We choose where we put our energy. We choose where we invest our time. Sometimes those are in alignment, we feel we are in the flow of life—not without challenges—but we feel life is “working.” There are other times when roadblocks pop up throwing a wrench in our flow. These transitional roadblocks can make getting out of bed a chore, we can slide into what feels “easy,” the path of least resistance.
I think of the road blocks and transitions many of us work through daily, especially in the last six months. I think of parents transitions with trying to find flow between virtual or blended learning and work. I think of how service industries have transitioned how they offer value. I think of how we are all on screens so much of the time and the transition that occurs physically from that repetitive posture. I think of those funny collages of celebrities on Instagram showing a picture for each month since March—funny because there is truth in what those faces represent for all of us. When we fatigue from life, when we mourn life as we knew it, when uncertainly follows uncertainly in new, less familiar ways, we can let slide the very things that keep us thriving and grounded.
There are natural ebbs and flows—we cannot be at 100 percent, 100 percent of the time! But, how might we reclaim our flow, our best selves when we’ve noticed a slide? Let’s start again with self-compassion, then we’ll move to the reset. How did you like that mini self-compassion practice from yesterday? Did you notice any shifts?
Self-compassion is NOT avoiding, suppressing, or denying—we meet situations as they are, acknowledging and accepting (which is not the same as liking by the way). There are fears that self-compassion will lead to avoidance, that if we accept we are passive. We fear we will lose motivation for change, if we accept we are in a difficult moment, won’t we just give up? If we accept things as they are, why would we put any effort into changing?
In reality, acceptance is constructive. Self-compassion allows for an increased growth mindset, motivation to make amends, motivation to improve weaknesses, and an increased effort to progress. Self-compassion is not running away, it’s facing our difficulties head on, with kindness (we are all human after all).
So, you’ve acknowledged you are in a transition that feels challenging and you’ve noticed you’re making less than optimal choices. We can grow that awareness through practices like mindfulness, meditation, journaling, talking with a trusted friend, etc. Now what? Let’s reset!!
A reset is a simple way to gently jolt your mind, heart, body, and spirit back to what nourishes you and connects you to your purpose. These actions can be small, three breaths in the middle of the day when you feel yourself waning from meeting after meeting. We can reset by intentionally dedicating a day to do things that align us with our best selves—moving our bodies, eating healthy, watching an inspiring film, calling a best friend, undergoing a digital detox from social media, etc. The idea here is simple, attainable, realistic, motivating behaviors that remind you of how you feel when making optimal choices to be your best. This is not about making complicated meals (unless you enjoy it), going away for a week (though vacations are welcome and needed), or completely upending your life. This is about how you can hit reset anytime you need in you daily life.
- Acknowledge you are going through a transition and you’ve lost a bit of flow
- Practice self-compassion
- Identify one thing you can do TODAY to hit the reset button
In an effort to boost your arsenal of reset practices, I’m starting The Daily Reset. A separate page on my Website where I will add reset activities and practices you can tap into when you need.
Progress, not perfection. Transitions and challenges will continue to show up in our lives. There will be inevitable stress, slides and less than optimal choices. It’s not what knocks you down, it’s how you get up.
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