It’s been a long week…
Who am I kidding? It’s been a LONG YEAR! A long FEW YEARS!
We’re living in an unprecedented moment in history which can feel overwhelming, uncomfortable, even scary.
Some days, it’s honestly enough to make anyone want to throw in the towel.
And, yet, I continue to be inspired and motivated by the stories of hope, love, and resilience. Humans, by nature, are designed to be hopeful and resilient. We are observers, dreamers, explorers. It’s part of the fabric of our survival instinct.
Just like carbon turns to diamonds, our evolution requires exposure to pressure.
It’s one of the reasons I love working with preschool children. They can be tantruming one minute and then dancing around the room the next. While it can give a parent whiplash, in truth, their ability to let their emotions flow through them is the epitome of emotional intelligence.
So, when we find ourselves having an off day (or week or year!), feeling drained and exhausted, how do we tap into our resilience and hopefulness? How do we boost our energy?
Mindfulness practices such as breathing exercises are simple, quick ways to slow down our minds and get into our bodies. These practices activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which signals our bodies to “rest and digest”.
In every moment, you have a choice
There’s a great book that I heard about years ago. I read it to my kids and share it with my yoga classes. It’s called Have You Filled Your Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud (listen to her read it here).
It describes how we each carry an invisible bucket with us wherever we go. And, each day, each moment in fact, we have the choice and opportunity to fill our bucket up.
When it’s full, you feel happy, confident, resilient, hopeful.
When it’s empty, you feel lonely, angry, anxious, sad.
There are many ways to fill your bucket. You can fill it yourself by practicing mindfulness or doing an activities that you like to do (singing, dancing, reading a book….).
You can fill your bucket by helping others. And others can help you fill your bucket too, by sharing their friendship, support, and love.
I think about this book whenever I feel really down. I think about the invisible bucket I’m carrying around. And I remember that I have a choice to start filling my bucket.
Asking questions gives the brain something to respond to
What do I need to fill my bucket 1% higher?
What can I do for myself in this moment?
How can I ask others for help?
As slowly and gently as I need to. Filling my bucket 1% is a move in the right direction. As the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu famously said:
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
If the state of the world has you feeling caught in a tailspin, if if feels like an elephant is sitting opposite you on the see-saw of your work-life balance, if the sh*t is hitting the fan, take a deep breath and remember your bucket.
What 1 thing can you do today to fill it by 1%?
If you need help brainstorming ways to fill your bucket, book a FIND THE FUN coaching session and let’s walk through it together! You’re not alone.
