me?

I would love to hear how you ‘use your ADHD/ADD’ in a positive way. Please share in the comments. :)

Jose Schrijver is a Dutch writer/blogger/traveler, who had a burn out at age 28 and in that phase of her life, got diagnosed with ADD. With her blog, as a non-conformist and promoter of natural health, she wants to inspire people to live a happier, healthier life.

For as long as I can remember, freedom is what I want from life. I want the freedom to decide how to live, work, what to do, how to spend my time, who to spend my time with and where to spend my money. When I came back from spending a year in New Zealand living in my van, I knew it for sure: the life everybody back home is living, is not the life I want.

Are you also looking for more freedom in your life, but do you have no clue about where to start? In this article I will give you a simple beginners guide to freedom.

Are you ready for some insights…?

Here we goooo….

Step 1: Less is more; downsize

We all think we need way more than we actually need. The pyramid of Maslow used to contain physiological needs, safety, love and belonging, self-esteem and self-actualization.

In 2019 the Pyramid of Maslow is different. We think we need big houses and cars, unlimited high-speed WiFi, huge flat screen QLED tv’s, comfort, designer clothing, designer furniture, the latest technology chairs, bigger sound speakers, a haircut every month, expensive make up and luxury holidays.

The first and most important step to freedom is, get rid of what you think you need and go back to what you really need. Focus on aspects of the pyramid of Maslow. I can tell you from experience, all this stuff mentioned above doesn’t really add anything to your happiness anyway.

Would you like to take this a step further and become a minimalist? Watch the documentary Minimalism for inspiration.

Step 2: Quit your job

Quit your job, what, really?

Yes, really…

As soon as you downsized and got used to living with less, it’s probably time to quit your job. Unless of course, you love your job and it’s not in the way of your freedom.

Quitting a job might sound scary to some, but if you don’t need much, you don’t really need that full time (office) job.

Is my advice to stop working? Absolutely not. Working is very important in life. Not only to make a living, but also to contribute to the world, the society you choose to be a part of and the be able to fulfill your purpose, whatever that might be.

The advice is to work less (and have more freedom), or find work that contributes to your freedom.

As a freelancer/entrepreneur, I work on different projects. I’m doing all I can to work with a sense of purpose and all the projects I’m working on match my core values.

Step 3: Find your core values

Okay, so you quit your job… what next?

To find a new job which gives you freedom — whether that is as a freelancer, entrepreneur or a (part time) job for a company - you need to know what your core values are. What do you really find important in life?

Probably, freedom is one of your core values, otherwise you wouldn’t read this article.

What else is there…?

To find out what your core values are you need to write, reflect and stand still for a while.

My core values are freedom, health and balance, creativity, adventure, connection/friendship, self development/education, meaning to life (help people and the planet) and entrepreneurship.

Step 3: Find work that makes you happy

Okay, so now you know what your core values are.

Now it’s time to find a job that matches your core values. For most people who long for freedom, this means to be self-employed.

Self-employment is not as scary as it sounds. When you don’t need much, it’s also not such a big deal if you don’t earn enough in the beginning. Forget about all that b*llshit about pensions… pensions probably won’t exist anymore 15 years from now, and you can build your own pension (and gain financial freedom).

I started to work as a freelancer next to a simple hospitality job. Because of this I could pay the bills, but I had enough free time left to start working as a freelancer.

Step 4: Take steps towards financial freedom

When you have financial freedom, you can do anything you want, so the next step is, start building on gaining financial freedom.

But how do you get there? Some things you can do is:

• Pay off debts
• Spend less than you earn
• Write down financial goals
• Spread your money
• Work on having a passive income
• Invest
• Buy bitcoins

I will admit: I don’t have financial freedom yet, I’m still learning. What I’m learning is, that I need to change my relationship towards money, think in abundance and spend less that I earn.

What I already accomplished is that I’m earning some passive income and I’m building funds for the future. I’m diversificating (spreading money between different kinds of investmenst), I have some savings and no debts. My goal is financial freedom when I’m 45.

I’m not a financial expert, if you would like more information on finance I can highly recommend this website.

Step 5: Spend your free time wisely

Okay, so you quit your job and you have a new job that gives you more freedom.

Now it’s the key, to spend your free time wisely.

See the world, spend quality time with the people you love, go on adventures, learn new skills, stay healthy, save the world, make people happy, cuddle your pet, buy a van, go live in a tiny house, read, play music… do whatever makes you happy and suck up all experiences that life gives you.

What’s your experience with freedom?

I hope you liked reading this article, I would love to hear your experience with freedom. You might even have tips for me?

Bye for now!

Love,

Jose

(ps sharing is caring:))

Jose Schrijver is a Dutch writer/blogger/traveler, who had a burn out at age 28 and in that phase of her life, got diagnosed with ADD. With her blog, as a non-conformist and promoter of natural health, she wants to inspire people to live a happier, healthier life.

Note: I am not a doctor, this article is written purely based on my own experience and some researches I read. When in doubt, always consult your doctor.

1. Change your diet

My first tip would be, make changes in your diet. I believe no specific diet is good for everyone, but research has been done on diet and ADD/ADHD. What was the result? Cutting gluten and casein (dairy) can have a tremendous positive effect on people with ADD or ADHD (and also autism).

What also helps is:

• Cut refined sugar from your diet and stick to natural sugar
• Cut processed food from your diet. Eat pure, unprocessed food.
• Help your gut by eating probiotics and fermented food.

These changes in my diet made a huge impact on my well-being. It improved my focus, concentration, health and happiness.

2. Vitamin supplements

Research has been done on vitamin supplements for people with ADD and ADHD as well. The result: a lot of people with ADD or ADHD miss certain vitamins and minerals, so taking supplements can benefit us. For me, it makes a tremendous difference.

Researched supplements with great results on people with ADHD/ADD are: vitamin D, vitamin B12, folate, magnesium, ferritin, iron, calcium, zinc, fish oil/omega 3 and copper.

After 2 weeks of taking vitamin supplements, I already felt a huge difference in how I felt.

See an overview of possible natural supplements for ADHD

3. Yoga and meditation

People with ADD/ADHD have a hard time focusing their attention, but I found out this can be trained through yoga, Mindfulness or meditation.

When you start with meditation or Mindfulness, you might think this is not for you. Meditation is super hard to do and you need a lot of practise. But when you do it on a regular (daily) base, this is going to make a immens impact on your focus and concentration.

When I meditate on a daily base, my life is so much easier.

4. Change your job

Most office jobs are horrible for people with ADD/ADHD and a lot of us hop from one job to the other, never really finding anything we like. That’s because in most jobs you have to do the same trick over and over again, while people with ADD have to be creative to be happy. Building a career can feel like a goal never to be reached.

My tip: do some inner research on your core values. What do you really find important in life? What makes you happy? What makes a job the right job for you? When do you experience flow in work or activities?

I found out that I don’t really need as much money as most people do. What I values are freedom, love/friendship, creativity, balance, health, adventure, self development, meaning to life and taking care of the planet.

I can perfectly live a minimalist lifestyle so I don’t need that 40-hour-workweek in an office. My aspirations are not buying a big house, designer clothes, shoes and spending holidays in 5-star resorts.

