Do you ever feel that life runs away with you? When you take on a new project, whether in business or everyday life, you can feel excited at the prospect of something new, keeping busy, entertained. This can then lead to something else, and eventually more and more ‘stuff’ lands on your plate and the work piles up. You put in extra hours and suddenly have less time to focus on the little things, the important things and end up letting your self-care go. We convince ourselves that everything is going to be okay in the end, ‘we’re fine!’ and we are…for a while…and then we’re not.
It is a very common problem to reach that point where just one more thing requires your attention, and you realise that your tank is empty.
If you don’t realise you soldier on until someone or something forces you to stop. This could be an illness, shock, or even a global pandemic. When you realise what’s happened, that is the point you begin to realise how tired you are. How you’ve put your everything into work, life, whatever it may, and it has left you utterly exhausted. Once you've reached this point, it can be difficult to work out what to do next.
It’s especially important now as we begin to come out of lockdown, to make sure you don’t slip into taking on “just one more thing”.
There are a series of techniques that can help you look after what’s most important…you! Build a routine that looks after your body, mind, and spirit.
First of all, you need to STOP.
Take a moment and breathe
Nothing will break and the world will keep on turning. Give yourself the time, and the space, to tune into yourself. If you stop for long enough, your fight or flight mode will switch off for long enough, that inspiration can kick in.
Look after yourself
You convince others, friends, family, that you’re doing okay, you can even start to convince yourself, but you have to be honest when things are becoming too much. It’s easy to put everyone else ahead of your own needs. Be honest with yourself and plan a couple of good things throughout the day: healthy foods; a walk that doesn’t have an agenda; sleep…and I mean an actual good night’s sleep! Lack of sleep or disturbed sleep is often the first sign of a troubled and busy brain. Go to bed at the same time each night and try to go to bed 30 minutes earlier than you normally do. Consider the environment you are sleeping in – is it comfortable enough, not too hot, not too cold? Is it dark enough?
Gradually, over time, you’ll begin to see a spark of someone you recognise. This may then encourage you to start making some of those bigger decisions.
Have a clear vision
This is the one area where we often forget to place our efforts. Covid has brought about a lot of changes not only in what we can do – but also in what we want to do. Consider your priorities. What does good now look like to you? You can decide what you want to bring back into your life.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
It doesn’t make you weak or an inconvenience to admit that you are struggling. If you are someone that likes to support those around you, it is more than likely that there is someone waiting to do the same for you too! You aren’t a bother or a nuisance and having someone else who is there for you can help you find that energy and courage to do what needs to be done.
Things will not change overnight but overtime you may look back and realise how far you have come. So if you’re ever feeling that your tired is not only feeling tired, but has bags under its eyes, remember that it's okay to put yourself first and take a step back to focus on your own self-care.
By Nicky Marshall https://www.discoveryourbounce.com/