4 tips for hitting pause and re-set
It’s okay to feel whatever you are feeling. Whether that’s overwhelmed, uncertain, restless, burnt-out or all of the above. We are all tired of the pandemic. It has been going on far longer than we anticipated, and some days …
If you find yourself going down the rabbit hole of negativity, you are not alone. What do we need in this situation? We need to find ways to pause and re-set our thinking and our emotions so we can get back out there, moving forward, being our best selves.
Here are four suggestions for hitting re-set that hopefully will leave you refreshed and ready to tackle your day.
- Self Compassion. Give yourself permission to not feel okay today. During my recovery from breast cancer I started the practice of writing myself short notes of encouragement such as “you were really brave (or kind) today” or “you have been doing a great job of …”. It helps to practice self compassion, and can start to weed out the self-critical thoughts when we are discouraged.
- Take a short nourishment break. Have a cup of tea on the deck, a walk in nature, or a short nap. These all help to hit the re-set button, and help to change your perspective.
- Do something with your hands. Working with our hands (as opposed to our heads, sitting on Zoom all day or constantly streaming the news on our phones) helps us to ground. It brings us more into our bodies. Some examples of hand work are working with fibres, baking, gardening.
- Do something creative. Engaging in a creative practice has been shown to reduce stress and prevent burnout. Creativity is the practice of thinking outside the box and then taking action. We use creativity in many ways. For example, when we design a new piece of art and then make it; when we learn to play a new instrument; when we put together a fabulous recipe and prepare it; when we design and build a new deck; when we solve a technical problem at work. Engaging in a creative practice can take our mind off of the stress and uncertainty for a brief moment. That is helpful, as it gives our body and mind a break from the tension. But I think it does more than that. When we engage in a creative practice we start to tap into feelings of pleasure. Our shoulders relax, our stomach unclenches and we feel good. By doing something creative and getting ourselves into this state I think we are training our brain and body to recognize positive sensations. In this way when we are stressed we can learn to return to that state of well-being. You can read more about Creativity and Resilience in this blog post.
How can I help?
If you are looking for writing prompts and other resources to connect with your creative self, take a look at my two books. Reach out to me if you’d like some help designing a wallhanging that is a reflection of what you need right now.
Are your team members feeling stressed and anxious? I can help with this and improving your team’s sense of connection. Let’s have a chat.
