With so much happening around us - and so much out of our control, its easy to lose sight of the good things we have in our lives.
Too often we focus on the next goal and the next thing - and we don't take time to "smell the roses". Just like the foods you eat can either fuel or limit your body, feeding your mind with positive thoughts and engaging in good habits and keeping it healthy is just as important!
Left unchecked - around 80% of our thoughts are negative! Most of the time we are too busy to properly feel our emotions and we "put them to one side". We are also not always aware of our energy and where it goes. Whilst its possible to reframe our negative beliefs and thoughts into more positive and supportive ones - it is not an easy task - and it's not a one time fix!
Let's start by noticing
Unless we are aware - we can't do anything different. I want you to notice your energy, your emotions, your thoughts and the way you talk to yourself!
Nothing you notice is good - or bad, it is just what is going on for you right now! I want you to notice, with a childlike curiosity and without judgement! You can explore either through guided journalling or free writing, but I want to give you some prompts to get you started!
Lately I have been experiencing a lot of thoughts about......
Lately I have been experiencing a lot of feelings of ..........
Lately I have been saying .......... to myself a lot
Some of thing things that bring me the most joy are ..........
I feel really energised when ............
One thing that I would really like to change is .............
Get really clear
Spend some time getting really clear about what you want. What do you want more of in your life? What do you want less of?
If I gave you a magic wand - what would your perfect day look like?
Write this down somewhere and keep it visible - even if at the moment it seems like a big stretch from where you are right now! Unless you get really clear about where you are heading - you won't get there!
When you think about that perfect day in the future - really visualise who you need to Be and what you need to Do to create that future. There are some incredible Future Self meditations on YouTube! These are incredible tools to help you connect to that future version of you!
Get some great Habits to support you
I am going to let you into a little secret ..... you don't have to get up at 5am to be successful! (unless you really want to). What you do need, is a routine and a series of habits that support you to Be the best version of you!
1. Make a list of the way you would like to feel on a morning when you wake up!
How do you want to start your day?
Once you know how you want to feel - think about the things that already make you feel that way - and make some tiny adjustments to include those things in your morning routine!
Some of the things you might want to try are:
Breathing exercises
Exercise
Fresh air
Avoiding your phone / notifications / screens
Write down 3 funny things that happened yesterday
2. Make a list of the way you would like to feel on an evening before you go to bed! How do you want to end your day?
Once you know how you want to feel - think about the things that already make you feel that way - and make some tiny adjustments to include those things in your night time routine!
Some of the things you might want to try are:
Gratitude practice - write down 3 things you are grateful for right now
Show yourself some self-compassion
The relationship we have with ourselves shapes our daily experiences - commit to being a better friend to yourself, starting today!
Self compassion is treating yourself as you would a treasured friend. Not just when things are going right - but most importantly when things are not going to plan. Doing kind things for ourselves, particularly when we are struggling can help us to cope and move through difficult experiences.
My favourite way to show myself self-compassion is to plan what I will do when things don't go to plan! My bounce back plan usually involves a whole heap of self-care activities!
Reflect, Review & Reward
Spend time every week reflecting - back to that noticing step, this is vital! We can't change what we aren't aware of!
Review - what is working for you, what isn't working so well, look at your plan - what needs updating! How well are your habits serving you? what needs to change?
Reward - celebrate every step! every part of the journey! celebrate every little win!
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