It’s
time for the 5th instalment of my blog. Last month’s blog was all
about Flying with Stress. I shared with you 3 tips to help you deal with stress
in a more effective way. These were: 1) Bee aware – this was to help you to
take a course of action when you noticed stress coming on, that would enable you
to deal with stress effectively there and then. 2) Create some time – this was
advice to create at least 30 minutes for yourself each day and to spend this
time doing something that helped you to relax. 3) Get up, dress up, show up –
this was to continue to do all of the things you normally do, even in the
presence of stress. I hope you had fun applying these tips and if you haven’t
read all my instalments. You’ll find them in my blogspot at:
www.aimeejstewart.blogspot.co.uk .
So
this month has been pretty full on for me, as I am sure it has also been for a
lot of you too. Between juggling work, dogs, exercise, family, friends, working
on new goals and throw in whatever else applies to you too. There is no getting
away from the fact that life is busy. This can become overwhelming at times for
all of us. Maybe negative thoughts such as, “I can’t cope with this”, “What’s
the point”, “Give me a break”, pop into your mind. These exacerbate the
overwhelmed feelings and ultimately lead to a lowering of our enjoyment of
life. So my main aim for this month’s blog is to share with you ways to help
you cope with a busy life and actually enjoy it. You might find that you end up
thriving through those busy days and look forward with positivity to more of
them.
The
title of this month’s blog is: “Bee in the moment, busy bees.” As usual I am
going to share 3 tips on how to create a mind-set that helps you to Bee in the
moment throughout the busyness.
So
here goes:
1)
Begin
your day with a stretch and a smile
In
my opinion, the beginning of the day is the most important part. Setting off on
the right foot, so to speak, is a great practice to get into. So in order to help
you cultivate this, I suggest you begin each day with a stretch and a smile. It’s
quite easy to get into a rut when the alarm goes off, beginning your day with
negative thinking and taking at least an hour to properly wake-up. However, it
doesn’t have to be like this. Getting out of bed and purposefully stretching
after your alarm goes off with a smile on your face, will help to cultivate
positivity for the rest of your day. Even if it is a fake smile to begin with,
we have learned through my first blog that smiling helps to release those
healthy hormones, such as dopamine, which help us to feel good. When you
stretch, reach up as far as you can with both hands above your head, bring both
arms down and out to the sides , whilst stretching out as much as you can, then
reach down to your toes as low as you can and then return to standing posture,
with your shoulders back and down. This creates the confident posture that I
spoke about in my 3rd blog.
Your
mind and body respond well to a ritual. By setting the tone of your day each
morning with this positive intention, can really change the subsequent events
of the day. Try it and see what you think. :)
2)
Take
it one step at a time – write a To Do List
We
all know what it’s like to have 101 things to do and not know where to begin.
It’s so easy to get lost in the chaos and be up shits creak without a paddle.
Let’s not let it get to that. The beauty of a To Do List, is it helps us to see
what we have to do and instead of it being a mish-mash in our mind, it’s in
black and white in-front of us. You can then look at your To Do List and break
it down further. Write down, what needs to be done today, what can wait until
tomorrow and what can be done at the end of the week and then review everyday…This
helps you to feel more in control of your life and puts you in the driving
seat. Rather than things driving you, you’re driving them. It’s a pretty great
feeling to know you’re driving your own life forward and a To Do List is a
simple action that can cultivate this feeling and help you to Bee in the
moment.
3)
Exercise
– walk, run, dance, - whatever you do, move!
Did you know that
exercise is fundamental when it comes to creating mental well-being. We were
born to move. Unfortunately in society today, a lot of us have jobs that
prevent us from moving around a lot. Our bodies were created for movement and
it’s important that we put them to use. The benefits of 30 minutes exercise per
day, are enormous.
Some of the benefits
I have listed below:
·
less
tension, stress and mental fatigue
·
a natural
energy boost
·
improved
sleep
·
a sense
of achievement
·
focus in
life and motivation
·
less
anger or frustration
·
a healthy
appetite
·
better
social life
·
having
fun
30 minutes of activity each day could be a
walk, a run, dancing, an exercise class, an exercise DVD. Anything, as long as
your moving your body. Personally I find exercise the thing that keeps me sane.
It might feel like a chore to begin with but after it becomes habit, you may
find yourself looking forward to that part of your day. I get exciting now
before I begin exercise. It’s a part of my day that I really look forward to because
it really helps me to forget about the events of the day and transition into “me
time”. Ultimately it helps me to Bee in the moment and forget about the
busyness.
I hope you find these 3 tips useful and they
help you to cultivate more positivity into your day, even if you are busy. Good
luck. :)