My choice is to work for myself, as a freelancer/entrepreneur. Now I decide when I work, how much I work and therefore how much I earn. Because I can work on different projects, creativity can flow. Possibilities are endless and I’m literally never bored. The only downside is: my administration is a mess ;) and I need to hire someone to help me with that (which isn’t really a problem).

5. Routines and structures

Many people with ADD/ADHD have a love-hate relationship with routine. Because we like variety, diversity, creativity and novelty, structure is hard. Our brains need to be stimulated constantly. On the other side, routines and structure bring us so much peace of mind, because it lowers the chaos in our minds and our lives.

My relationship with routine and structure used to be more hate than love… I thought liked going to bed at 2am, getting up whenever I felt like it, reacting to all the great impulses that life gave me and just going with the flow.

After a year of ADD therapy, working on having positive routines and a bit of structure in my life, I’m starting to love it. Routines and structure improve my health, work, personal administration, friendships,

Additional tips

• Visit Wandering Minds for more tips
• Read about the positive sides of ADD/ADHD, because our disorder can be FUN and there are many successful people with ADD/ADHD in this world. Read and get inspired
• Use essential oils to relax (lavender, mint) or to focus (mint)
• Try taking cannabis oil to focus or to sleep
• Try to avoid looking at a screen (phone, laptop, tablet) all day and go into nature instead
• Use the blue screen if you decide to look at a screen after 6pm
• Exercise/do yoga to get a better relationship with your body
• Downsize the clutter in your home (clutter = distractions, whether you realize it or not)
• Ready my other article ‘5 adult ADD/ADHD symptoms and how I overcame them naturally’

What’s your experience?

I hope these tips will help you as a person with ADD/ADHD gaining more health and happiness into your life. Questions or tips? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

Jose Schrijver is a Dutch writer/blogger/traveler, who had a burn out at age 28 and in that phase of her life, got diagnosed with ADD. With her blog, as a non-conformist and promoter of natural health, she wants to inspire people to live a happier, healthier life.

After being home for almost 2 months now, the depression might be gone. In this article I will tell you about that, and I’ll give you 5 tips to overcome the post traveling depression. Because now, I really know :).

What the post traveling depression was for me

Post traveling depression is something I kind of made up. But it was real for me, and I figured it is real for a lot of people.

What hit me the most when I returned home was, that everybody’s life here was exactly the same as before I left. They were living the same life, talking about the same stuff and having the same struggles as before. It felt like people didn’t realise that I’d changed.

Also, I was resenting the materialisticness of the people here (if that’s even a word) and people judging eachother. I missed the adventures, the freedom, the open-mindedness.

The world back home felt a bit fake. It felt like we, as people, ar put in a system (office) and we have to follow the procedures to be succesful. We have to have a good job, be stressed and pay for the mortgage. The entertainment, — Netflix, shopping, phones, tablets, games, gambling, drinking, smoking — , numbs us from what’s really happening in the world and of what would make us happy, I thought.

I missed talking to people about things that really matter to me.

I missed talking about the world, the environment, dreams, adventures, freedom, philosophy, spirituality, personal growth. Around me, people were burning out and it felt like nobody was seeing what is going wrong in the world.

I despised that people were sitting in the bus looking at their phones or talking about what’s new on Netflix. ‘Why don’t people connect anymore?’, I thought.

Is the post traveling depression gone now?

A month later, it’s almost Christmas. It’s crazy how comfortable and normal it feels to be home now. Sometimes, it feels like I haven’t been away for that long. My year of traveling feels like it happened in a past life.

But it feels good to be home.

Finally, after two months, I landed.

Allthough I still agree with everything I felt and wrote, I can’t say I’m post traveling depressed anymore. Things don’t bother me anymore and I realise I can still live the life I want to.

I am cautious though. What I found out is, that old habits die hard. It is super easy to go back to how you used to live and to go and be a part of the system again. I caught myself looking at specific job vacancies again, while during my travels, I said I would never do again.

Sometimes I catch myself talking about bullshit again, for example, participating in gossip. Also, I sometimes catch myself having materialistic thoughts.

When walking in a shopping centre, I’m checking out the shops again. I’m looking at clothes, home decoration, furniture. I’m looking at sh*t I don’t need. Luckily, I am aware of that, which makes me able to make the conscious decision not to buy and stop talking about stuff that doesn’t really matter.

Sometimes, I get too comfortable, something that I swore never to let happen again, because it makes me numb.

I have to be aware to escape my comfort zone every now and then, as I did during my travels.

The good thing is, I can do that at home.

The challenge of being home

As mentioned before, it feels good to be home now. I wouldn’t say it is always easy, but I found a way to feel happy.

The challenge of being back home is, to appreciate what you have. I found out I absolutely love the Netherlands. I love the culture, people on bikes (even when it rains), people sitting outside when there’s a spot of sunshine, café’s, live music, restaurants, the theater, the sea, the canals, the windmills.

Being away for a long time made me appreciate where I come from.

So what should we do while being back home?

Appreciating what we have is one thing. Another thing we should do is, to stick with our values, to stick with what we’ve learned and how we changed. It’s important to not give a sh*t about people having a different opinion about how you should live your life. The challenge is, to be aware, to be conscious about every choice you make.

Put what you’ve learned into practise.

Tips to overcome the post traveling depression

I found a lot of ways to deal with the post traveling depression. I will summarise the ones that were the most helpful for me.

1) Stick with your values

This one is really important. Knowing and living according to your values will have a profound impact on your happiness.

Make sure you know your values. Write them down. Read them often.

Knowing your values will help you create the life that makes you happy.

So how do I do that?

First of all, I must admit, that in New Zealand I took a lot of time to find my values. I bought a notebook and started thinking and writing, while sitting alone in my van, overlooking the sea. I listened to some podcasts about values and I googled lists with values, thinking about what’s important to me.

One of my most important values is freedom. I don’t want to be stuck in a 9–5 job. The great thing is, I don’t have to. So I choose to be a barista & blogger, instead of a marketing and communication consultant. I care more about doing something I love than about earning a lot of money to buy a big house.

I choose to do what I like, and yes, at the moment I earn less then my friends who work 40 hours a week. That’s no big deal, because I care more about my freedom then about posession.

Love, friendship & connection are important to me, so I choose to spend time with the people I love. I care about the environment so I will start growing my own vegetables and I’m participating in good initiatives. Health & balance are important to me, I even need that in order to be happy, so I practise yoga and meditation and I make sure there’s a good work-life balance. I need adventures to be happy so I will have to create adventures back home. Soon, I’ll buy a van and travel around in Europe every now and then.

I believe I can live more minimalistic, so I gave away a lot of stuff and I won’t buy stuff that doesn’t add value to my life. Creativity is important to me, so I will make sure I play music and write often. I care about self-development and education, so I will make sure I keep learning and growing. I love entrepreneurship, which means in order to be happy, I need to create and innovate.

So my first tip is: Think about what your values are and how you can put them into practise.

2) Find likeminded people and spend time with them

Find people who care about the same stuff als you. Not everyone is materialistic. Not everyone cares about pensions and big tv’s. Spend time with other people who (would) like to travel. Do stuff together. Go on a trip for the weekend. Go camping in the middle of winter. Take your gas cooker and cook on the beach. Spend time with other adventurous people.

