January 2020 Newsletter

Hello, and a joyful January and happy 2020 to you!
Welcome, or welcome back, to my newsletter. Today's issue is about a helpful way to deal with overwhelm. Enjoy!

It's a new year and a new decade. Everywhere you look folks are talking about a fresh start, tackling that project with renewed energy and drive. The holiday bills are just starting to come in, you're not even sure what your New Year's resolution is this time around, and you haven't put away the holiday decorations yet. Rather than attacking something new, you feel like crawling back into bed!

It helps me when I feel overwhelmed and am starting to ask myself "How can I possibly handle all this?" to remember that I've gotten through busy periods in the past. You might keep one or two of these incidents from your own past in mind to encourage you and build your self-confidence. You managed to overcome that, so you can deal with this too. Is there one small thing you could do now which would help you feel like you were making progress? Baby steps are better than no steps at all.

When feeling buried under an enormous list of chores or assignments, it's also useful to take a short break. Our busy brain needs a chance to rest and re-assess. Take a breath, then look around at your situation. No, you can't get everything done today or even this week, and you know more is likely coming in any moment. What can you do? Just cleaning up one corner of your desk, or one drawer, could make you feel more in control, and start you moving toward other grander accomplishments. Start where you are.

Staying present with the task you're doing right now, even if it's resting or planning rather than actively producing, can maximize the use of your energy. I'm convinced that multi-tasking is not only inefficient, it also makes me tired! Switching from one task to another, then back again, while trying to keep my mind on both at the same time, exhausts me just thinking about it. Keeping our focus on one thing at a time, then moving our attention and energy to a new "target" when we're ready or something more urgent shows up, is the best use of our precious human resources.

What if everything feels urgent? We may still be able to proceed methodically and be productive if we choose our actions wisely. We can extinguish one fire first, then another, then start in on the lower-priority jobs, completing part or all of each of them before moving on to something else. A coach I've trained with has a "whistle while you work" philosophy. (Think of Snow White's Seven Dwarfs). He says cheerfully, while he's being busy, "Getting things done -- Doo duh doo!".

Following this wise coach's example, there's no reason accomplishing things can't also be enjoyable too. I used to think that anything worth doing was a reason to struggle and strain and worry while I worked at it. Now, though I still do push myself, strain and worry feel like a waste of my energy. I can't do everything, but I can do this one thing in front of me, then maybe do something else if I feel like it. That overwhelming mountain of to-do items is looking a lot more manageable already.

To read about a vision improvement practice for focusing on one thing at a time, click here.

Have you wondered if my work could help you?
I'm now offering complimentary Discovery Session consultations of 20 to 30 minutes, for us to discuss what you're looking for in a coach, and to see whether you and I feel like a fit. To schedule your Discovery Session, click here.

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Please send me your questions and comments
Let me know what you've wondered about concerning energy medicine or vision or dreams. I'll be glad to write a short article addressing that topic. Thank you to those who have sent me questions, or see a question you asked me in a private session written about here. You're helping many other people! Enjoy the start of this glorious month of January, and of a new year and decade. I'll write again in a few weeks. Take care!