Life doesn’t always go according to the plans. The past 12 days we’ve been home, the whole family, sick with covid. So far so good!
Luckily, we’ve got it quite easy.
But it has meant a bit of a hassle, too. A lot of arrangements, and rearrangements, as life suddenly took quite a different turn than we expected. This is one of the adversities I was talking about last week.
And, at the same time, this is something I’ve always talked to my clients about. To have room for life to happen. I like to practice what I preach, so thankfully my work calendar was not fully booked, as it rarely is (for I always leave room for life’s surprises).
Too often people want to plan everything. And I mean everything. Which is good. Plans are good. But as we hardly control life’s sudden turns, it’s good to leave some room for those moments, when life happens.
Even though we might have a pretty good idea what’s gonna happen today, or the next day, there’s still plenty of things that we do absolutely not control. Anything can happen. And it can become pretty stressful if we have no room for life to happen.
That’s why I recommend you leave unscheduled time in your calendar. Don’t fully book yourself. Work or other wise.
When you have room in your calendar it
- enables you to recover and recharge after moments of excitement, terror and anything in between (yes, we really do need to recover and recharge daily)
- gives you space when something unexpected happens, whether it’s a pleasant or unpleasant surprise.
Also, let’s allow ourselves to bounce back from those moments.
So, whether there has or hasn’t been time in your calendar for life to happen, there are few things that sooth the way when bouncing back. I recommend these from my own experience.
- Cut yourself some slack
When unexpected events take place, the impact is magnified as there’s already a lot going on (we all have). So, something will be left undone. No matter how perfect you try to be. That’s just reality. And that’s why you need to adjust your expectations, especially of yourself. Cut yourself some slack and take time off to get well / recover / recharge. And get back on track later. Your dream doesn’t disappear anywhere.
- Ask for help
After adjusting your expectations, this is the one you should turn to next. It’s ok to ask for help. Rather sooner than later. You don’t have to do everything yourself. And honestly, doesn’t it feel good to be able to help others? Well then, let others feel good helping you for a change!
- Focus on what matters most
There are important things and then there are important things. Focus on what matters the most at the moment. If everything seems important, then consider what would be the most disastrous consequence and focus on preventing that. Most likely it has to do with taking care of yourself. If you neglect your own wellbeing, it usually stops you from recovering / recharging and affects your ability to take care of others and minding your business.
To summarize. Be gentle with yourself. Ask for help and be willing to receive it. Focus on what matters the most at the moment. You’ve got this and will be back on track eventually. It’s all good, just remember to leave some room for life to happen in the future, too.
Much love,
Paula
xx