3) Don’t be bothered by people saying ‘you can’t live this life forever’.

This was a hard one for me, because apparently, I still care what people think. Only when I realised that a lot of people live in fear, I started to not give a sh*t about comments like ‘dream on, you have to work 40 hours a week in the end, you can’t live this life forever.’ or ‘you have to build a pension otherwise your life will be doomed.’.

About 3 weeks after returning home, my aunt of 63 died of a heart attack. She died after enjoying her (early) pension for a week. This made me realise even more that we have to live now, instead of working to build a future. There might not even be a future.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you should sit back and be lazy. Of course we need to work, we need to contribute to the society. But we can do that the way we want to. I went to university and now I’m writing and making coffee. Who cares I’m not earning a lot of money?

It’s your life. Don’t do things to make other people happy. Make yourself happy, and others will be happier with you too.

4) Accept that not everyone is like you. Enjoy it. Inspire each other.

Not everybody is like you. Some people value some kinds of certainties. Some people are really happy in their 9–5 job. Accept that they are different, and let them accept you. Conversations can get quite funny. Enjoy it. We might even learn from eachother.

You’d be surprised what happens if you open up to people and start the conversation about how you, and we as a society, live our lives. I discovered that a lot of people are considering to change their way of living. Those people are inspired by (ex)travelers who took that leap of faith.

5) Escape your comfort zone

When you travel, you don’t find yourself in your comfort zone that often. I really miss being out of my comfort zone now, so what I do is, realising where my comfort zone is and finding things where I can step out of it.

I make sure I go to new places often and I make sure that I do things that scare me a little.

Bonus tip: be a traveller in your own country

How well do your know your country, your city, even your neighbourhood? Visit places you’ve never been before. Go to a new café, restaurant, concept store, or take a walk in nature. Look around, talk to people. Do what you do when you travel. Be open. See new things. Enjoy.

Are you post traveling depressed? Or did you do things to overcome it? I’d love to hear other stories so please share! :)

Jose Schrijver is a Dutch writer/blogger/traveler, who had a burn out at age 28 and in that phase of her life, got diagnosed with ADD. With her blog, as a non-conformist and promoter of natural health, she wants to inspire people to live a happier, healthier life.

When we are not entertained, we worry. Mainly, we think about the past or the future.

Do we ever really relax? Is our mind ever really still?

If you would like to learn to calm the mind, continue to read. I’ll give you 12 simple ways to do it. Don’t miss this opportunity for yourself to become more happy, relaxed and focused.

Do we really need to calm the mind?

“I’m healthy and I have enough energy. Why should I calm my mind?”, I hear people say.

This is exactly what I said to my therapist, the first time I was talking to her, when she asked me ‘how do you relax? how do you calm your mind?’.

When I burned out, I realized we do need to calm the mind

Four years ago, I suffered from burnout. I completely collapsed, mentally and physically. It was a long road back to where I was before. It took me at least two years before I regained my energy.

I’m grateful for my burnout. It opened a whole new world to me. The world of Yoga, meditation, mindfulness. ‘That stuff is not for me’, I would have said before. I was way too down to earth for that. Nevertheless, it improved my life drastically.

At that time I realized, that before my burn-out, I was already feeling tired for many years. I didn’t really know, because I didn’t pay attention to my body back then. I was distracting myself all the time.

I thought I was doing so well, having jobs, earning money, traveling a lot, having an exciting social life and studying in the evening.

When I look back, I realise how tired I was. I realise, how I was always worrying, or looking for distraction. I realise how I was irritated quickly, how I was pleasing people, how I never really felt relaxed.

Now I know, that it is possible to have more energy. To be happier. To worry less.

Do you ever think ‘I just want to stop thinking.’?

What do we do, when we have some free time, and we are not watching TV? When there’s no entertainment around? What happens when we are alone, for example, when we are in bed?

Mainly, when we have nothing to entertain us, we worry about the past or the future.

We’ve all been there. We really want to relax. It would be so liberating to stop thinking, just for a second, but our brains keep buzzing. We worry, and we can’t stop. I believe, as Eckhart Tolle says in his book The Power Of Now, we, in the west, have a disease. We can’t stop thinking. We can not just be.

Our brain is using us, instead of us, using our brain.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could decide when our brain is working and when it is time to chill? Wouldn’t it be awesome to stop worrying, to be relaxed, to have more energy and focus?

It is possible.

ADD therapy, among other things, taught me how to chill the mind

For me, as a person with ADD, it might be even harder to still the mind. If I don’t calm the mind regularly, it sometimes feels like there’s a rollercoaster inside my head. My thoughts go as fast as the light. I’m tired, but I can’t relax. Even at night, when I feel like sleeping, I can’t because my brain doesn’t stop.

Luckily, in the past 4 years, I learned a lot about the brain. I learned to meditate, to focus better and because of that, to sleep better.

I learned to calm the mind, and I’d like to share 15 ways to do it.

Furthermore, I would like to share 10 simple tools that can help you to calm the mind. The methods might be simple, but this doesn’t make it an easy job. Although it sounds like a contradiction, we need to train, learn, develop a mind that can be calmed.

If you decide to try one of the methods below, commit yourself to do it on a daily basis, for at least a month. Or even better, twice a day, in the morning and in the evening.

Pick one and try it out for a while. Don’t try one and then say ‘this is not for me’, because exercises like these are never really for us, before we train and develop. Allow yourself time. You deserve it and your life will improve.

1. Lay or sit down and listen. Name 10 different things you can hear. Say it out loud, or in your head. If you do this daily, you’d be surprised about the new sounds you will hear. You can suddenly hear birds in a city, or the wind blowing through the trees. When 10 things are easy, make it 20.
2. Lay or sit down and feel. Mention 10 things you feel in your body. An itch, a pain, being sore, heat, cold, relaxation, anything. It’s a great way to learn to focus, and this way, at the same time, you learn to listen to your body. When 10 things are easy, make it 20.
3. Name 20 objects you see in the room. Say them out loud, or say them to yourself in silence.
4. Practice yoga. I can write a whole article about the benefits of yoga. I won’t do that now, but if you Google ‘benefits of yoga’ you will find a lot of arguments why yoga will help you still the mind, among other benefits.
5. Focus on your breathing. Count 21 in- and out breaths. If you are distracted, don’t be mad at yourself. Start over. Practice daily, be patient. I can promise you will improve.
6. Treat yourself and go to the spa. Sauna’s and jacuzzi’s can really help you relax and calm the mind. Focus on your body, while being in the sauna. How do you feel?
7. Listen to music. Instead of using music as a background thing, really listen. What is happening in the music? Which instruments are you hearing? If you are really into music, what’s the rhythm? Which notes do you hear?
8. Find a guided meditation, for example on Spotify. The body scan is a great way to start.
9. Focus on your emotions. For some people this can be scary. Don’t be scared. If you can learn to accept anything you feel, even if there’s some negativity or fear, this will help you a great deal in life. Emotions are a big part of us. Instead of blocking them, we can accept them, embrace them, and learn from them. Tell yourself there is nothing wrong with feeling afraid, angry or sad. It’s a part of life, and it tells us something. Maybe we need to make a change in our live? My coach ones told me ‘give the negative emotion a hug and tell it, it is welcome’. I never forgot that, and I still do it sometimes.
10. Reconnect with nature. Have a walk in the forest, on the beach, in a park. Really pay attention to what you see, feel and hear. By reconnecting with nature, we can, little by little, learn to live in the now more, instead of in the past or the future.
11. Sit down, breathe deep, and focus on what you are grateful for. What’s going well in your life? What are you proud of? If your mind is wandering towards negativity, don’t blame yourself, this is what happens. Accept it and focus your attention back to positive thoughts. Keep asking yourself ‘What am I grateful for?
12. Visualize. Breathe in positivity, breathe out the bullshit, tension and negativity. Visualizing is not for everyone. For me, in the beginning, it was very hard to visualize. After a couple of weeks, my physiotherapist asked me to do a visualization because I was having a very high blood pressure. After 5 minutes of meditation, visualizing, my blood pressure went down enormously.
13. Exercise. When you exercise (when you do it well), you need to focus completely on your body. There’s no space to worry. Exercise mindfully. With every movement, feel what happens in your body.
14. Let go of tension. Sit or lay down and focus on your breathing. With every out breath, let go of tension somewhere in your body. Which muscles need a release?
15. Read. When you read, you have to focus on the story. There’s no space to worry about the past or the future. Reading is a great way to calm the mind. I hear some people think… ‘I don’t have the focus to read’. That might be true, but instead say ‘I don’t have to focus to read right now’. A couple of years ago, I didn’t have the focus to read, unless I had an exam in a couple of hours. After I started meditating, my focus improved drastically. Now I can easily read. (The only problem is, that I’m falling asleep now when I do it.

