2023 Author: Anita Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-22 03:30
Are there too many things weighing down your life? Too many activities, things to put away, appointments, people who rely on us, obligations and above all not enough time?
We want to do more in less time, but let's see the problem from the other side of the telescope: let's do less and have more time… finally!
Usually, we set goals for he alth or fitness. To optimize our chances of success in this area, we must also take care of our mental he alth and our well-being. Even when we are in excellent physical shape, if our well-being and our ability to manage our stress leave something to be desired, will we really enjoy life more? You need a good balance of these two spheres.
Sorry: there is no miracle recipe
However, it's not a waste of time. We have to believe in it and give ourselves the means to clean up our lives effectively. Little by little, by adopting new ways of approaching our activities and our obligations, by thinking more about the impacts of our decisions and by listening more to our little inner voice, we will manage to "breathe" a little. We keep our goals in mind (to have more quality time with the children, to have moretime for yourself, feel less stressed, sleep better, etc.) and come back to it whenever you know you are in a critical situation. Often, when our lives are cluttered and overcrowded, it is the children who suffer. We experience more stress and we transmit it to them involuntarily. We are nervous and on edge, emotions rise, impulsive reactions too and guilt gets involved.
Cleaning up our lives is essential. We take stock of what makes us dissatisfied, we target what we would like to improve and what makes us happy and we try to find possible solutions. This reflection often comes up at the beginning of the year when resolutions are taken. It's time to take stock and no one can escape it. This year, we are taking action. It is not just a resolution that we take, but the adoption of a new way of life that will look like us. And this is very important. We do not trust the way our neighbor or our colleague lead their life. It is our life (family, love, professional and personal) that is at stake. We are in charge of it, so the possibilities are up to us!
Areas to explore: four areas where we can clean up
Too many activities in a day?
Statement
On weekends, we do not see the time passing, because we multiply the round trips to the swimming pool, the arena, the cultural center, the ski center, etc. Same thing during the week with groceries, the gym, work, etc.
Questions to ask yourself
Do children needall its activities? Can they take classes at school or daycare? When do we have time to “do nothing” or to improvise? Do we need such a busy schedule?
Tips
We're purifying the children's activities and our own. Everyone chooses one and we try to concentrate the lessons in one place and in a realistic block of hours. Thus, we recover more time with family and time for ourselves.
Perfectionist?
Statement
Even if our colleague finishes a file, we feel obliged to review it the next morning. Our spouse folds the laundry, but we don't like the way he has put away the washcloths. We always feel guilty for not doing more, we often feel frustrated and never completely satisfied. We have the unpleasant feeling that everything rests on our shoulders and the burden is getting heavier and heavier every day.
Questions to ask yourself
Who do I want to impress? Why is it important that everything is done my way? Do I trust others?
Tips
It's high time to lay down our burden and share it. We agree to delegate without coming back to override what someone else has done. We target tasks where we accept to let go more easily and… we really let go. To hell if the napkins aren't folded in 3 symmetrically. Who really cares? We learn to tolerate that things are not always done our way. We no longer aim for perfection and weaccept being wrong.
Too many material goods?
Statement
Our bag looks like a big suitcase. When we go on vacation, the suitcases are overflowing and it is difficult to fit everything in the trunk of the car. You can't help but buy when you go to the stores. We buy in duplicate “just in case”. We don't have a budget and we particularly like our friend the credit card.
Questions to ask yourself
Am I buying to compensate? To impress? To do like our friend? When I experience a strong emotion? Do we need everything we have? Do we have trouble throwing away our obsolete things?
Tips
As advised by the Flylady, we regularly walk around the house with a trash bag in our hands. You have to throw 27 objects or "trails". We only stop our mission once the 27 things have been collected. Formal prohibition to reopen the bag. We put it in the trash and forget about it. Putting the brakes on outrageous consumption does not mean plunging headlong into voluntary simplicity. Above all, it means making more thoughtful and less impulsive purchases. The more goods we have, the more we have to put them away, polish them, classify them, wash them, etc.
Unable to say no?
Statement
We accept all files given to us at the office. We work late into the night, every night. We agree to help a friend move house. We accept all invitations to happy hours, parties and dinners with friends orfamily.
Questions to ask yourself
Can we say no? What are we afraid of if we refuse? Do we really always want to be where we are? We have many friends, but do we have time to see them and enrich our relationships?
Tips
We listen to each other more and we give ourselves the right to refuse to be present at a 5 to 7 to spend time with the children. On the job side, we delimit the working time and we respect it assiduously. Ben Yoskovitz, author of the Instigator blog, puts it clearly: “Being productive is not about working all the time. It is to be efficient when working. »
We think of ourselves
Without becoming obsessed with your navel and without closing in an immutable cocoon, this year, we are focusing on our well-being to maximize our satisfaction, our pleasure and our happiness.
