Your Choices Create Your Life. 3 New Choices You Can Make Today.
I’ve found that in my own life, the times when I feel the lowest are those times that I feel backed into a corner and overwhelmed with no way to climb out. Those are the times that I forget that I am in control of my life and that I am the one that can make choices, new choices, that will set me on a new path.
Are there places in your own life where you feel trapped and hopeless? Are you stuck in a bad relationship or feeling angry all the time? Are you going to school or have started a new job where the learning curve is leaving you behind?
There are a few things you can try that have worked for me when I am feeling that overwhelm.
1. I take a time out. Yes, I do and it’s amazing how well this works. I have taken courses where the amount of information I am trying to learn just confuses the heck out of me and I am virtually immobilized by it all. And although you can’t really take a lengthy time out from school or work or family issues, you can take a mini time out.
Go for lunch with a friend, try a meditation that relaxes the mind and body, read a book you’ve been wanting to get to or just spend the day lounging and napping. You need to do something for you, something that nourishes you, body, mind and spirit.
2. Head out for a day or even just an hour of activity. Go skiing, swimming, kite flying, hiking, or just a walk in the park. Moving your body has an amazing way of un-cluttering the mind. You are able to come back to ‘life’ with a new perspective and perhaps new ideas on how to make those changes you want to make.
3. Sit with a pen and paper and write out what your challenge is. Set a timer for 5 minutes then write down as many new ways you can think of to resolve your challenge. Don’t think, just write. Come up with wild ideas, impossible ideas, ones that scare you, small ones that would work now and ginormous ones you don’t think would work unless Hell froze over.
Don’t stop to edit or think about what you are writing. Just let it all flow. Now, once you are done put your pen down, get up and walk away. Have a cup of tea, take a short walk, do some deep breathing, go pee….whatever you want.
When you are ready, come back to your list and take a look. As you read over what you have written notice how you are feeling. Do you still feel scared or overwhelmed? If so, take a couple deep breathes, smile and go back to your list.
You will be amazing at the wonderful ideas that came from you. Each one of these is a choice you can make. The more outrageous ideas will just take a little longer to accomplish, right? But you will have at least a few that are doable now. You have something you can take action on and that’s what it’s all about. You, making choices and taking action. Because you are the one in the driver’s seat.
Well, done!!