This was a selection of the tools I use or have used to calm the mind. Find more on Wandering Minds.

I hope this article was helpful and that it will get you on the right track. Start with one, try it out for a while, do it daily and don’t give up. If you can’t do it alone, follow a course like Mindfulness.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Or maybe you know another way to calm the mind. If so, please share :). I am, like everyone, still learning and improving.

Jose Schrijver is a Dutch writer/blogger/traveler, who had a burn-out at age 28 and in that phase of her life, got diagnosed with ADD. With her blog Wandering Minds, as a non-conformist and promoter of natural health, she wants to inspire people to live a happier, healthier life.

The word sin really turns me off, but however we describe the true meaning of Christmas, I’m sure it has not much to do with how we celebrate Christmas today.

With this article, I hope I can inspire those few who care, to change their Christmas habits for the better. Let’s decide for ourselves how to spend Christmas, instead of letting society decide for us.

My way of thinking about this matter was inspired by two of my closest friends. They have a very good relationship with their family. Two years ago, they said to me: ‘We don’t do that stupid Christmas stuff anymore, having too many dinners, buying too many gifts. We just go and volunteer.’.

Christmas 2017. Let’s celebrate a little differently.

Let’s eat less, let’s buy less.

Let’s connect more. Let’s care more.

How do we celebrate Christmas today?

Rudolf the rednose reindeer. Had a very shiny nose. ♫

I love Christmas songs. I love Christmas. The cold weather, ice skating, lights and music on the streets. Playing games inside, while listening to Christmas songs. I totally love it. Especially when it snows.

I’m very fortunate to have a loving family to celebrate with.

I don’t know about your country, but in the Netherlands, Christmas is a pretty big deal. It’s mostly about family gatherings, eating a lot, and buying each other expensive gifts. Officially, we have Christmas Evening, First Christmas Day and Second Christmas Day. Some people even celebrate a third and fourth Christmas Day.

What about love, giving, thinking about the poor?

Honestly, I think we live in a very selfish society. We never really think about less fortunate people. We don’t consciously care about lonely people.

It’s all about OUR family, MY Christmas dinner, MY gifts.

That neighbour that doesn’t have a family? That friend who is alone at Christmas because he‘s not on good terms with his family? In general, we don’t really think about them so much. We might pity them. Usually, we wouldn’t think about inviting them. Christmas is about family, right?

Those families who don’t have the money to have a fancy dinner and buy gifts? Kids in orphanages? We don’t really think about them.

Do we choose how to spend december, or does society chooses for us?

So let’s talk a bit more about how we spend the month December. Would you think we make our own decisions about what and how much we buy? Are we free to do whatever we want?

Think again.

I studied Communication and Marketing, so I kind of know how it works.

Companies love the Holidays.

It’s almost December now. Wherever we go, out on the street, in a shop or on television, we are influenced to buy more. Big companies have big marketing teams. Their job is to persuade us. Let’s not talk about the psychological research behind it. They know exactly how to make us buy stuff we don’t need, or don’t even want.

On top of that, we influence eachother on social media.

“Look how happy my Christmas is. Look what I got. Look what I bought for my kid. Look how nice our tree looks. #imsohappy #christmastime #love #familymatters”.

Our social media profiles only share the good. We would never admit we feel lonely. We would never admit we actually don’t want to go to that family dinner.

As a result of all this, we buy too much. We buy stuff we don’t need. We spend too much money, especially during Christmas time. We feel like we have to do our best, to have the most fabulous Christmas.

Christmas has not so much to do with doing good anymore.

Christmas is purely commercial.

Does it make us happy? Do we enjoy it?

Again, I believe we live in a kind of selfish society. Or individualistic, however you want to name it.

Please realise, we are all influenced to eat and buy more.

Is that what you really want? Please do so.

If not, don’t.

I would say, don’t stop buying, just be conscious.

If you really want to buy something, whether it is food for a fancy dinner or a nice gift for a family member, please do so. Enjoy it. All I would say is, make a conscious decision. Don’t do it because we have to. Don’t feel obliged. Always realise, we are influenced by media, and then decide.

Social obligations?

I remember, many years ago, my grandma asking me ‘Where’s your dress and why didn’t you put on any make up? You look so regular. It’s Christmas!’. At that time, I was in puberty and I wasn’t feeling like dressing up for Christmas at all. But it was expected.

‘Why the hell is that?’, I wonder. Christmas, originally, has nothing to do with dressing up. As a result, I felt like crap. I wasn’t living up to society’s expectation.

Give each other a break. If you don’t want to dress up, don’t dress up.

Just be you. Have a good time. Love. Care. And most of all: let each other be.

Aks yourself: do you really want to spend your Christmas days eating and socialising with family? I don’t know about you, but many people around me complain. They feel obliged to go to all the family gatherings during Christmas time, wearing fancy clothes and preparing a lot of food. They have a stressful job. When they finally have some time off, they would rather do something else then having a fancy dinner. But hey, this is how we celebrate Christmas, right?

A lot of people, consciously or not, realise how stupid it is to overeat and oversocialise. So why do we still do it?

Don’t get me wrong. I think we should spend time with our families. Just not because it is Christmas and we need to eat so much and buy gifts. We should spend time with family because we want to. Any time of the year.

We can still enjoy Christmas. But we can choose how to spend it. We can ask ourselves what is really important to us.

Choose how to spend your Christmas. Be free.

I love Christmas, and I love to spend it with family. So on Christmas Eve, I will spend it with family. Yes, we will eat. Maybe we will even eat a bit more than usual.

I’m still considering how to spend first and second Christmas day. I’m looking for a good place to volunteer, with kids or elderly, because I would like to be less selfish.

