It can be very easy to want to dive in and get everything taken care of so that it’s off our plates, or on the flip side, go into overwhelm and not do any of it. It can be tempting to ignore anything that feels like an obstacle, and just keep sailing on. Starting a project and getting a few things done can start chipping away and inspire you to continue. For example, I grew up in a family where we cleaned the house and did the laundry once a week. The dishes were always done after every meal. Papers were organized, and the garden was maintained to breathtaking beauty.
Sometimes knowing that all of that is coming up, you lose your motivation and find yourself in a bit of a funk. Who's got time for holidays now? Prior proper prudent planning will help you relieve stress almost every time. Not every day will go according to plan, though I wish it would, so the more planning you can do, the less likely you'll fall off your balance rocker.
We can't close our eyes or ears to what is happening in the world around us, but changing our reactions is possible. What you give yourself is a crucial ingredient in creating change and making a positive impact both in your life and the world at large.
Cultivating wellness, like tending to the soil in a garden, takes intuition and attention. It needs to be done regularly for success and is a different way of thinking than merely practicing self-care. It's genuinely going within to seek out what you need, what makes your heart smile. Think about it. Practice it.
Overwhelm can cause mistakes. Slowing down a bit avoids pitfalls (as much as possible). Those thoughts are worth much more than mere pennies if they are cared for properly - just don't let them swamp you. When you multi-task, although it seems like you'll get more done, you actually lose productivity by dividing your attention.
When do you run your mind tapes during the day? Just before sleep or first thing in the morning? We all do it. The balance happens when we don't let it cycle over and over and over and... over.
Time to change. Think of asking for help as a sign of wisdom. You realize that you’re at your peak and that muddling through produces less efficient results. By taking an active step in reaching out, you are taking back the reins of your life. You take your car to the shop for service, right? Maybe even have a delivery service for groceries to ease the running back and forth? Those things both count as "help." Perhaps, then, whether it’s a problem you’re not sure how to solve, or you're too emotionally drained, or just can’t figure out how to get that document sorted, you can raise your hand.
Fall brings on a sense of change and is a time of year that I look forward to. I am in awe of the colors changing, and the temperatures getting cooler gives me a nudge to turn inwards. A time of reflection and the ability to clear out what is no longer serving me.
With so many things to balance in your everyday life, why not put a bit of old-school organization around some of them to make your life simpler? Your mind wanders when surrounded by clutter or trying to remember if it was the salt that you needed or the baking soda, so why not implement a few tricks to help put your mind at ease.
Do you find yourself standing on a fine line of determining what is right and wrong when making decisions for your loved one?