It’s time to be honest. It’s time to be real and it is ABSOLUTELY time to be C L E A R!
Take the #COVIDCLEANOUT from your wardrobe to your actions.
Don’t be afraid to call yourself out. That is how you do better.
I’m talking to everyone who feels like they don’t have time, there’s too many interruptions or you’re barely making progress in anything. Yes, these are unique, strange times. There is no doubt about that. All of a sudden, our focus changes from our ‘normal’ lifestyle to scrambling and just ‘getting through’ with whatever we can throw together. We had to change the systems that we created, to suit the new arrangements. Along with extra stimulus pouring into our own cup. It’s not easy!
However, we mostly become frustrated with change when we are not prepared for it. Think about it. If you know change is going to happen, you’d create a plan, and the transition would play out smoothly. Would you feel inferior to the circumstances? No, you wouldn’t. You would feel in control, allowing you to introduce or focus on the aspects you WANT to. I encourage you, next time you catch yourself making excuses or complaining about unexpected changes, consciously admit that you just weren’t prepared for it and that’s okay. But now go deal with it as if you were. This may change your perspective on disruptive events and thus your response and outcome.
Whether it is a Pandemic, accident, or even a slight change in schedule… we often push away the things we WANT or NEED to do for ourselves, to focus on the circumstantial changes. As soon as focus shifts from your own internal system, to the environment, you’ve already lost stability in your stronghold.
You need to take care of yourself so you can take care of others!
This doesn’t mean to be selfish. It means if YOU are operating at an optimal level, you will handle all stress better. Mental stress, physical stress, emotional stress etc
“I’ll wait until this [event] has passed and then I’ll get back into it.” All well and good, but this shows:
1) You aren’t prioritising your functional capacity. Your body will continue to run on suboptimal battery life. This is not sustainable and you run the risk of meltdown or injury.
2) You allowed the environment to disrupt your actions. Again. Life doesn’t have a perfect time. There will always be disruptions. Delays for ‘better timing’ almost means you are waiting to be spoon fed, instead of getting your own spoonful. Maybe that is harsh, but if you can do these things DESPITE the challenges, barriers are no longer perceived! You didn’t stop, you got the job done!
3) You are limiting your ability to build resilience. If you want to do better for next time, don’t just ‘get through’ this one. Become a problem solver! Versatility is a great ally to resilience.
How is this applicable?
- ALWAYS check your foundations.
NUTRITION. SLEEP. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. STRESS. RELAXATION. ENRICHMENT.
It seems simple but this is what influences your perception, processing and performance. Human physiology is incredibly complex but AMAZING at work!! If you aren’t addressing these, adding other external components/supplements will prove ineffective, particularly in the long run. Trust and build on strong foundations!
- Consistency is key!
Understand that if it doesn’t go the way you want, that doesn’t mean you fail. The path just wasn’t that way. This is where our ROUTINE will carry us through. But understand the real meaning of routine is about the REPETITION not the RIGIDITY. Look at a bigger time frame. Routine means you will get the tasks/activities/habits done DESPITE the details (time, location, duration etc.). Through repetition, we determine and confirm whether something is successful!
“Discipline is not about perfection. It’s about the pattern”
- Time to adapt!
Take time to identify why something isn’t working out. What is the repeated sticky point? You might have to dig into this to understand why. From there, create a SYSTEM for it. This means an alternative method/adjustment that Saves Yourself Some Time Energy and Money. You can also decide which aspects you can eliminate, automate or delegate.
Not all is lost! You CAN influence your environment. Changes and challenges are a GUARANTEE with life. Put yourself first, so you can handle these disruptions better. Timing doesn’t work in our favour, so make changes, live differently or enhance aspects the moment you decide it and plan it!!
Believe that you can be successful in hard times!
Author – Caitlyn Huth – Exercise Physiologist and Coach