Let’s be honest for a quick second. The past two weeks have been so difficult for me. I’ve noticed my energy levels very low and my desire to do things also very low. This is unlike me and I know when I start feeling like this that I have to pull myself out. I have to stop the bad cycles and put me first again.
I’ve been thinking about what I could write that would help you guys. Something that would benefit your life TODAY! And I realized that nobody’s life is perfect. You don’t always have everything figured out and you probably will never always be perfect.
Life is meant to test us. To try us. And to in the end, make us stronger. I haven’t don’t dishes in about 3 days and I had two sink fulls and more on the counter to do. The higher it got, the more my desire went down. And, I let it. I let it (life) get completely away from me.
I napped everyday for an hour after work. I was exhausted and watched too much T.V. I hated how I was feeling. And I hated that amount of chores I had to do to get myself out of it. So, instead of completing it, I did nothing.
That’s not like me. That’s never how I settle for my life to look like. I love a clean home and I love a productive day. So what did I do this morning? I cleaned for 20 minutes before work. I did a whole sink full of dishes and put random things away.
That’s exactly what I needed to jumpstart my day and push me back into a productive cycle.
Here are the steps I use when life starts to feel exhausting.
Step 1: Recognize the issue. This is huge because you will never change for the better if you don’t see the issue. You will never push yourself to be better and do better if you don’t know what to improve.
For me, it started with realizing how tired I was. Then because of how tired I was, I saw my house starting to get messy. That was the physical sign I needed that something was wrong and I needed to shift.
Step 2: Be willing to change. If you aren’t willing to put in the hard work behind what’s going on, you will never see the lasting change. You need to push yourself out of the negative cycle you’re in.
I knew I was willing to change and put in the work it took to better myself. Are you?
Step 3: Take the first step forward. This can be so difficult. Taking the first step forward after a rut is the hardest step. However, once you get in the motion, you wont want to stop. You’ll be on a roll and nothing can stop you.
Continue taking that first step over and over until it becomes a natural habit. But the good thing is, once you’ve taken it, you have proven to yourself that you can only do it again and again.
Step 4: The last and final step. Be kind to yourself. I understand how hard it can be to critically look at yourself. To know that you haven’t done the best you can. But you don’t have to let that define you.
Be soft with yourself as you continue making the steps necessary to get out of the rut. It won’t always be perfect and you won’t always have the perfect answer. But, eventually you might. Keep pushing and keep trying even when the going gets hard.
I also will go over some things I recommend to help as well.
-Find and DO what makes you happy. The quickest way to bring a smile to your face is doing something that brings you joy.
-Picture where you are most at peace. For me, it’s in Star Valley on the top of a mountain. The wind lightly blows, the world around is quiet and the view is calming. Everything about that spot brings me more peace and eases my stressed mind.
-Do a kind deed for someone. By doing something kind of someone else, we often feel better about ourselves. Kinda crazy how that works, but I know it does first hand. So hurry and find someone you can help and watch as your day shifts into a more positive one.
-Get into art, or creativity in general. I love to oil paint. Its challenging, and fun. I don’t consider myself an artist, but when I take away the pressure, I find it very rewarding. Find something that gets your creative juices flowing and do it!
-Do something for just you. It’s okay to spoil ourselves every once in a while. It doesn’t make us selfish or high maintenance, it makes us human. Every human wants a nice thing done for them every once in a while. I personally love getting a facial, my toes done or a massage. It’s the perfect way to relax in an envirnment that doesn’t overwhelm me.
It’s okay to not always be okay. It’s okay to not always be on the top of our game. Keep fighting and keep pushing hard.
Today is my first step and tomorrow I will continue to take that first step until it becomes a natural movement.
Hard times are normal in life, but they don’t have to be permanent. When you notice yourself in a funk, how do you get out of it? I would love all your tips as well. Coming together is the best way to end the stigma that everything is “perfect” all the time.
It’s also been a crazy time in our world and it’s okay to not know how to process it all. Keep going, keep moving forward, you got this!
All my love,
Talesha