Just stop and let the world catch up

Episode 6 of the energy series

Do you ever feel that life just runs away with you? Read on for tips to find time again for "project you"

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to go on a spa day with two very dear friends. And wow did I feel renewed. Not because I had hundreds of treatments (I didn't), but because I took time away from my life. I paused and I connected. It was transformational because up to that point my life had started to pick up to an unmanageable speed. The change of pace had happened gradually so I really didn't notice it until I stopped for a moment.

Displaced

Our worlds have so many moving parts these days. We are tapped in to so much yet not always connected and very often not at all balanced. Being busy feels like an expectation, so we often fill every inch of our time with activities. I have to admit being busy isn't anything new to me but in the past six months I noticed the shift into overwhelm. I was at the point where having a free day on my calendar would be unacceptable so I would fill it.
I wasn't giving myself time to catch up.

The shift

I have had to force myself to notice when life gets too much, when I stop exercising, when I jump from project to project and achieve nothing, when my caffeine and jaffa cake intake increases. My mood deteriorates. I start to catastrophise as my mind is weakened. I am neither productive nor balanced in myself. But then I do recognise my need to be busy as a personality trait that I will nurture. There is some value in it as I am passionate about the work that I do. But......I do realise my ability to show up in all of my "roles" is so much stronger when I am balanced. So first lesson...

Go back to basics

When I first jumped into the world of self development my enthusiasm was at its peak. I created a wonderful morning routine. It involved getting up at 5am and doing yoga, journaling, and an early run. Who was this new human? I had never done anything like this in my former life but there I was leaping out of bed and enjoying the peace of the dark early mornings. My son would sometimes come down in the morning and be greeted by an overenthusiastic mother entangled in the attempts of a new yoga position.

I kept the routine going for a good long while. And then I stopped. It felt too much. My focus was slowly pulled to family, work and life. The novelty wore off as well I suppose. For a brief period I said to myself "well then, I can't manage that so I will do nothing". It happens to the best of us. That chimp who I have mentioned in a previous blog: the rebellious, impulsive and stubborn part of our brain that pipes up when life gets tough, told me I didn't have time for me. But I have now pulled myself back and instead of opting out of "project me" entirely I have just dialled it back to something more manageable.

I went back to basics again. I reminded myself that having some sort of morning routine really does help my mindset. Whilst my chimp is drawn to sitting in the warmth of my bed scrolling through my friends latest antics on Facebook, my human knows that this doesn't get me off to a great energising start. But 5am just seems wholly unachievable right now so I have adapted the time and shortened the routine. That permission to change my morning has led me to start up the running again and to pick up my pen. And already I feel more balanced, more energised.

Raising the bar

I mentioned this concept in a previous blog. Raising your bar is raising that level that you fall to when life takes over. Whatever your health, wellbeing, mindset situation, life still happens to all of us. We will continue to face challenges. But by raising your bar you strengthen your "self" so that the fall isn't so great and the recovery is quicker. It is for this reason that it is so beneficial to keep some level of self care each day. Don't let yourself opt out entirely of things that will benefit you. Yes I dipped out for a while. I am in creation mode with my business and worry mode as a mum. But I recognised the imbalance and I changed gear again. Not into top gear with my wonderful long morning routine, but down a notch. I am happy with that for now.

Just one thing

So my point is this. We so often start these amazing routines, challenges, diets, new hobbies and then the initial momentum fades so often to absolutely nothing. So grab it back. Visualise the "you" that has taken a small step towards something that energises you. You know you can do it as you have done it before. It doesn't have to move mountains. Doing the smallest of things for yourself can have a massive impact on your energy.

What is the one thing you can do for yourself from today?

• a small jog
• a walk 
• try your hand at journalling (email me for template if interested)
• subscribe to a new podcast
• read a few chapters of a book in the day
• connection with some wonderful friends that you have missed
• watch a movie

Don't think about "the thing" but how you will feel after you have given yourself permission to do "the thing". And how much more manageable the rest of the day is when you have taken the time for you.

Just say "no"

"But I just don't have time!" I totally get that life's pressure can genuinely limit the time we have for ourselves to the point where it just feels too indulgent. So let's try to make some room. To ease the pressure on life can you stop saying yes to every opportunity, request, desire to help that comes your way?

Take a pause before you immediately respond and ask yourself:

• do I have capacity for this right now?
• will this enhance my life right now?
• will I be diverting much needed attention away from the things that matter?

This can take some getting used to but once you get into the flow of questioning anything that will require your time and attention then this too will become a habit.

So today I ask you to take time out for you and enjoy the rewards.

Enjoy the opportunity | Give yourself permission | Find more energy | Shift the gears