The tagline of my blog says ‘Take control, feel better’ and I thought it was high time I explained that a little.
I’m in the process of learning how to let go of trying to predict all possible outcomes of new situations, and how to be a little more comfortable when sitting with uncertainty, and it’s a challenge. But even as I am trying to learn that, I have realized that I do have some control in every situation – at the very least, I can control my own reactions and I can choose how to behave.
That’s what my tagline is about. Trying to accept the level of control you have and learning to work with that.
With two kids, a marriage, a freelance career, a huge volunteer position and all sorts of other commitments, it can feel as if I am being swept through my days, reacting rather than planning, and letting chaos swirl around me.
It doesn’t feel good and I want to feel good.
I enjoy all of my commitments and I have freely chosen them, so I want to do a god job and I want to have as much fun as possible while I complete them. So that’s why I practice a lot of the things I will be talking about here.:
- I meditate to slow things down, get my brain in the right mode and learn to be more mindful.
- I plan my weeks as much as I can, so I can manage my time effectively.*
- I exercise so I have more energy.
- I have as many routines as I can get away with so the day has a nice rhythm, and I don’t have to make unnecessary decisions.**
- I have a short list of things to do every day (write for 10minutes, do 5 yoga poses, meditate for 2+ minutes) so no matter what else happens, I accomplish that much.
So the control in the tagline refers to dealing with this moment, to making this moment better, to sweeping your day along rather than getting swept along by it.
It doesn’t mean asserting a iron will over everything. It means putting yourself back in charge of your day, your time, and your life, as much as possible.
*This can be a real challenge for stay-at-home parents, when you have to constantly respond to your kids’ needs and your time is so flexible (does it matter if you make that call now or in an hour?), it can feel easier to just stumble along rather than creating a schedule that needs to change over and over. But I’ve got a few ideas to help with that. All in good time.
** If you always do x before y, you never have to decide what to do first. It sounds foolish to worry about a decision like that, but when you have a routine and those decisions are removed, it really is easier – one less thing to think about.
