How are you feeling today?
How’s that to-do list looking?
After last week’s tip to “eat that frog” I thought that for this week’s Mental Sunshine we would head in exactly the other direction.
For this week’s Mental Sunshine, my tip is: STOP.
I know what you’re thinking:
Are you MAD?! But I’ve got so much to do!
I know. Me too.
But when we’re so busy, with so much to do, it’s easy to become frazzled and burnt out.
Also, we get so busy with being busy, we stop actually being productive because we’re too busy being stressed about being busy!
So, here’s the plan: STOP.
Just for a little while.
Take a deep breath.
Maybe get outside, if you can.
Look up at the sky for a bit.
Appreciate some nature if you can find it.
Listen… what’s that sound?
What is the farthest sound you can hear?
How many different birds can you see?
What’s that plant over there?
What can you smell?
Is there a taste in your mouth right now?
Can you feel the points at which your clothing touches your body?
Try to spend just a few minutes paying attention to things other than your to-do list every day.
Expanding your field of vision so that you’re not just focusing on your laptop, TV or phone can really help.
Expanding your thoughts so that they flow outside of what’s immediately important can make a difference.
Appreciating the world outside of our immediate environment reminds us that there is so much more in this world than returning emails and reading reports.
Treat yourself. STOP and give yourself a moment.
