I don't cope well with going from quiet to busy,
famine to feast.
At times when I suddenly get busy, I am prone to
feel my stress levels rising. I feel like I have just
climbed into one of those fairground rides that fling
you from side to side whilst spinning you round. My
focus becomes keeping my head down and doing
what I need to survive the ride, while concentrating
on it all being over soon.
When I have the presence of mind to think straight, I
see how unsatisfying it is to hope to be busier when
it's quiet and hope to be quieter when it's busy.
A technique that I frequently use but have pushed
aside over the past week or so because I have just
been so busy, is to check-in with myself.
However, having given myself a break and having now
checked in, I realise that I'm not actually on the
ride but I have my feet firmly on the ground. It's just
that my eyes are shut experiencing a virtual reality
ride of my own imagination.
So, what do I mean by checking in? I'm talking about
getting in touch with how I'm feeling. Simply
stopping doing what I'm doing for a few minutes
and checking in with my body, my mind and my
emotional state.
What does it help me do? It helps me find calm and
focus, and feel more present to what is going on. It
reduces stress and feelings of being overwhelmed. It
is a grounding mechanism.
When I do this and ground myself, I am calmer, more
connected to my life with my feet firmly on the
ground, and the journey or trip becomes a pleasure.
It is more relaxed, it is easier, it’s more fun.
You'd think that I already know how I'm feeling, but
when I'm in the thick of constantly doing things,
I just tend to blast on without giving it any thought.
It’s a bit like checking whether I have my mobile
phone, my keys, my Bluetooth attachment, and
maybe any snacks for the journey before I start. The
alternative is just walking out the door before I have
even thought whether I’ve got everything I need to
make my journey as enjoyable as possible.
So, what are the questions to ask yourself?
How am I feeling physically, mentally and
emotionally?
Do you feel particularly tired this morning? Where in
your body are you feeling that most? What is it that
is going round your head at the moment? How are
you emotionally? Are you really looking forward to
today? Are you dreading it? What is it that you're
looking forward to or dreading? Is there something
you can do to ease the dread if it is there?
Just connect with the feelings and increase your own
awareness. You don’t even have to do anything
differently as a result of the awareness. Most of the
time the increased awareness is enough to make a
difference.
The key here is to write it down. Write down the
questions, and also write down what comes back in
response. Make sure you include your body, your
thoughts and your emotions. It works, I promise you.
" by Jack Canfield and
Mark Victor Hansen. This book has been around for a
number of years but I've only just got around to
reading it. It is full of "bite sized" short inspirational
stories, some of which you may have heard before,
but others you probably won't. I enjoyed it. It was
easily digestible and uplifting but not quite an "earth
shaker". ****
" by Tim Finn. I told myself that I
wouldn't review any more music as it is not
necessarily coaching related. However, I cannot help
myself. I downloaded the album off iTunes today on
a tip off from a friend (thanks Steve) and it is the
best thing I've heard this year. Absolutely fabulous,
I'd give it 6 stars if I could. Please check it out.
*****
