Are You Going To Pieces Trying to Find Some Peace in Your Life?
By Kathleen Matchunis, President of Connecting, Inc.
Do you feel like a whirling dervish with a “to do list” which has more daily goals than are possible to accomplish and a routine that leaves you very little down time? Well, no wonder you are having trouble finding peace!
With the demands of modern life, we have to make a conscious effort to provide ourselves refuge from our routines and work schedules. We have more demands on our time because of increased availability, due to technology. It is not uncommon for people to be reached during weekends and vacations by phone, texted or e-mail by their employers. This increased availability through technology is a double-edged sword. We are constantly tempted to check for the latest updates, postings, tweets, etc., but technology also enables us to stay in touch with loved ones on a more frequent basis.
Since finding peace is a conscious choice, we need to pause and think about the choices which we make in our daily lives. Here are some positive choices which you can make:
• Get up 15 min. earlier in the morning to avoid rushing.
• Program your coffeemaker and have your breakfast foods set up, wardrobe and accessories laid out the night before.
• When you wake up, take a moment to appreciate being given this day and make a spiritual connection as to the meaning of your life.
• Focus on something positive while you are getting ready. Ex: I am going to make a difference in someone’s life today. I am going to learn something new today. I am grateful to have a job, which allows me to provide for my family.
• As you leave home, take time to notice the sky, the feel of the air, etc. In other words, feel a connection to nature and take time to smell those roses!
• Take short breaks during the day to stretch, walk, exercise, or just mentally unwind. You will increase your productivity in the long run.
• Try to find humor in everyday life. Laughing is good for your soul and your health!
• Show and feel gratitude. Make sure that you take the time to acknowledge others’ acts of kindness and acknowledge their accomplishments.
• Take time to transition from home to work and from work to home. Treat your family like family, not co-workers, and treat your co-workers like colleagues, not like your children.
• If you are in a rigid routine, change it up! Your brain will thank you for it, by being sharper. Take a different route home; change your dinner or post-dinner routine. Take pleasure in the small daily rituals of life.
• Cut yourself off from technology and/or TV at a certain time in the evening. Decompress and unwind. If you can bring yourself to read or play a game with your kids, you will be more relaxed by bedtime.
• Minimize chaos. It’s hard to feel peaceful and calm when your home or your office is a mess. If you find organizing tedious (as I do), grab a pile of papers and organize them while watching a funny movie or listening to music. You will make progress and the time will fly by. The other approach is to organize your papers for 30 minutes and then reward yourself with a movie, music, or whatever you enjoy.
• Take time at the end of the day to give yourself some credit for your accomplishments, as you drift off to sleep.
Remember you are a human being, not a human doer. Schedule some down time every day, so you are in charge of your schedule instead of being a slave to it. If you find it challenging to find peace in your life, coaching can help. Invest in something that will make you feel more peaceful and satisfied and check out life coaching with me. Call me at 954 294-9708 to set up a free consultation!