Lately, I have been feeling completely overwhelmed and completely uninspired.
Do you feel it?
The pandemic keeps going and going and going. Every day presents a new challenge either for myself or my virtual-school children.
Today, the internet is patchy. Last week, one of the computers suddenly conked out. During recent storms, the power was on and off for a good part of the day.
Isn't life fun during a pandemic - said no one ever.
Now that there is some bright news on the horizon (vaccine) and as the nation faces a change in leadership, suddenly I am feeling like the time is NOW. We must break out of these doldrums that we have simply been surviving in and we must move forward and THRIVE.
Take A Time Out
For me, I start with taking a time out. I find some quiet time, make a cup of tea, and perhaps put on some music. I sit in my cozy bed, propped up by the pillows, and I close my eyes. I breathe deeply. I quiet that crazy maniac in there that likes to take over my thoughts.
I sit and I rest. And, when I am ready, I take a sip of tea and pull out my notepad and pencil and I think about what I WANT. How could this life be better? How could I get more out of each day? How can I become SUPERCHARGED?
There is something, I am convinced, inside each of us. A passion point, a gut-feeling, whatever you might call it, but it is something that drives us. And, it may have been sleeping for quite some time. But it is in there. And, when you are ready, you just need to dig deep and find it. Wake it up. Give it a nudge. Say, "Hey girl, it's time to come out and play."
Taking this Time Out allows me to re-center and really think about what I want this life to look like. Because, honestly, we are the only one who can make this life great. No talking head on TV or super-model can do it for us. WE ARE THE ANSWER.
Re-group
Once you write down some things - think 'Go outside every day,' 'Get involved in the local library,' 'Cut back on processed food,' 'sing more,' etc...- then you are ready to re-group. When it comes to re-grouping, it is just a time to think about how you can reach those goals using the same exact 24 hours a day that you have had all of your life when you didn't reach those goals.
Goal setting can be fun and sometimes easy. Often, we know what we want. It's the actually fitting it into our busy lives that is the real work.
So, when you re-group, think about your day. Think about ways you can alter your day to fit your new goal in. Or, think about something you can STOP doing in order to fit your new goal in.
For me, I want to do a stretching exercise and meditate each morning. I already get up pretty early, but I can commit to just 15 minutes earlier. So I start by writing down my daily plan - the list of what you will do around a certain time each day. Then, I set my alarm for 15 minutes earlier. Next, I tell myself - I will wake up and I will go into my work-out room/office/spare bedroom and I will get these two things done. I WILL. I WANT TO, THEREFORE I WILL.
Don't tell yourself 'you have to,' because that can lead to yourself telling you that you don't really have to and it just becomes a whole thing that leaves you hitting snooze 20 times and being late to work.
Re-Set
So, the next day comes and you do the thing. And, you are so happy! It was so great. You feel lighter, proud, healthier, etc.
Then the days roll by and you do the thing again and again.
Then, something happens. Perhaps you get a cold. Or your kid gets a cold. And, your crazy maniac inner voice is like, "Hey girl, maybe you skip today."
So, you skip the day. And the next day. Then you feel horrible and you are mentally yelling at yourself.
It's OK. Just re-set. Have a plan in place for when you falter. Remind yourself why you started in the first place. Remember how great it felt to do the thing. Remember how proud/healthy you felt? It was really great.
And then you re-set. Write down again why you want to do this thing. Set the alarm and get up and do that bad boy again!
Re-Start
Once you are so good at doing the thing and you are in a groove, it might be time to add another thing from your list of ways to be Supercharged. What's the next step?
If your thing was to meditate each morning and you are nailing it, maybe you want to add a quick re-fueling walk outside. Or maybe you want to add 5-10 minutes of stretching. Or maybe you want to find a healthier breakfast.
Anything goes, but on the road to being Supercharged, you just have to take it one day at a time. Listen to your body and your mind. Remind that crazy maniac living upstairs that You can do hard things. You can do amazing things. And you can be Supercharged.
Now, get on out there and awake yourself from the pandemic doldrums. Try something new. Feel at one with your mind, body, and spirit.
I believe in you.
-Rachel
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