Monotony
is my greatest enemy in winter– monotony in the landscape and monotony
of routine. Put another way, what bothers most of us, I find, is a lack
of stimulation, variety and fun. This is a tough season for people who
need people or those who thrive on the sensual delights of nature. This
is the time when the world turns inward, and most of us grown weary of
that, after a few weeks.
The Winter Blahs Care Package is based on managing what you
experience and adding zest to spice up each day. The Package has several
ingredients, including a four-part Daily Balance Budget. I use the latter
to stay organized and especially to ensure that four fundamental areas of
my spirit are feed every day. If you take a few minutes each morning to
organize, you’ll have the opportunity to create variety and add some
color to these drab months.
Wake Up With Gratitude
It’s awfully tempting, on these dark early mornings, to
lie in bed and groan about another day of sloughing through rain, or sleet
or snow. I do it myself. But a far better way to wake up is to acknowledge
the weather and then shift immediately to anticipating all the good things
that you intend for the day. Add in all the things for which you are grateful,
and your day will be off to a good start. Your mind can’t hold both
negative and positive thoughts at the same time, so stress the positive. You
can do this in less than a minute, and it will set the tone for your whole
day.
One Day at a Time
All any of us has is the day we are living. Why not make it pleasant?
The choice always rests with us. When faced with a long winter, it is best
to put together one pleasant day after another, instead of looking weeks
and months ahead. The tool I find most useful for creating a pleasant
day is my senses. Instruct yourself to note beauty and color and comfort. What
will you see that is beautiful and memorable? What wonderful food will
you taste that feeds your soul along with your body? What will you hear
that will nurture your spirit? You have the power to experience what is
beautiful and to screen out what isn’t. Practice and self-discipline
are all that is required to create one pleasant day after another. Make
it a habit and your life will improve dramatically.
Daily Balance Budget
I adapted the idea of the Daily Balance Budget from a great little
book, “The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is
the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal” by Jim Loehr and
Tony Schwartz. I turned to this book at a point when I was overworked and
overwhelmed. The book suggests that there are four main areas of
daily living: mental, emotional, spiritual and physical. When each of these
areas is attended to, we achieve balance, even in the most hectic of times.
It certainly worked for me, and I recommend it for you.
In the beginning, before this becomes a habit, I suggest writing down
your intentions for each area in the morning. My little green notebook,
where I jotted down these intentions, changed my life. Now I set the intentions
automatically. The renewed energy of balance and intermittent activity is
astonishing.
- Mental - What will you do to exercise your brain today? Work?
Learn? Teach? Write?
- Emotional – What will you do to have fun and relax today? Connect
with those you enjoy? Listen to beautiful music? Engage in pleasurable
hobbies?
- Spiritual – What will you do to connect with your center today? Pray? Meditate?
Yoga? Enjoy quiet time alone? Read spiritual or inspirational books?
- Physical – What will you do to work your body today? Walk?
Work out? Housework? Manual tasks?
It is best to intersperse these activities. For example, when you are
exercising your brain at work, you will be more productive if you break
up that time by sharing a laugh with a co-worker or taking a walk at lunchtime. By
making sure that your intentions are met in each area, you eliminate the
tendency to spend unlimited amounts of time working at your computer and
skipping fun altogether – a very common occurrence.
Tolerations
One final piece of the Self Care Package is the elimination of
at least one “toleration” every day. Those of you who have
worked with me know that a toleration is anything that you tolerate, thus
giving you negative feelings, in your environment, work, relationships,
finances, etc. If there’s a pile of mail on your desk, deal with
it. If there is chipped paint in your hallway, fix it. Remember, if it
doesn’t bother you, it’s not a toleration. But taking care
of the little things that give you negative vibes is a great way to take
care of yourself. For more on tolerations, see my earlier newsletter at The
Coach’s Bench
Let me know how you make out with these suggestions. I would also be interested
to learn what techniques you employ to add zest to your winter. Email me
with your tips at jcollins@joancollinscoach.com.
Keep smiling!
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