It’s the song we all know; you are rudely awakened early in the morning by a loud beeping noise, only to rush ourself out the door as quickly as possible. You hurry off to your extremely important activities and push yourself to be the most efficient and organised person throughout the day. Time cannot and will not be wasted.
But by doing so we are acting like robots, letting our brain be programmed by our schedules. Why do we do this? How could we ever have started believing this is the way it is supposed to be? What made us think a hectic, crammed life is the key to a fulfilling life?
In modern society it has almost become the norm to suffer from a depression or burn out at least once a lifetime, whereas suffering from these conditions used to be rare. So it is good to know it is possible, but how should you approach your daily schedule in order to keep your mental state as stable as possible while leading a fulfilling, happy life?
Take 7 steps.
1. Set your priorities.
Find out which activities are truly important to you and which can be put off until later or excluded completely. By doing this you give yourself time to relax, socialize or sleep. You end up with more minutes to do what you love and truly matters.
2. Take your time.
This will help you live in the present and focus on the present. Instead of getting things out of the way as soon as possible, take your time. Truly commit to what you are doing and you will be much more satisfied with the result. Don’t worry about investing time; results will be rewarding.
3. Allow yourself to make mistakes.
Taking risks leads to living a fulfilling, exiting life. When you allow yourself a little more room to breathe and experiment you will have more fun and experience new things. By trusting yourself more often you will also gain more self-confidence and skill. So don’t let the fear of failure prevent you from trying, you will be amazed at your own potential.
4. Be kind to yourself.
Take care of yourself the way you would take care of your best friend. Cheer yourself up, comfort yourself with fun activities and remember to give yourself that kick in the rear when it’s time to move on. Only be as harsh to yourself as you would be to your best friend. You are worth love and patience.
5. Listen to your intuition.
This is guaranteed to make you feel better. Sleep when you get tired, not when your last chore is finished. Eat when you are hungry, not when you are bored. Don’t base your opinion on what others tell you if your instincts tell you otherwise. By listening to your intuition you will get to know yourself and learn to trust and love yourself more.
6. Pay attention.
Do not let yourself get occupied to the point where you cannot notice life around you anymore. Paying attention means noticing and helping when your friend is acting depressed and telling your co-worker her new haircut looks great. Noticing playing children or baby bunnies can instantly lift your mood although it takes some practice to start paying attention. Notice the little things that matter.
7. Embrace change
Change makes us adapt and makes us alter our schedules. When we cling to our schedules too much we start fearing change, thus becoming inflexible and restrictive. But when we embrace change, trust everything will be fine and accept the fact we cannot control everything, we will find peace. We will be open to learning new things and will be able to stay calm and relaxed in unexpected situations.
At first, practicing these steps might not go as smoothly as you wish for. Changing your habits will always be though! The one thing that helps is to remember the reward; leading a fulfilling life.
Remember, practice makes perfect. So take small steps at a time and let the results speak for themselves.
Have a nice evening!
Advanced Inspiration 