Life is busy. It's full of responsibilities, it's fast paced, and it's overwhelming. The phrase “sick and tired of being sick and tired" is commonplace. We live in an age where we have to intentionally prioritize slowing down. Our nervous systems are still evolving to the new fight or flight. Instead of the sporadic threat of a predator, we have to process how to avoid a head on collision going 70 mph daily, while balancing busy professional and personal lives. This sounds like a simple evolution, except it's not. "Threats" are now continuous and they are everywhere. In an effort to combat constant stress and burnout, many people are seeking respite in mindfulness, self-care, and personal development.
Having to take on the mental load of sorting through and determining what changes to implement into our daily lives guarantees that a lot of people just don’t. For many people, the investment of time (and often money) doesn’t seem worth it for an unknown outcome. For example, I’m a busy professional and I want to implement positive changes into my daily routine and lifestyle. I have very little knowledge in this arena, so I sit down and Google “self-help”, “healthy changes” or “self-care.” I am greeted with hundreds of websites directing me to implement daily meditation, gratitude journals, yoga classes, dietary adjustments, energy healing, shadow work, aromatherapy, and goddess bath routines. Immediately the sense of overwhelm consumes me. Where do I even start? With a few simple tips, I am confident you will feel less overwhelmed by this task and will be healthier for it.
1. Just start.
Pushing through the overwhelm and implementing a single positive change, is by far the BIGGEST step. It often takes very little time to see improvements, which is both motivating and encouraging!
2. Listen to your intuition.
When choosing which adjustments to make, pay attention to what FEELS important to you in the moment. Take note of what seems to be popping up for you. Maybe you keep seeing an ad for an application that provides seven minute guided meditations and think to yourself “seven minutes a day is not too bad!”. Also note what sounds effortless or fun. Perhaps you know that you need more movement throughout your day but going to the gym sounds time consuming and inconvenient, but dancing sounds invigorating and fulfilling. Implementing something that resonates is more likely to stick and ultimately be more impactful long term.
3. Make one small change at a time
It’s very easy to get into a motivated mindset and create a brand new life on paper. However, it’s often difficult to maintain a completely new routine with several unfamiliar tasks. Take dietary changes for example. How often do you hear a colleague or friend beaming about their new diet and workout routine and how wonderful they feel from it, only to hear them announce several weeks later that they fell off the wagon and need to get back to their diet and exercise starting Monday? This is to no fault of their own, but they overwhelmed their body and mind with too many changes. An alternative and more reasonable modification would be to add more whole foods into their diet or implement “meatless Monday”. Naturally, as something becomes part of your routine, it becomes more intuitive, requiring less brain power, and allows you more mental space for additional adjustments.
4. Hire a coach!
Sometimes we need a support system to make routine changes. Working with a coach takes away some of the guesswork and provides accountability. You will be met with compassion and a personalized plan that works for your very unique lifestyle and goals.
Life is already overwhelming, making lifestyle improvements should not feel burdensome. Do you have any tips for someone getting started? Please share in the comments!