Busy, Busy, Busy!
The last few months of 2022 proved to be extremely busy, almost overwhelming, and a bit stressful – but fabulously amazing! Running two businesses; continuing with writing the content for my book; completing my book proposal and the research for it; keeping up with social media posts; running music exams and then attempting to make time for me – my space to breathe. Now I must say the last one of those took a bit of a back step considering what I preach to clients. I could have done with 40 hours in a day rather than 24! There were many 2 a.m.’s, quite a few to be honest, but I did it. Sometimes life is like that.
Simple Things are Achievements Too!
When we reach a deadline, we feel fantastic! It feels such an achievement. It’s such a big thing to us, but do we stop and acknowledge our achievements of the little things in life? The simple everyday things that we do. The things that almost seem part of our life that we just do on autopilot and take for granted, the daily chores.
‘Oi You!’ Stop and Remember!
Christmas 2022 became a powerful reminder for me. It was almost a kick up the back side to say ‘oi’ remember what you do, remember what you have done, remember all the things that you do and honour your achievements large or small, but remember to be there for YOU!
After the extremely busy few months preceding Christmas, my body decided it was time to step back; it was time for Covid! Now, I’m a great believer that if we are on the verge of burn out, then the body almost says ‘that’s enough’ we are going to knock you off your feet so you will rest! So it did.
Sitting With What You Can’t Change…
Christmas was cancelled completely. I was gutted. I was so looking forward to a Christmas where I could finally get back to a more balanced routine and enjoy family time, but it wasn’t to be. It was complete bed rest and although I had to deal with symptoms, it was very refreshing. I completely switched off; I had to; I had no choice in the matter. Even though I had really enjoyed the journey and the experiences of being super busy, I had no urge to read, to go on social media, to write, nor, in fact, to do any of the things I had been doing. I had, after all got into an amazing routine, which I am proud of, but it was the warning to switch off and rest. So…I followed my joy and found the enjoyment in watching films.
Acceptance Is key…
In brief, Covid knocked the energy right out of me in the weeks that followed. I had to accept that just for a while I had to take a step back and honour me (Which I sometimes find hard to do) but that’s ok. It was good for me. Whilst resting I thought about what I’d been doing. Just thinking about what I’d achieved wore me out. Had I really done all of that before Christmas? How did I keep going? Where on earth did I find the energy to do all of that?
When you experience fatigue, you learn to pace yourself, you learn to be patient, you must, you have no choice. I’ve been there before with cancer treatment, so you’d think I’d know. I’d even had to stop my running back in October because there physically wasn’t time or energy in my schedule to go out on a run. Especially with 2 a.m.’s on the cards. That was just something else to do, so I paused it for a while. Sometimes we must make sacrifices.
I felt guilty for not sharing my regular posts on social media and for not writing. The list goes on. But I knew that I had to take the strong step back, to heal, to reset and it’s absolutely OK!
Go Gentle…
Starting back to work after the Christmas break had to be subtle. I prioritised what needed to be done, what didn’t and what could wait. Learning to be patient and honour the simple things in life, such as those daily chores, remembering that those in themselves are massive achievements and something to be proud of. You build yourself back up. It was a powerful reminder.
Realisations…
So, where am I going with this blog? What can you learn from it? You’ve already taken the information you require from it believe it or not. That’s your subconscious working. It would have highlighted many things within you to reconsider, you probably resonate with what I’ve shared in some way. Use it to create change.
You Set the Pace…
Life is busy, we all know that. Jobs can become overwhelming whether at work or at home. But life can be as busy or as relaxed as we make it. We have a choice in any one moment about how we are going to deal with these jobs. We are all guilty of setting the tread mill pace too fast without realising it. When things need to be done, we just get on and do it in the best way we can and that’s great! Sometimes we take too much on, overwhelming us without realising it.
Acknowledging the Simple Things are Important…
So how can this reminder help? What if we took the stance to acknowledge every simple little thing we do during each day. Practising placing our thoughts into giving thanks and experiencing a feeling of gratitude for what we achieve every day, even those little chores. We never think they are necessary or important, but they are. Each chore takes up energy to achieve, it is within itself an achievement. This may seem rather silly but it’s important. If acknowledging those little daily chores highlights to you what you are doing, could it change your choices and teach you to pace and be patient with yourself to help create a more balanced lifestyle? Absolutely it can!! We need to honour what we do, every single bit of it! If we don’t, we can push ourselves too far. Self-care is so important.
Create the Balance…
So, what can we do to help create more balance in our lives? Here’s a few simple tips to help create Pacing, Patience, and Appreciation of your Achievements.
- Prioritise – what’s important and what can wait?
- Pace yourself – Go with the flow of what’s comfortable for you. Remember to balance activities.
- Be Patient – take the pressure off, go easy on yourself.
- Praise and appreciation – Praise yourself up for what you can do.
- Time Out – Allow times throughout the day to take a step back and reset, even if only for 10 minutes. Being aware of what you are doing and being proud of it!
- Space to Breathe – The breath is fantastic for bringing us back into balance. Take time to allow space to breathe. Nice deep breath in and slowly and gently exhaling out. It feels good! It is good! You can do this in your time out.
- Rest Time – Honour a space each day to switch off completely (no that doesn’t mean bedtime! Or surfing social media!) If you switch off once home from work, make it more special. Rest completely.
- Practise Gratitude – There is always something to be grateful for. Remember those little things. You’ll find more things to be grateful for because that’s where you are focused.
- Enjoy the Journey – We are here to enjoy our lives. Enjoy the simple things, you deserve it! The bigger things will seem even more special when we take this approach. Try it!
Final Word
These are all very simple but powerful. Don’t allow yourself to burn out. It’s all too easy to follow our thoughts and push ourselves. Realise the importance of pacing and being patient with yourself, whether dealing with illness or busy daily life. Take a step back, realise what you are doing and avoid going too fast on that tread mill! Set your pace and enjoy the journey!
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#Pace #Patience #Appreciation #Achievements #stepback #reset #heal