Last week was hard. I was exhausted. I wasn’t sure if it was the pandemic, not getting enough sleep, getting too much sleep, eating breakfast later, not socializing like I once did, or fluctuating hormones. To be honest, it was probably all of those. I hit a wall everyday by 2 or 3 PM. It was legit, lethargy at its finest. I learned after coaching a couple people, my routine was probably a huge culprit, but I had a whole mix of other stuff going on. After this awareness with my clients’ self-discoveries, I was like, oh yeah, I haven’t taken good care of myself.
I asked my husband if he thought I was depressed because he should know, right?! I’m pretty self-aware of my feelings, but this time I didn’t know. Everything just felt blah, routine, and mundane. It also felt like someone opened a jar of pick-up sticks, threw them up in the air, and I was the one trying to pick them up. However, this time, when I would pick one up, ten more would fall.
I decided to take action and gave myself four items to work on: eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up, do some bicep curls when walking from room to room or sitting in my office chair listening patiently in a meeting, drink at least two 24 oz bottles of water a day, and go to bed by 10 PM. I even enjoyed an adult beverage, put on some music while I cooked dinner, and danced and sang like no one was watching.
This truly made an impact. My energy began to increase by the end of the week and this week has been drastically better. There were nights I got 10 hours of sleep, but my body for sure needed it. What’s more, I realized I needed to feed myself the way I once did when I was in the office.
How are we being influenced?
We are influenced by so many things like changing environments, mental clutter, lack of physical movement, not seeing our loved ones in person, feelings of stress, or lack of purpose.
It dawned on me that these were my exact influencers. I’m a social person and I miss seeing people. In fact, my job had felt like it changed a lot because I’m using muscles I don’t typically use, and my body does tell me when something is slightly off. I’m a fertility patient and it was heart-wrenching to place my dream of starting a family on hold because we were now facing a global pandemic (even though I wouldn't admit it). I’m always reminded by my inner gremlin and society that time is of an essence and it begun to hit me again.
My body craved physical movement, my voice wanted to be let out, my hormones wanted to be released, my spirit wanted to be freed, my environment wanted to be opened for dance parties, and although I didn’t socialize the way I would have liked, I was still able to talk to a friend for an hour and enjoy happy hour outdoors with my hubby.
What’s influencing you?
Your body and soul have a way of telling you what you need. I talk about feelings a lot with my clients, but people don’t always know what they are feeling unless I take out a feelings wheel or pull out the change curve. However, I will add, what’s influencing you? What’s detracting from your energy? What ultimately fuels you? By knowing what feels or does not feel right, provides a lot of answers.
I witnessed I was in another grief cycle. I honestly do miss the life I had and the people that make my days brighter. I’ve experienced a lot of grief due to my fertility journey and I really wanted to graduate from the grief cycle. However, it’s kind of hard when there are many challenges and there’s not much more you can do. Life had gotten significantly harder and I now dread grocery shopping or decontaminating carry-out because of the added work.
However, I challenge this. What I’ve learned is that this experience is teaching us who we want to be. So... who do you want to be during these times of massive change?
Who do you want to be?
Resilience is a cool topic because it provides you with tools to rebound. However, this time, I want to talk about your “who”. Who are you?
That next moment really does define you when you are facing adversity. You can either do nothing and wallow in fear and pain (which is perfectly acceptable). Or, you can take it on and say, “I see you, and I accept your challenge.”
My “who” involves being the best version of myself which is someone who see opportunity, provides positive impact and support, creates tools that are aesthetic and helpful, and pursues fierceness.
This week, I’m in a state of rage. People often think we should not feel anger, but it’s there for a reason. It’s there to push you forward. You can either cower in a corner, or face it head on and move it towards undeniable, productive action.
So, honeybees, how are you this week? What’s influencing you? Who do you want to be? Embrace this change and all the feelings that reside in you. I promise you will find greatness when you start to do the work.
Here are a few tips to help you this month.
Find your purpose. What are your top three strengths, values, items that give you passion, and things you want most in this world? Write it out and circle those items that resonate the most. You will start to see the beginning works of your own mission statement.
Find out what’s negatively and positively influencing you. Think about it in these six areas: environment, social, emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual. What’s happening to you when you feel at your best? What’s detracting from your energy when you are feeling lethargic? Having this clarity will identify what works for you.
Create a plan. Once you know your purpose and what detracts or adds to your energy, take steps to maximize your energy. You are abundant and worthy of joy. Write down what fuels you and be sure to make this list realistic, tangible, and time-bound.
Give yourself grace. You are a superstar, but you are going to have days that feel blah. It's okay. You know what you are capable of and all our emotions were meant to be experienced for a reason. Take it in, name it, and allow yourself to feel. You will know what do next.
Be kind to yourself. This goes right along with grace, but know you have all the answers and you deserve kindness. Don’t knock yourself down because you are human. You are the driver of your reality and there is no reason for you to be mean to yourself.
Celebrate your amazingness! You got this. You are taking all the necessary steps to create positive change in your life. Keep it going and give yourself a pat on the back.
We got this, honeybees! Take each day one at a time. If you are ever in doubt, need an extra boost, and want some validation, I’m here for you.
Until next time... stay safe and well!
