Relieving some burdens
Have you ever though to yourself during your day in whatever you were doing, “this is just too much.” I certainly have. I am sure you have too. While I was walking my dog the other morning, I was stomping through the snow and going up the hill I thought, “Geez, this is challenging. It is so difficult to walk in this deep snow.” It was crusty on the top then soft snow below. Going up, up, and up hill. Ugh. Can it stop? Then I said to myself, you know Wendy, if you had worn your snowshoes it might have been challenging but not as much as it is right now. This is exactly what happens in life. We are challenged with things and we keep moving forward but we are struggling at times and not making it easier for ourselves in any way. We are stressed. We all need to take the opportunity to stop and think. What is it that I can do to make this situation a little easier? The task may still be challenging yet, I bet you could find some way to make it a little bit easier to deal with. This will give you some relief. The issue may not be super easy to deal with still. Congratulate yourself for taking the time to implement a strategy to lift a small amount of that burden off your plate. This one small change will make your day much happier and easier to face the challenges for the rest of the day. Then your cup is not filled to the brim with negative feelings of weight on your back.
Many areas of our lives are filled with things we find a bit challenging to do. I really do not like doing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen. Yet I know what my kitchen will look like after when I get it done. I focus on the good part of what the task will end up giving me. It is also a sense of instant gratification. It was dirty and now look. I cleaned it up and it looks wonderful.
It is human nature to look at the things that are negative rather than what is positive. Yet over time it wears us down. Makes us cranky, eat sugary foods, lay around watching TV, drink in excess and sleep horribly. Not everything is rosy, I certainly get it. I suggest that we all take a moment and ask ourselves what can we do to make this task or situation a little better so we can move forward with a lighter heart. It could be as simple as stopping to take a breath before you speak. Try really listening to a person and try reflecting back to them what you understand they are trying to say before you talk about the subject more. Sometimes we are thinking about what to say while another person is talking and we really did not understand what they are trying to express. Ask yourself if you have a feeling from the past that will make you react in a non-productive way. We all have experiences that create instant reactions and this usually doesn’t get us very far in a conversation. Start your day off with some positive news instead of reading what is in the news. News can really make your blood pressure go up. Try journaling in the morning with your cup of coffee. Sit and just take some deep breaths and ask yourself what is good in my life right now. Sit and talk with your partner or children for a short while and talk about what is good in their life. Many times we need to just accept what is happening and make a slight change in your behavior so that it will be tolerable. Waiting in a long line of people can be frustrating. Yet, stopping to take that breath again and accepting that there is nothing you can do about it will create a little bit of inner peace. Negativity is just not healthy for you in any way.
I congratulate you on the small changes you are going to make to your day. Work smarter not harder. Let’s all try to implement something good. I know we can do it!!
