Maintaining the inner calm…

When your schedule is back to back - and that’s not just ‘meetings’ but also the life admin in between - it’s hard to find time to yourself. But even though the ‘luxury’ of a day off seems so far away there are things that you can tweak in your day to maintain that inner calm.

I’ve just had an incredibly busy period where all aspects of life - 121 and group coaching, running strategy days and managing the arts, wellbeing + leadership studio I run, family events and needs, graduations, schools (don’t mention the school diary end of term!), 3 x London and Liverpool visits in a fortnight, hosting bands from Australia between their Glastonbury and Italy gigs and other crazy shenanigans that all seem to collide in the months of June and July.

How do you find sanity amongst it all?!

One morning last week I had a little window that wasn’t frantic and I remembered - when life speeds up the way to cope with it is to slow down (which might seem a ridiculous statement if you’re in the firefighting stage, running on adrenaline and frazzled to a T, but it does make sense so read on). 

So I got the mat out and sat, stopped and most importantly breathed out - the out breath is a release and the power of this realisation is not to be underestimated. I gave myself some time - not a whole day off, just a little window of time - where I stopped, relaxed my body and mind and let go of the to-do list, the conversations in my head and the requests and needs of others. I created SPACE. Space on the inside, a little well of calm, a breathing space and a space where some self compassion was allowed in. 

How often do we create a space for self compassion? Usually it is squeezed out and left waving invisibly at us ‘(hello?’ it cries!) but we don’t see it or listen to it. Yet self compassion is a foundation block to wellbeing and to stepping into our personal and professional zones of brilliance. It is fundamental.

Space, out breath to release and let go, and intentional self compassion. All within about 10-15 minutes. 

By creating space within we develop a sense of calm and love, we start to respond instead of react and approach our to-do list logically as our pre-frontal cortex gets a bit of a rest and TLC. 

And doesn’t that feel nice?

What ways can you find pockets of space this week? What are the pauses that help support you to stop and breathe? Where are little parts of the day that offer a respite?

If you are looking for a useful tool to help with overwelm then give my Circle of Sanity & Stability a go - also available to groups as a lunch and learn (get in touch for more info).

If you would like to create some space in your busy life, to step back and look at the bigger picture, overcome the overwhelm and discover your zone of brilliance then get in touch.

#burnout 
#schedule 
#relax 
#space