I might even do nothing special. Go for a walk. Enjoy nature. Doing nothing is o.k. too.

How are you spending your christmas?

Are you thinking about changing your Christmas celebration? Would you like to choose for yourself how to spend those Holidays?

If we want to be happy, helping others is a good way to go. Watch the first video on this page, which beautifully shows how helping others can make you happy.

There are other ways too, and there are more ways then I describe here.

Here’s 10 ideas to spend your Christmas differently.

1. Give others a beautiful Christmas #1. Invite a neighbour or friend. Have a nice dinner. Instead of doing it with family only, think about people around you who might feel lonely. Invite them. If you dare, invite a homeless person (I would love to do that some day).
2. Give others a beautiful Christmas #2. Go and volunteer, for example in a resthome or with children, or prepare dinner for poor people. My friends started doing that two years ago. What better to spend you Christmas then to help others having a fabulous Christmas?

1. Give others a beautiful Christmas #3. Buy gifts for kids at an orphanage. Or send presents to children in a developing country. Imagine their faces!
2. Give others a beautiful Christmas #4. Look out for people in your neighbourhood. Help an old lady crossing the street. Have a chat. She might be lonely. Just be nice to strangers. Give a compliment. Smile. Have a chat with a homeless person. You can make someones day. Don’t underestimate what a smile and a chat can do to a person.
3. Give others a beautiful Christmas #5. There must be someone you know, who’s having a hard time, or someone who needs help. Ask that person if you can help them with something.

1. Give others a beautiful Christmas #6. Make a donation to a charity, with the money you would usually spend on gifts.
2. Be conscious and decide for yourself how to spend Christmas #1. Don’t do anything special. Just enjoy yourself. Relax. Have a good time. Enjoy your free time. Do what you feel like doing. Go for a walk. Recharge.
3. Be conscious and decide for yourself how to spend Christmas #2. Don’t buy expensive stuff. Spend a little less than last year. Buy that beautiful gift for someone, but do it consciously, not because you think you have to do it.
4. Be conscious and decide for yourself how to spend Christmas #3. Don’t eat like you haven’t had food for a year. Just have a nice dinner. Nurture your body with good food. Eat organic. Buy local food, instead of commercial food. Don’t buy cheap meat, if you care about animals and the environment. Limit your sugar intake, your body and brain will thank you.
5. Be conscious and decide for yourself how to spend Christmas #4. Spend Christmas with your family because you want to, not because you have to. Decide where you would like to be. Don’t let society decide for you.

While I’m aware of the fact that a lot of it is far from our bed (poor people, homeless people, developing countries), I’m sure we can make small changes to be happier as individuals and as a society.

We can’t save the whole world. Wat we can do, is making conscious decisions, and most of all:

Don’t let society decide how we spend our Christmas. Let’s decide for ourselves.

Ask yourself what’s important to you. What do you feel like?

To end this article nicely, here’s a little story about the kindsness of Kiwi’s in New Zealand

To end this article, I would like to share how a random person on the street, in New Zealand, made my day, right before Christmas.

When I was living and working in New Zealand for a year, I had no family around at Christmas time. I remember a lady in a shopping mall who, out of nowhere, started talking to me. ‘Oh dear, you are traveling, that’s all nice, but where is your family? Where are you going to celebrate Christmas? You can join us if you like!’, she said. She brought tears to my eyes.

I already had plans. I was going to a community Christmas event, having dinner with my lovely Couchsurf host and after that, I was meeting travel buddies, listening to Christmas Carols. The next day, I had my first rowing training.

Allthough I had plans already, the kindness of this lady made me realise we should all be kinder and more loving towards eachother. Especially during Christmas time. But actually, every single day.

What are your thoughts about Christmas? How are you celebrating this year?

Don’t hesitate to share :).

Merry Christmas!

Jose Schrijver is a Dutch writer/blogger/traveler, who had a burn out at age 28 and in that phase of her life, got diagnosed with ADD. With her blog, as a non-conformist and promoter of natural health, she wants to inspire people to live a happier, healthier life.

‘Do those certainties actually exist?’ I sometimes wonder…

When I was 29, just diagnosed with ADD while recovering from a burn out, I realised this wasn’t going to be my life. I mean, I might want to make babies sooner or later, and of course I want a job, but I realised my path is going to be very different from the expectation.

I always wanted to travel the world, so I made a decision.

With a degree in Communication and Online Marketing, people around me expected me to find a well paid 9–5 office job. ‘That’s not what I want’, I thought.

At that time, I was working on some projects, to offer outdoor career coaching to people who are in a similar position as I was, and to work for myself as an online marketing and communication consultant, but I made the decision to book a ticket and travel in New Zealand for a year.

I booked the ticket, rented my house, left my friends and family behind and I was going to live in New Zealand for a while, with a very minimum budget (New Zealand is extremely expensive).

So I left my certainties behind, what happened?

• From the first minute on the plane, I felt extremely relaxed and free. After a long period of time feeling pressured, I felt no expectations and no judgement. ‘From now on, it’s just me and the journey’, I thought.
• I crawled out of my routine and out of my comfort zone. This made me feel incredibly alive. Also, it made me learn, discover and master many new things.
• I was surrounded by other world explorers, who are all on a journey to be happier and healthier. This was extremely inspiring and revealing in many ways. I realised, the way I grew up with the things I learned, might not be the only way, the only truth, if that makes sense in any way.
• I finally started my blog. I had been thinking about that for years. Finally, I found the headspace and the right environment to do it.
• I slept in my friends’ car, which felt a bit weird the first night, on a beach, but it was an amazing adventure. You, nature, transportation and your home. Ultimate freedom.
• I built a self contained campervan. A month later, I bought my own van. Naturally, I didn’t built the van itself. I built the inside of the van. I would never have imagined building something like that, but I did it!
• Living in a campervan with a minimal amount of stuff, made me worry less. Like a Buddhist Teacher once said to me: ‘everything you own, is weight on your shoulders. When you own a house, you have to work hard enough to be able to pay the mortgage. When you own an expensive watch, you are afraid it will get stolen or break down. Owning nothing, made me worry less.
• Cold showers, in lakes and creeks, gave my immune system a boost. I started feeling very strong and healthy quickly.

• I found out that my diet, with a lot of gluten, was not the best diet for me. While couchsurfing and eating gluten free for a while, I realised the effect it had on my body and mind. I eat mostly gluten free now and my ADD symptoms decreased enormously.
• My self confidence got a boost. When you travel alone, taking care your yourself in a new environment, achieving things you’d never imagine achieving, your self confidence gets a boost. It was satisfying and very helpful for my self confidence to make my own decisions, without people interfering.

Certainties, wether they exist or not, come with responsibilities and expectations. Now, I could just be me, without those expectations. The only thing I had to do was to take care of myself.

• I became less materialistic. I learned how to live with less and discovered that we don’t need all the things we think we need. Now, When I walk into a shopping mall, I don’t even want to shop.

Less money — less stuff — more happiness.

• I reconnected with nature and disconnected from technology a bit. I say a bit, because I’m a blogger so I need technology. Nevertheless, I learned to look less at my phone and to be with nature more often. This boosted my mental and phyisical health.
• I made friends for life. Globe trotters are the best!

