Life happens. Things go wrong. It's not always going to go smoothly for any of us. But if you get into a subconscious habit of looking and focusing too much on the negatives then you are bound to find them, and doing this will slowly provide a thought pattern/certain groove in your thinking - “Doomsday Thinking.”
- First, you need to be aware of your current thinking pattern
We all have a choice. We can push against this negative thinking or we can just let it happen. Acknowledging our often anxious mind is tough as it means "we have issues" it's also emotionally draining so we easily choose to avoid dealing with it.
Experiences don't produce thoughts as much as thoughts produce experiences.
Ways of thinking that are not leading to your happiness and well-being need to be continually pushed against, they didn't turn up overnight and they won't leave overnight either.
- Be Grateful
Make sure you are reminding yourself of all the good things that are going on in your life, even the smallest of things. Take a few minutes each day to write down and practice the art of being grateful, it really does work well and will help with your state of mind.
- Managing your Workload:
Today we live in a society where everyone is busy, many people wear it like a badge of honour, something they are proud of and a sign of success but is it really? Personally, I think not.
It's important to prioritise your tasks and organise your day well, BE REALISTIC. Don’t give yourself too much to do than beat yourself up at the end of the day for not accomplishing all on your list of ‘to do’s.’ Stress occurs when you have buried yourself in overwhelming tasks and don’t know where to begin. This leads to procrastination or starting tasks and not finishing them.
- Time Management:
Learn how to say No. Don’t be a people pleaser or a martyr or think you are the only one that can do this job well.
It's ok to ask for help or delegate tasks to others who are better at that job than you. You don't need to be a superhero.
Also, try to avoid multitasking. Here's a mantra for you "focus on ONE to get the job DONE.
Rather than multitasking, break your time into chunks. If you spend 20-40minutes on each task/activity/item on your "to do " list, then you're being productive, efficient, and you'll probably make your day more interesting and varied - with the added bonuses of less stress instead of frantically jumping from one thing to another.
Remember, being "busy" doesn't always mean you are being "productive"
- Making Time for Yourself:
Make time to meet up with your friends and people that make you feel good about yourself. Approaching your days positively (remember the simple exercise of listing things you are grateful for) reduces stress, allowing you to settle into doing one thing at a time.
Managing your own business can be very challenging so my advice is to book a Business or Life Coach, it’s a good place to start.
By sharing with friends, family or colleagues you might find they can help or know others that can reduce your workload.
Now ask yourself a few simple questions;
- How can I create more focused time for my family and not always feel distracted? Do I need a brain dump? Getting things out of my head and down on paper? Do I need to put my mobile on silent for 30 – 60 mins?
- What is the best way to structure my week to optimise productivity whilst remaining positive and calm?
- What task do I need to complete today to keep that project moving? Prioritise your daily list.
- What is currently not working in my life? How can I fix it? “The better you think, the more confident you will be to take action and the right ones.” Brain Tracey
- Do I need to reduce the number of projects, expectations and obligations I have, to get more quality results and completed tasks done? “Less is more”
- What am I doing, who am I being when I find myself overstretched or overwhelmed? What is my inner critique telling me? And is this self-talk working to my advantage? Do I need to think differently? Identify what your default system is and what belief systems are really running the show in your life and face up to those that limit us.
Managing your own business and home life can be very challenging and it’s not always appropriate to expect your partner or friend to be your sounding board/mentor/agony aunt for everything you have going on. A great place to start is with a life coach/business coach.
They can help you with the hard questions and deliver real results. This article about reducing stress is just one small area of my proven Strategy and Support Programme.
To know more contact me for a free, no obligation chat on 0273483207 or firstname.lastname@example.org