Time Capsules and The Art of Homecoming
The Poverty of Presence
As a millennial and early adopter of social media, I have to say social media used to be fun. It taught us how to code (hello Myspace), document our life journey’s (here’s looking at you Instagram), and it allowed us to connect with others across the world. Since then, our online world has expanded with social media consuming so much of our lives that many are now opting to go analog. It’s almost as if we all had a collective realization that online algorithms allowed us to live everywhere, except our own bodies. I can’t be the only one that feels like, between social media and the everyday external demands, life has felt like a blur. It’s almost as if we’ve become passengers in our own lives. Now don’t get me wrong I love being a passenger princess, but I think it’s time we get back in the driver’s seat of our lives.
How you ask? Well, the first step is always awareness. The digital blur most if not all of us have been feeling has been heavily perpetuated by doomscrolling. Raise your hand if you’ve fallen victim to doomscrolling as a way to feel like you’re getting a say in how you spend your time. Or if you find yourself doomscrolling as a way to cope with ongoing stressors? Doomscrolling is a form of escapism and a way of dissociating from all of the things going on around us — and there is A LOT going on around us! Where the problem comes in is that constant doomscrolling often leads to nervous system overload. That means that not only are we busier than ever before, but we are also very dysregulated right down to a biological level.
One of the keys to regulating a nervous system lies in our ability to return to ourselves. A homecoming if you will. A homecoming is our ability to reinhabit the present and to feel at home in our bodies again. I think a homecoming works best when we have past behaviors, patterns, moments, and things that helped keep us present and regulated to look back on. As well as current values we are focusing on as we move forward.
The Art of Homecoming
Homecoming – the act of trading in self-abandonment for self-trust through the reclamation of time, energy, and attention in order to return to your own center.
I think most people are faced with continuing down the same path or choosing a homecoming. As someone who believes in the power of being proactive, I’ve been exploring how we might choose frequently scheduled homecomings over forced homecomings brought on by things like burnout and crisis. I’m sure you’re wondering what that might look like and I think at the root of it all is to remember that you are your very own algorithm. The world will always provide external stressors and chaos, but it’s up to us to practice living from a place of alignment. That means using research as a form of resistance by reviewing our habits, thoughts, behaviors, and values. Think of yourself as a scientist and your life as your laboratory. It’s about collecting data to help guide and heal you and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing on my sabbatical. I’ve even created a tool I think you can use too.
Now while I am a girl that believes in practicality, I believe just as much in romanticizing life. So, I wanted something fun that I could share with others. A whimsical tool we could all use to return to ourselves proactively instead of reactively. A seasonal reminder to replace self-abandonment with self-trust. A love letter from the past to our future selves. I wanted something that was more than a journal and something that could be a bit more analog. I reminisced on my childhood and all of the fun activities I’ve done and thought what better way to do all of this this than to create seasonal time capsule?
Forensic Whimsy
While creating the Winter Homecoming Time Capsule Kit my goal was for us to have an archive that would allow us to really know who we are instead of settling for who we think we should be. Knowing and understanding the anatomy of ourselves in each season takes a bit of forensic whimsy. It takes a thorough examination of the glitches; the things that drain us and burn us out, and the glimmers; the things that fill our cups and make life a little brighter. It’s a close look at the patterns, behaviors, values, and environments that paint a picture of who we are and what we want out of life in whatever season we’re in. Examining ourselves in this way reveals things we sometimes overlook. It holds keys that might help us make each next season even better and it gives us a way to zoom out and in on our lives so that we can create lives we love that serve us well. I think the time capsule kit I created is the perfect guide to help you and me to do just that. So let me introduce you to the Winter Homecoming Time Capsule Kit.
The Winter Homecoming Time Capsule Kit
Here’s what’s inside:
Micro Audit – a snapshot of your life emotions, values, and energy during winter
Receipts of Living – a monthly sensory archive to help you preserve moments that stood out
Tracking & Glimmers – a mental and digital inventory paired with a visual collection of restorative moments and future inspirations
Patterns & Protocols – a quick identification of performative habits that can be traded in for restoration and realignment.
Punch Cards – a fun way to track your progress and reward yourself
Do you want to create your own Winter Homecoming Time Capsule? If so, you can sign up here.
I think it’s easier to truly own a life you document and the time capsule kit takes documenting up a notch. The Winter Homecoming Time Capsule Kit will allow you to reflect on your life, collect receipts, and save mementos that will allow you to move forward more confidently aligned. I got a cute box to house my kit and the mementos I plan to add. If you want to make completing your kit a fun analog activity, click here to see how I created my box and click here for a fun list of things you can purchase to make your time capsule kit.
I hope you find this resource fun and useful as you continue to get to know yourself. I’d love to know how your time capsules turn out so feel free to share below!