• I discovered who my real friends are. Those are the people that support my choices and who I still talk to. My friendships got deeper. I started to feel more appreciation for friendships and family.
• I re-invented myself, or maybe I even found myself.

I had the time of my life. I felt extremely free.

• I started using less toxics, like deodorant (baking soda instead), perfume (essential oils instead), skin products (natural oils instead) cleaning products (vinegar and baking soda instead) and more…
• I got jobs without even applying. Just by being me, spreading the word about who I am and what I’m good at, I got jobs in New Zealand.
• I surprised myself in many ways. I didn’t know I could cook. I didn’t know I could build. I never knew I was extroverted.

• My health improved, which had it’s effect on many components of my life.

Most importantly, I really know what I need to be happy now. The challenge is, to act upon this knowledge. To keep making my own decisions, to not care too much about what others think.

Did you also make the decision to completely change your life in some way, by leaving your certainties behind?

I’d be happy to read your story!

Jose Schrijver is a Dutch writer/blogger/traveler, who had a burn out at age 28 and in that phase of her life, got diagnosed with ADD. With her blog, as a non-conformist and promoter of natural health, she wants to inspire people to live a happier, healthier life.

Deep inside your heart, you really really want to explore the world, but your brain is making excuses, right? You just got a promotion, you own a house so you can’t leave, you have kids or you are just not sure how to do it.

Those are all sensible reasons not to go. Aren’t they?

Or are you just scared, like we all are?

Ok. You are scared. So just forget about it, right?

The fact is, that little voice inside your head that that tells you you want to discover new places, see the world, re-invent yourself or whatever the hunger to travel comes from is, that feeling you have, isn’t going away just like that.

If it is something that you really want to do, if you get excited even thinking about it, if you feel a bit scared but the thought of going is still appealing, you just have to do it (I believe you can apply this to any dream).

On the road, I’ve met people who, before their travels, had the highest incomes, the lowest incomes or no income at all. People with kids, people without kids. I met people who had zero money on their account.

The fact is, there are not many real excuses for not traveling (unless you don’t want to). When you have the money for your ticket, you can travel. If you don’t have much money to spend when you are away, you just go volunteering at the most beautiful places.

So here, after my personal story (which you can skip if you want), I’ll give you a simple guide on how to quit your job and go travel the world.

My story

For the last thirteen months, I’ve been traveling in New Zealand. I’m 31 and this was my first long time trip, except for being away for two monts or four months to work in a ski field.

Most of the time, I was living in the car that I bought and converted into a self contained campervan. I was just young enough to apply for a Working Holiday Visa, so I not only traveled, I worked.

When I made the decision, I was 29, recovering from a burn out, in therapy for ADD and I was starting to work as a freelance online marketing and communication consultant. Everybody around me was building a life, by buying houses, getting promotions and making babies.

But I wanted to travel.

At first, I was making excuses not to do it

It has always been my dream to live in a van and travel around. For years, it skipped my mind, almost on a daily base.

Most of the time, I was making excuses why not to do it (now). The timing wasn’t right. I had a job, I was earning money, or I was just starting up my company. My family doesn’t want me to go, I don’t have the money. I have to build a life like everyone is doing.

Bla bla bla.

Excuses.

The timing is never right, if fear is in charge.

The fact is, I was so scared to actually take that step, that I was making excuses. I really convinced myself I couldn’t do it. ‘I would get into trouble. My money would be gone quickly. I will lose my friends. I’m not open enough. My English isn’t good enough. I will never find work. When I return my life will be over and I wouldn’t find a job anymore’. Bla bla. Bla.

There’s always an excuse for not pursuing our dream. The reality is, we are just scared.

Fear is real. But you know that life begins at the end of your comfort zone, right?

I believe, in order to be happy, you have to face your fears and you have to step outside of your comfort zone.

Besides… Fear can be a good thing, if you can convert it into action. And you have that power. 💪

When you overcome a fear, it feels incredible.

When I made the decision to go…

We were mountainbiking. While climbing a hill, unfortunately we don’t have mountains in the Netherlands, my friend told me she was going to New Zealand.

That was the moment, I made the decision. If she can do it, why can’t I? Don’t be so stupid. I have been thinking about it for years. I’m 29, one year from too old to apply for the Working Holiday Visa in New Zealand.

‘What is stopping me?’, I thought.

At that time, I had a coach at the ADHD clinic. When I told her, she said: YES, go for it! She knew me for almost a year and I knew she had my best interest.

The days after I made the decision, with a lot of excitement, I told my friends & family what my plans were. Naturally, most people responded with a lot of doubt and many questions. I’m very much influenced by what other people think (working on that), so I got a bit unsure.

A few days later, I got so sick of me doubting myself. I felt a lot of self pity, and then I figured I was playing the victim. (‘people don’t support me. People don’t really know me’, bla bla).

This is my life. I can make my own decisions, can’t I? Who knows me better than me?

‘My intuition never failed on me before, why shouldn’t I follow it now?’, I thought.

So, I grabbed my laptop and applied for the Working Holiday Visa. A week later, it got approved. I started looking for flights, booked, and tadaaa, I was going to travel! Indefinitely, but at least for six months.

The moment I booked my flight, all doubt and fear just disappeared.

I DID IT! I booked! I’m Going!

I can’t begin to describe the excitement I felt.

So what are those 5 steps to decide to quit your job and travel the world?

1. Do research about the country or countries you would like to visit. Check things like visa information, average prices, prices for flights, ways to travel around, possibilities to work, Wwoof, WorkAway or HelpX. Read blogs from other travelers. What was their experience? Find out if your plan, the things you want to do, are realistic and what you need to know and do, before you leave.
2. Decide for yourself that you want to go. Period. From that moment, even when in doubt, use positive language about your plans, like ‘I am scared, but I’m going. I can do this. I will book a flight soon’. Even if you feel doubt, keep repeating those positive sentences. Wake up and say ‘this is what I want, and I’m going to do it!’. Say it, even if you don’t feel it at the moment.
3. Talk to someone who has your best interest at heart (not to your parents, because they wouldn’t encourage you to go) and ask them what they think. It could be, that some of your doubts are reasonable. Talk about it. Talk to other travellers, bloggers, and to people who know you well. Oh, maybe also important, talk to your boss.
4. Don’t act upon fear. You are safe. You will be fine. Keep repeating the positive sentences. Talk about what you want. Write it down, if that helps.
5. Stop overthinking and apply for your visa or book a flight. Once you’ve taken this very important step, the fear will disappear. You made the decision and you will go. Now it’s time to celebrate and to start doing more research.

After that, you can start finding tenants for your house, do your final resignation, cancel memberships, etc.

I believe there is only one answer to the question how to decide to quit your job and travel the world, and that is

JUST DO IT.

Take that step. Book. Apply.

Everybody is afraid. You’ll be fine. If you want something, go for it!

Can you relate to my story? Or do you have a question?

Please comment below.

Jose Schrijver is a Dutch writer/blogger/traveler, who had a burn out at age 28 and in that phase of her life, got diagnosed with ADD. With her blog, as a non-conformist and promoter of natural health, she wants to inspire people to live a happier, healthier life.

I’ve always been a wanderer. Ever since I was a kid, I craved for adventures. Travelling to the most unknown corners of the world, was always high on my bucket list. Nevertheless, only at age 30, I had my first real experience traveling alone.

