Recalibrating

Hello Everyone,

In our society we live to choose many paths for our lives. How we will balance work & personal and fit everything else in between. Work all day or play all day? This last year has highlighted the importance on finding a balance within it all and learning when you need to take a step back to acquire the energy to sustain life.

One side of our society values "hustle until you can't anymore and then push some more," which then results in burn out. Working as if we are machines and we do not need time to rest, sleep, eat, and spend time doing things we love outside work. That doesn't mean the fun stuff should be working outside of the 9-5 on your personal business. You need to do things outside of that; because that is still work. Find a hobby, spend time with loved ones (safely), do creative projects for YOU not for clients. Even if you're not a creative person sometimes doing something that makes the other part of your brain work helps. Art therapy is a real thing. You can watch painting (other creative activities) tutorials on youtube.

You need to see when you are seeing a shift in your moods. Being angry, sad, irritated all of the time is not good for your body. I know a lot of people rationalize being miserable in certain work and life environments but that isn't healthy. Find ways to destress and connect with yourself. What is missing from your life at this moment?

Are you not getting adequate amounts of sleep? -what can you cut down or out of your life that "may" be affecting it?

-Try limiting some of these things- Social media, tv, serious conversations with other or yourself before bed, working right before bed, not getting enough exercise

Try- getting some exercise that helps relax your body. Do a "brain dump" write all the things you are worried/thinking about that you need to do or discuss with someone. Once you write all of this down no revisiting it until the next day. This way the thoughts are not swirling around.

Are you not feeling well emotionally?

Try- journaling out your thoughts. Writing things down is a form of expression. Set an email up for yourself and send yourself all these journals. It's like an electronic diary. You get it out and then can process more later with yourself, a friend or a therapist.

Speaking of therapists, have you spoken with one recently? It is something for everyone. There are times you need an outside perspective to help you organize your thoughts, get stress coping skills, or learn how to overcome trauma. Seeing a therapist is not only when you have had huge life changing events, sometimes you just need a shift within to reach another level. You may not know what is blocking you from within; Spiritually, mentally or emotionally.

Get an app that helps you relax. Headspace has some good activities. Listen to peaceful music before bed and throughout the day (piano melodies, nature songs, worship or calming music). I like to listen to this kind of music in general because it keeps me level minded. I am not going crazy with all these things firing me up.

Disconnect to reconnect

This is not just for internet but with other people. Communicate that you will be taking a couple days off to spend with yourself and God to reset. There is a lot of noise in the world, you need to set a boundary and know when your soul feels disconnected and misaligned. This feeling can be a sense of emptiness, detachment from people or your favorite activities, not receiving positive or spiritual information. Read the Bible, journal what you learned and what you feel from spending this quiet time. Watch things that can help pour into your soul. Be honest with yourself and God for where you are.

Gratitude

Recently I re-started writing 3 things everyday that I am grateful for. These can be big or small things. It can be hard on somedays, but it help recalibrate your view on life. You can increase as the time goes on. Notice the moments throughout your day that you are grateful for. Tell yourself them. Remind yourself of the greatness around and within you.

Boundaries

Evaluate what you feel you are missing. Are you focusing too much on others and not spending time pouring into yourself? How are your boundaries looking? Do you need help re-evaluating where your boundaries are? I read this book "Boundaries" by Henry Cloud and it changed my life. It highlighted my areas of opportunity. What was my responsibility and where the responsibility of others lied where it was physically or emotionally. Address the concern with said party and yourself. Write down what are the triggers that cause you to cave, why you are doing it, why they are not doing it, and what you will do to keep yourself accountable from not going back. This is a two way process but it starts with you. I'll discuss boundaries more at a later time.

I stated earlier that one side values the hustle mentality, but there is a side that values just relaxing all of the time. That isn't good either. We need to have a balance and work for the things we want. Life can be depleting at times, but you have to find the strength to get back up and be motivated about something. We are all here on this earth for a purpose. We can make a difference in our own lives and in others. It will be in different formats, don't compare your influence to someone else's. You may be here to speak powerful words into a stranger and they could be the next Maya Angelou, or someone can train you to be the next best selling author, you can give money to someone that didn't know how they will pay their bill and they get their faith in humanity and God restored. You can teach someone a skill that changes their day or the trajectory of their life. Don't limit how big or small your action can be.

Just like technology it needs time to recalibrate; give yourself that! Taking time to reset your goals, intentions, yourself can set you on a different journey. A few days well spent, can make a life more well lived. I hope you find the strength to recalibrate your life.

Focus, pray, rest, and go live <3

-Stephanie Garcia