So, I realized it has been over a year since I have written a blog post. In the back of my mind, I knew it. In my heart, I knew it. I had things to say, things I wanted to write about, but I just couldn’t do it. The words wouldn’t come. The sentences wouldn’t form. Getting “pen to paper” seemed like an impossible task.
So what happened? For a girl who definitely knows how to talk and write, why did writing a simple blog post seem insurmountable? These are the questions I have recently been contemplating and trying to figure out.
Here are the three things I uncovered in my quest:
- I have worked pretty much non-stop for almost 11 years. I have learned so much and enjoyed it but I allowed my work to be the focus. I was building a business and working to serve my clients in the best possible way and I allowed it to get out of balance.
- The combination of Florence and my father passing were two emotional events requiring more time to process than I allowed. I did not allot any time for my brain and body to take in and deal with all the emotions flowing in and around me. Although I was not personally affected by Florence, dealing with friends and community who were affected was all-consuming. A month and a half after the storm, I spent 3 days with my mother and father as he was in pain and working with other family members to give him the best care possible in his last hours. 2 hugely emotional events within a month of each other.
- My brain and body were running on overdrive. I was working on autopilot instead of intentionality. I had not allowed any “white space” or “margin” in my calendar or my mind. There were many parallel things going on in my life and I thought if I just kept my head down and kept moving, it would all be ok.
Maybe you too are in a spot in life and you feel paralyzed and overwhelmed; the simplest things are hard and seem monumental. So here’s what I’ve learned that I hope will help you begin moving forward once again as it has me.
- Take time. Schedule time to exercise, breathe, plan, play, pray, and sleep. It seems counterintuitive but these things actually create more space and time and will help you work smarter not harder. Even a few minutes a day will give you the clarity and reset you desperately need.
- Acknowledge your emotions. Don’t ignore your emotions. Take time to understand, name, and deal with them. Pushing emotions down and pushing them away will never heal you. “Instead of running away from the pain, was I supposed to run towards it? …Maybe instead of slamming the door on pain, I need to throw open the door wide and say, “Come in. Sit down with me. And don’t leave until you’ve taught me what I need to know.” Glennon Doyle Melton, Love Warrior
- Change your thinking. I had to change the way I was thinking. My way of thinking was not serving me well. I had to purposefully pay attention to my thoughts and decide to think in a different way. I wanted different results and that requires different actions. Action always begins in the mind so starting there was the only option.
I am always striving to live my best life, to keep my priorities straight, and my “house” in order. The last many years I have proven, without intentionality, life can get away from you and you can end up burned out, broken, and drifting. Undoubtedly, there are seasons of life that require more of you than others. Just don’t let those seasons last too long without introspection and adjusting. My life is resetting and it feels right……so very right.