We get caught up in life: work, exercise, going out, conflicts. There’s just so much information even as you just walk down the street that you can’t even be aware of what’s going on in your head. Thoughts seem chaotic and even if you stopped what you’re doing, you might still find it difficult to really think about what’s going on and where you are at in this moment of life.
This seems to be an issue for most people nowadays and I’m not surprised when I hear clients share that with me. It’s not uncommon to feel confused, even lost, when everything around you throws so much information at you that your brain finds it difficult to digest it – it cannot process it properly and truly make sense of it. Why? Because we are not wired to constantly run after things. Our brain is wired to process and understand the information it’s given, and that takes time. Now, we still have plenty of time on our hands, but we tend to misuse it or waste it, actually. We are so focused on work and how to handle stress and finish tasks that we forget about ourselves and our well-being.
Let me tell you something: you are responsible for your own well-being. You are responsible for taking care of yourself physically and mentally. How you do that is up to you, but I’ll give you a couple of examples: you can speak to friends or partners about what’s going on in your life and get a new perspective on things; you can ask for help from a professional (counselling, therapy); you can journal and write down your feelings and thoughts; you get have a weekend getaway where you disconnect from everything and spend time with yourself and loved ones; you can start going to the gym or exercise in the park; you can meditate, listen to music etc.
Whatever you decide to do, make sure it’s something that you enjoy doing and something that will help you relax. We need to learn to be in touch with ourselves and listen to what’s going on inside, because our inside will determine our outward actions. We can only reflect on the outside what’s going on on the inside.
So I challenge you this week: right now, take a piece of paper and write down 5 things you are thankful for. It can be anything, but remember: nothing is too small to be thankful for. After writing these things down, make sure every once in a while you look at that paper for the next few days, reminding yourself about the things you’re grateful for.
Let me know how you’re feeling afterwards.
Enjoy your week!