Please put down that ‘to do’ list. Embrace what is. Celebrate yourself for doing the best you can, and give yourself permission to enjoy life.
We can all get drowned in all our responsibilities, and the expectations, judgements we put on ourselves. We can get drowned by long ‘to do lists’ that will never be done!
There was a saying that resonated with me so strongly when I was training to become a health coach… and that was ‘to get out of your own way.’ I’ve been experiencing something of a transformation myself lately as it feels like I have been shedding things that have indeed been getting in my way my whole life…
You see I think the only thing that has held me back my whole life has been my own self-limiting beliefs, self-criticism, negative self-talk, and the anxiety that comes from that, and from worrying about what others think about me. When in fact no-one really cares what you do or don’t achieve. And oh, my goodness, what freedom is that!
Once you start looking at the world from a place of ‘ I am doing the best I can right now, and my best is always enough,’ life is just so much easier, and it enables you to be a better (….mum, wife, friend, daughter… you fill in the blanks…) and you become able to truly help others to do the same!
I am starting to fully appreciate that health coaching is less about advising people what to do, and it’s much more about helping them to uncover what they already know! We are all different, and we all intuitively know what is good for us… but ultimately it is only us that can put the inspiration into action for ourselves. It doesn’t matter how many times someone says something kind to us, if we are still berating ourselves, it doesn’t matter! We are the only ones who can ultimately take control of the noise inside our own heads. I therefore believe my biggest role in all of this is to help people become their biggest cheerleaders.
I know that I am certainly not alone when it comes to feeling overwhelmed, not good enough, anxious about my ability, worried about what other people think about me… these are natural human emotions that everyone shares… but when we give ourselves the gift of time to step back and get perspective we realise we have so much to be grateful for and that life doesn’t have to be the struggle that we have very often created in our own heads. Many of us heap so much pressure and expectation on ourselves… we are quite simply creating our own stress…
The truth is, we were born worthy, and we are as entitled to health, happiness and fulfilment as anyone!! We do not need to prove our worth to ourselves or anyone! We just ARE!
Don’t get me wrong I still have days where I get lost in my ‘to do list’ like everyone does, but I am learning to catch myself more…When you get trapped in anxiety it is so easy to lose perspective- I know because I was there …. but you can do it….
On those days if I simply start the day by asking ‘What’s important?’ I can cross a few things off the list, and simply do what’s most important. (usually spending time with family), and funnily enough those are the days I sleep best!!
It is so easy to lose perspective, especially now, but despite it all, many of us have so much to be grateful for, and it is so important to press pause and be thankful.
I have always been grateful for everything I have, but it seems relevant now more than ever to shed those layers of self -limiting beliefs, that irritating negative self-talk that gets in the way.
Once we start looking through the lens of ‘being enough’ life simply gets so much easier, and so much more joyful!
If you would like to take a step back and reflect on how you might approach your health and well-being differently, I would be delighted to guide you. Please click on the link today for a free 1:1 discovery session.
In the words of Charlie Mackesy, from his brilliant book ‘Always remember you matter, you’re important and you are loved, and you bring to this world things no one else can’