My journey took me to New Zealand, where I lived the vanlife. I did some work and some Wwoofing, with a working holiday visa. Friends have visited, but most of the time, I was on my own.

I lived my dream and I haven’t been lonely all year. I wish I’d done this before…

In this article, I will summarize the 10 most important reasons why everyone should travel alone, at least once in their life.

1. You are forced to connect with people you meet on the road.

‘Happiness is only real, when shared’, says Christopher McCandless in the movie Into The Wild.

I believe this to be true. We all need human connection.

When you are travelling, you will crave for connection. You will find yourself in situations where you need help. You will find yourself in situations where you long for company.

When travelling alone, you are forced to connect to strangers. Because of this, you meet the most amazing people. You meet so many different kinds of people. People you would normally never connect with, when you are at home or travelling with (a) friend(s). You not only meet them, you deeply connect to them. You get to know them, because you spend a lot of time with them.

When we travel, we make new friends, who can change us to the core of our being.

Meeting new people broadens our horizon. It teaches us. It shows us how we can make better choices.

How we learned things back home is not the only right way. This is an amazing, liberating realisation. Meeting people on the road can make us so much happier. It sure did me.

When you travel with a friend, you don’t have the time to really connect to those strangers who become friends. Also, you are probably less open.

2. You overcome your insecurities and shyness.

I used to be extremely introverted, when I was with new people, in an unfamiliar environment. During my last month in New Zealand, I had a conversation with a group of people I had worked with. They absolutely disagreed with me being introverted. In contrast with my self image, they thought I was very extroverted. I realised, that traveling made me extroverted. During my travels, I killed my shyness, my insecurities.

It seemed like my ENFP personality type, as I was tested as multiple times, finally came out.

Meeting new, likeminded people and being in slightly uncomfortable situations, made me overcome insecurities, fears and shyness.

3. Travelling alone makes you feel safe and confident.

I was brought up with the idea we have to lock doors, build on our pension and to make safe decisions. When you travel, you realise there is no such thing as safe decisions. The kind of safety we think we all have, the safety that we strive for, is an illusion.

We can improve our safety, but not necessarily by locking doors and building on a pension.

We are kind of safe, when we know how to deal with situations in an ever changing world. When we learn to deal with disappointments. Safety grows, when we can anticipate to changing conditions. When we can respond to our intuition. When we learn how to stand up for ourselves.

My confidence grew, by walking a track alone, responding to bad weather, taking care of my car, sleeping in my van on a remote beach. Little by little, I was feeling more safe by realizing that the people I used to be cautious of, like a homeless man on the street, are no treat to our safety.

I was feeling more and more safe over time, for example by walking into a spa alone, in my bikini, realising I was the only woman. Being surrounded by at least thirty huge, tattood Maori guys, who would previously would have scared the hell out of me, and now treated me with so much respect and only looked into my eyes.

Because of the media, a lot of us live in fear. Traveling made me realise we don’t have to be afraid all the time. The world is a relatively safe place, when you focus on the right things.

After a year of travelling alone, I know I can handle almost every situation. This gives me so much confidence.

4. You (learn how to) make your own decisions.

I have always been a bit of a pleaser. When I was younger, as a child with undiagnosed ADD, people often responded to my ideas with things like ‘that’s nonsense, don’t do that, that is impossible.’.

I never really learned how to make my own decisions, until traveling alone. The choices you make while traveling alone, you make only for you. This is extremely liberating. The only person who can make you happy, is you. Making your own decisions is a requirement, when you want to make yourself happy.

5. You learn things you would never imagine learning.

I wanted to travel in a self contained van (a van that has a toilet and water system). While I never built anything in my life before, except for a table from a pallet, I managed to do it. With help, but still. Now, I can call myself builder and plumber. Ok, not really, but almost.

Additionally, I learned many different things, from building to gardening to designing gardens, to cooking, to writing in English, and more.

By speaking a foreign language on a daily base, your knowledge and confidence grows. I learned English in school, but I never thought I would start my own blog, writing in English.

Most importantly, when you travel alone, you learn heaps about yourself. Sometimes there is no entertainment, nobody to talk to. It’s just you, your van (in my case) and nature. I can’t even begin to describe what I learned about myself. My other articles might give an indication.

6. There’s nobody around to prevent you from making wrong decisions.

I believe, impuslivity is a gift. It’s a gift I was born with. People around me, always try to prevent me from doing impulsive things.

I don’t believe in wrong decisions. Making mistakes in life is important, because you learn from them. When you always have a friend around to discuss things with, you most likely make less mistakes.

While traveling, I made many impulsive decisions. It never got me into trouble. It made the whole experience even better. For example, when I was walking on a beach, this guy came to me and my travel buddy. He asked us if we wanted to go to sand dunes with his quad. Some people might say ‘you don’t know this guy, don’t do it.’. I believed my intuition and it felt safe. It felt like fun. We had different plans, but decided, impulsively, to go with him. We had an awesome day. Afterwards, he showed us an illegal spot to camp, on the beach. It was one of the best nights of the year.

7. On the road, you will find a new you.

Wether you want it or not, back home, your friends and everyone you spend time with, have an opinion about you. They think they know who you are, they think they know who they are. You think you know who you are. If you and everyone around you knows who you are, where’s room for change?

When you travel and meet new people, when you overcome situations and learn things that you couldn’t have imagined before, you learn something important.

The ‘you’ you thought you were, is not such a solid concept.

When you travel alone, you can re-invent yourself. You can do that, with nobody around judging you, telling you that that is not you.

Awesome. Liberating.

8. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone

If you feel that you are lived, rather than living yourself, go travel alone. When being out of your comfort zone, all the above happens and more. I would summarize it as flow, pure happiness, a shining light, adventurous and a change to the core of your being.

9. You will feel completely, 100%, utterly, entirely, perfectly FREE

Freedom. Awe.

There’s no better feeling than freedom.

When you travel alone, you are free. You will feel free.

10. You return home a new person

A few days ago, I wrote about the post travelling depression. Coming home after traveling alone is hard, but it’s worth it and you come home a better, happier person.

You won’t struggle with the things you used to struggle with before. You won’t worry about ‘nonsense’ anymore. You will start making better decisions on how to live your life. You are smarter, more open and happier.

Do you have anything to add to this list? Don’t hesitate to comment below!

If my story appeals to you, and you haven’t traveled alone before, go buy that airline ticket. It’s the first step to absolute freedom.

Jose Schrijver is a Dutch writer/blogger/traveler, who had a burn out at age 28 and in that phase of her life, got diagnosed with ADD. With her blog, as a non-conformist and promoter of natural health, she wants to inspire people to live a happier, healthier life.

I started writing on Medium, because I want to make a difference. I would, somehow, like to contribute to a better world. I’m not sure yet where this path will lead, but being a marketing/communication specialist, aiming for commercial jobs, doesn’t feel right anymore.

For the past year, I traveled in New Zealand in my van. I lived a very minimalistic lifestyle, with a minimum budget, did Wwoofing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) and I met a lot of inspirational people.

In New Zealand, I learned a lot about topics like sustainability, community & health.

