
Although I don't have the answers as to how you can resolve all the areas in your life that put you under pressure, there is something that I have learnt (and am still learning!) that makes a difference to how stressed I feel, and it's very simple indeed.
It involves resolving to ban two words from thoughts and my actions. They are..
'I'll just...'
those two words
I have 25 minutes before I need to leave the house before work. I have eaten lunch and am changed and ready. I could make a cup of tea and read my client notes calmly, but I don't do that. I think 'I'll just quickly make a soup for dinner tonight so that I don't need to do it later.' Seems like a great idea at the time. I will be tired later and it will be nice to come home to a healthy meal. So I set to, chopping onions ( and then scrubbing my hands so my clients don't have to smell it on me), peeling other vegetables, getting stock out of the freezer and choosing herbs. So far so good. I still have time. It's all in the pan and bubbling away nicely, so I start to clear away putting the peelings in the compost bin and the utensils in the dishwasher. Then I notice that I have managed to splash dirt off the carrots onto my top, so I need to change. Time is catching up with me now and at that moment, I realise that I don't have anything for my late afternoon snack, so I will have to stop at the shop on the way. I also have no cash in my purse, so I need to go to a cashpoint too. I'm half way out of the door and I remember that I haven't turned the soup off.
Sound familiar?
Suddenly, my calm and prepared state of mind is totally frazzled. And it's purely down to me and those two quite innocuous little words.
fitting more in
I worked with a coaching client a while ago who was finding it hard to sleep. We discovered that even when lying in bed, she felt the need to 'use the time' to review her day and to plan the next one - not very conducive to sleep!
it's a habit
I'm not saying that you have to make radical shifts or that stress won't be part of your life, but by hearing and acknowledging those little words in your head that tell you that you are trying to fit something in, where no time allows, you are starting a valuable process.
When I hear myself think 'I'll just..', I know there isn't enough time to do the job justice.
I know that it isn't something urgent or a priority
I know that I will be calmer and more peaceful if I don't do it even if it feels like I 'should'
over to you
I would love to know if other people can identify with this, and if so - does it help?
Amatsu has helped me to learn that my body and mind are inextricably linked - and if I want to feel good, I have to look after both.