Ever had a really busy day? Oh yeah, I know that you have! Especially in today's world where the status quo seems to be to jam pack the calendar full. Run, run, run on the hamster wheel of life.
Today was especially full for me. I had appointments lined up back-to-back, errands that needed to somehow be completed in between, a family member I wanted to help out, phone calls that needed to be made, a class I wanted to take, kids and a dog that needed to be fed, tended to and transported, and a blog to write :) If any one thing didn't go as planned it could have all come crumbling down. The doctor could have been running late (well that did happen), the hair stylist could have been behind, traffic could have held me up, whew it could have been a stressful day full of anxiety, but guess what? It wasn't.
I've learned some things that have helped me keep a day like today from wigging me out. I wanted to share them with you in this post and hope they will help you too. Here is what I intentionally practice:
1) I look at the day as being full, not busy. Busy for me implies running on the hamster wheel completing tasks. Full helps me to frame the day with intention. I choose it to be full of things that I wanted. Full to me means I made an intentional choice to put each and every one of those things on my calendar because I wanted them there. Full is a positive thing, not a negative thing, it helps keep my brain from veering into fight or flight mode. Next time someone asks you how your day was and your inclination is to say "busy", switch it to "full" and feel how it shifts you internally. Next time you look at your day and think "whoa", say to yourself, "It's just full of the things I want to have on there."
2) I recognize the fact that I've done this before and it all turned out okay and I will handle it today and it will all turn out okay too. I exercise knowingness and faith. I know it'll be okay and I have faith that all will be well. I have faith that I am enough and that I bring creative solutions everywhere I go. At times I actually repeat this to myself..."I am enough and I bring creative solutions wherever I go." Thank you Haywood Simmons for that one :) Try it out and see what you think!
3) I understand that worrying and stressing doesn't serve me or anyone else. In fact, it can actually harm my well-being and cause my brain to shut down, to narrow, to not see opportunities and solutions that may be present. A positive, non-stressed brain stays in the broaden and build mode operation which has been scientifically proven to allow for more creativity and productivity. Your visual field actually expands and your mind is able to see and develop more creative solutions.
4) I practice the S.T.O.P. technique that I discussed in my post on June 7, 2016. The "S" stands for stop. The "T" stands for take 3 deep belly breaths. The "O" stands for observe what you are thinking, feeling, seeing, smelling, tasting, experiencing. The "P" stands for practice gratitude. This is my reset button. If I ever start to feel a little overwhelmed, frustrated or impatient I practice this technique. You can read more about it by going back to the June 7th post if you would like.
5) I'm sure you've had someone say to you, "Just go with the flow." I plan to get more into the idea of flow in a future blog post. I work to go with the flow, especially on days that are full. It'll all work out...let it roll off your back like water off a duck's back. My friend Haywood Simmons says to envision that you are the water and watch how it just flows over everything...the rocks, the sand, the fish, shells, whatever is in it's presence it just flows over and around. It glides through without difficulty, just like me shifting and changing as necessary to maneuver my way through the full day.
Holding space for faith, flow and knowingness on full days works for me. And you know what? At the end of the day it typically all works out anyway right? It's how you choose to move through it and how you choose to look at it that makes the difference between a stressful day and a joyful day. The day is a lot easier, more graceful, happy and peaceful when I practice faith, flow and knowingness.
I would love to hear you thoughts. What helps you get through days that are full? Please leave me a comment or send me an email.
Today was especially full for me. I had appointments lined up back-to-back, errands that needed to somehow be completed in between, a family member I wanted to help out, phone calls that needed to be made, a class I wanted to take, kids and a dog that needed to be fed, tended to and transported, and a blog to write :) If any one thing didn't go as planned it could have all come crumbling down. The doctor could have been running late (well that did happen), the hair stylist could have been behind, traffic could have held me up, whew it could have been a stressful day full of anxiety, but guess what? It wasn't.
I've learned some things that have helped me keep a day like today from wigging me out. I wanted to share them with you in this post and hope they will help you too. Here is what I intentionally practice:
1) I look at the day as being full, not busy. Busy for me implies running on the hamster wheel completing tasks. Full helps me to frame the day with intention. I choose it to be full of things that I wanted. Full to me means I made an intentional choice to put each and every one of those things on my calendar because I wanted them there. Full is a positive thing, not a negative thing, it helps keep my brain from veering into fight or flight mode. Next time someone asks you how your day was and your inclination is to say "busy", switch it to "full" and feel how it shifts you internally. Next time you look at your day and think "whoa", say to yourself, "It's just full of the things I want to have on there."
2) I recognize the fact that I've done this before and it all turned out okay and I will handle it today and it will all turn out okay too. I exercise knowingness and faith. I know it'll be okay and I have faith that all will be well. I have faith that I am enough and that I bring creative solutions everywhere I go. At times I actually repeat this to myself..."I am enough and I bring creative solutions wherever I go." Thank you Haywood Simmons for that one :) Try it out and see what you think!
3) I understand that worrying and stressing doesn't serve me or anyone else. In fact, it can actually harm my well-being and cause my brain to shut down, to narrow, to not see opportunities and solutions that may be present. A positive, non-stressed brain stays in the broaden and build mode operation which has been scientifically proven to allow for more creativity and productivity. Your visual field actually expands and your mind is able to see and develop more creative solutions.
4) I practice the S.T.O.P. technique that I discussed in my post on June 7, 2016. The "S" stands for stop. The "T" stands for take 3 deep belly breaths. The "O" stands for observe what you are thinking, feeling, seeing, smelling, tasting, experiencing. The "P" stands for practice gratitude. This is my reset button. If I ever start to feel a little overwhelmed, frustrated or impatient I practice this technique. You can read more about it by going back to the June 7th post if you would like.
5) I'm sure you've had someone say to you, "Just go with the flow." I plan to get more into the idea of flow in a future blog post. I work to go with the flow, especially on days that are full. It'll all work out...let it roll off your back like water off a duck's back. My friend Haywood Simmons says to envision that you are the water and watch how it just flows over everything...the rocks, the sand, the fish, shells, whatever is in it's presence it just flows over and around. It glides through without difficulty, just like me shifting and changing as necessary to maneuver my way through the full day.
Holding space for faith, flow and knowingness on full days works for me. And you know what? At the end of the day it typically all works out anyway right? It's how you choose to move through it and how you choose to look at it that makes the difference between a stressful day and a joyful day. The day is a lot easier, more graceful, happy and peaceful when I practice faith, flow and knowingness.
I would love to hear you thoughts. What helps you get through days that are full? Please leave me a comment or send me an email.
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