The word kefi (κεφι) is a word that when directly translated from Greek to English means (according to Google’s translator), “fun” but that doesn’t even come close to what it really means. When asking Greek speakers what kefi means, they say that it means you are joyful, spirited, passionate, happy, and in general, that you love life! Although this is more descriptive than what the definition of kefi is according to the language translator, it still doesn’t tell the whole story.
These following tips are what I try to do to find my kefi, and are thus personal opinions and not law. At the end of the day, alter, change, remove, or add whatever makes you feel happy. That’s the point after all... in order to find your Kefi in 2020.
Schedule your self-care time, and guard that time with everything you have.
It can be hard for us all to find extra time. But it’s extremely important to plan regular self-care time. Moments alone can help you to ponder the best ways to move forward in your life and keep you grounded. And moments with friends can help you feel more connected and relaxed.
Whether you decide you want to go for a long walk, take a hot bath, or enjoy a good movie, taking self-care time is imperative. Look for small ways you can incorporate it into everyday life; for example, you might wake up 15 minutes earlier to sit with a cup of tea and practice deep breathing before the chaos of the day begins, or you might take a walk around the block on your lunch break. The more you can work self-care time into your schedule, the better you’ll be able to grow, enjoy your life, and thrive!
Let go!
The more you focus on something that didn’t work out, the longer you will feel down. When life doesn’t work out, you are in total control with respect to how you feel about it. Okay, so that promotion didn’t pan out, who cares. We have to learn to live and let live. Go with the flow.
Live in the present.
I bet as you have been reading this, you had at least one thought about what you’re doing later in the day, or tomorrow, or next Friday. STOP! Each second that passes we will never get back. Something that precious deserves your full attention. We all know that probably 95% of the things we worry about never happen. For some reason, we tend to think of the worst possible scenario, simply because we read that one article or heard that one story. Look, there are anomalies for everything, but they hardly happen. Try it, it is a lot easier in theory I know. Set aside 10 minutes where you do something and only think about what you’re doing. Don’t even think about the 11th minute, just stay in the moment.
Take Naps.
Villages in Greece will more or less shut down for a few hours after lunch. Hey, who doesn’t get a little tired after lunch? Now, I will admit that most people can’t actively do this step daily, me included. So, what I find that works best is save about 15 minutes of your lunch for yourself. I enjoy laps around the facility I work in to decompress and enhance concentration and energy levels. While it doesn’t fully take the place of a nap, it’s something!
Dance. Dance. Dance.
There are many traditional Greek dances that every Greek does and while the younger generations have their clubs, they still bust out a Greek dance or two. Put on one of your favorite songs and just start moving. You may feel a bit ridiculous, but who can stay sad/mad dancing to their favorite song? If you can keep a mean face during an entire song, you’re going out of your way to do that – stop!
Laugh with family and friends. Greeks are very big on gatherings. Try having a meal with a group once a week. It could be family, co-workers, neighbors, roommates, or anyone else you can have a good time with. This can be instrumental to your mental and emotional health. Humans are such social beings..give yourself an extra boost with surrounding yourself with those you hold dear and near to your hearts.
Below you will find a collage I have created in representation of highlights from my husband and my honeymoon trip to Santorini, Greece! We stayed at Canaves Oia in a honeymoon suite during our final four days on our two week trip to Europe. Our focus during our stay on the island was to truly sit back, relax, and find our Kefi! We had a couple's massage together in the Caldera Suites, took an ATV tour around the island, enjoyed delicious Greek cuisine, sailed aboard a Catarmaran to see the hot springs and enjoy to sea, but more importantly made time to enjoy the plunge pool in our suite and sip champagne to do absolutley nothing some days as well.
I hope this post has helped assist in creating ideas on how to create your own self care and bring about some Kefi in your lives. Until next time my fellow readers.
Gabrielle