At Chandrakirti Meditation Centre, I learned, that by meditating on the following sentence, you can become more conscious about your actions: “Today, may every action of my body, speech and mind, be for the benefits to others, to the world”.

It was refreshing to wake up and not worry about myself. My ego. Little by little, I learned that we don’t need to do big things to make a change. Small actions can have a huge impact.

The realisation that we don’t have to do big things to make a difference, was astounding to me.

‘Why should you care?’, you might think.

I can write an essay about why we should care, maybe I will do that in a later stage, but for now, I would say:

• We, as human species, are dependent on nature in many ways, so we better take care of it;
• Our environment, for a big part, determines our happiness, so we better create a nice, healthy environment. We don’t want to wear surgical masks in a couple of years, like they already do in China. Right?;
• Connection is an important part of being happy, so we better connect (to nature, animals, other people);
• More and more people struggle with illness. Depression, cancer… You don’t want you or your family to struggle, right? Why would you want other people to struggle?

‘How can we, as individuals, make a positive change, for a better world?’, is the question that I will try to answer in this article. What I will write here is not rocket science, and you don’t need to make big changes in your day to day life. Just start with implementing one or two changes, get used to them, then choose another one. That is how I did it (and I’m still working on it).

So here are my 25 simple ways to make a positive change in the world.

Note: This article is not based on science, so don’t pin me down on statistics. This list is compiled by a combination of what I learned from the Kiwi’s and from reading and watching documentaries, combined with a bit of common sense. If you have a comment, don’t hesitate to share.

1. Smile at friends, family and strangers. → This one is super easy and FREE! Even a fake smile produces a change in the brain. It makes you happier. Smiling at someone can create a domino effect. When you smile at two people, and they each smile at three people, nine people are happy. So spread the love ♡ and smile ㋡.
2. Shop local. → Shopping local is better for the environment (it doesn’t need to be transported, conserved, etc.) and you support a hard working family instead of a huge, profit-based company. I also believe it is healthier to eat products that grow in the country you live, but that topic is too complex for this article.

3. Turn your heat down at home, wear a comfy sweater. → Even one degree down daily will help. Save the environment, save money and be comfy. YAY. (positive side effect: you train your body to handle colder temperatures. This is very healthy. If you’re interested, ask Wim Hof.).

4. Use baking soda instead of deodorant. → One of my friends struggled with bad body odour for years. When I told her to try baking soda, she was amazed by the effect. Baking soda works much much better than any deodorant you will find. Plus, it’s better for the environment. Plus, it’s cheaper. TWO POINTS for a better world and ONE POINT for your wallet!

5. Don’t watch the news too often. → The media creates a lot of negativity, among which fear, hate and discrimination are a few examples. Don’t be affected by negativity and politics too much. Most of it is propaganda, I believe.

I mean, do you really think that terrorists are our biggest treat? And do you really believe that war (killing people/doing the same) is the solution?

It’s not a bad thing to stay up to date about what’s happening in the world. Just do it in moderation and use your common sense. Focus your attention on positive things instead. Don’t hate, don’t blame. Think of solutions.

Like this article? Please clap, and share your thoughts below. This keeps me going.

6. Help your neighbour, a family member in trouble or a homeless man. → I believe, a sense of community and connection is the key to creating a good environment, for a happy life. So help each other. Connect. Don’t judge. Talk to each other. Smile. It’s all easy and free.

Instead of looking at your phone and television all day, open your eyes, look up and see if you can help anyone. It will be more rewarding then watching Netflix all evening.

One day, you might be in trouble as well. How nice would it be, if the people around you will help you?

7. Eat less meat. → I believe, our meat consumption is killing the planet, our morals and our health. I won’t go into detail here, but if you are interested in the topic, you can find many researches and documentaries that show that eating a lot of meat is not the best choice, for both you, the animals and the environment.

I’m not telling you to become a vegetarian, or even a flexitarian. I’m just saying that we can survive and even enjoy our lives with less meat.

If you are still in the assumption that we need meat, I can tell you we don’t. I eat meat about two times a month. In New Zealand, I hardly ate meat and I felt healthier than ever.

If we would all consume a little less meat, the meat industry will change, which will help the animals and the environment, and we would all be healthier, I believe.

Everything we find in the supermarket, is a reflection of what we, as consumers, are asking for. So don’t buy crap.

Be conscious of what you buy, because it does make a difference!

8. Buy products that are produced in your own country. → When you buy products that are produced in your own country, it doesn’t need to be transported, which means less pollution. Also, you support your own economy.

9. Take a bag with you, when you go shopping. → In a couple of years,we don’t want the world be covered in plastic, right? How easy is it, to take your own bag when you go shopping. In the Netherlands, where I live, you have to pay for a plastic bag. In the beginning, people were complaining. Now everybody is used to it.

10. Clean with vinegar instead of chemicals. → Why do you think we use chemical cleaning products? Not because they work better, but because for years, we are influenced by advertisement. In New Zealand, a lot of people and companies use a combination of 50% vinegar and 50% water, to clean toilets, bathrooms, tables, etc. Super easy, super cheap. If you want a nice smell in your home, just use essential oils.

11. Be kind to someone who has a bad day. → As I explained in my article about Buddhism; people are not jerks because they are happy, arrogant, or whatever. People are assholes because they struggle. When someone is being an asshole, try responding with kindness and see what happens. Realise, that most of the time, it’s not even personal. Doing this, again, can work as a domino effect. Result: less anger, less hatred and more love in the world.

YAY :).

12. Consume less dairy products. → I believe the dairy industry is even worse than the meat industry, when it comes to the environment, but especially the way animals are treated. I won’t go into detail here, but if you are interested you can find a lot on the internet (and on Netflix;)).

We can all be ignorant, because ‘it’s far from our bed’. We can all pretend we don’t know or we don’t care, but it’s so easy to consume a little less dairy. Again, don’t expect yourself to be a vegan. Just decrease the intake, if you want, by drinking almond milk or eating coconut yogurt for example. You will get used to it, if you want to.

13. Take the bike instead of the car. → This one is easy. It’s better for your health, the environment and your wallet, to take the bike, instead of your car. It’s just a habit you have to incorporate into your lifestyle. (I’m Dutch, and here in the Netherlands, we are a big fan of bikes).

14. Volunteer at Christmas time, instead of spending huge amounts of money on food. → This is just a silly example, but what I’m trying to say is, we can make a change in the world by making conscious decisions on where we spend or time and money.

15. Grow something. → Whether you live in a big city or in a rural area, there’s always a possibility to grow something. By growing something, you can eat healthier (less pesticides), make friends with your neighbours and save money. Additionally, it is better for the environment (less pesticides, less travelling). Also, you are connecting to nature, which is beneficial for your health.

BONUS:

Meditate! → Meditation is not only beneficial for your health, it also makes you more conscious on the decisions you make.

You live less out of habit, more out of intent.

I know that my list is far from perfect and complete, but it’s a start. How are you making a change by small actions? Any recommendations?

I’m looking forward to hear from you, and learn new ways to work on a better, happier world.

Jose Schrijver is a Dutch writer/blogger/traveler, who had a burn out at age 28 and in that phase of her life, got diagnosed with ADD. With her blog, as a non-conformist and promoter of natural health, she wants to inspire people to live a happier, healthier life.