adminHi everyone,
Welcome to another episode of season 3 of the Pick Me Up Podcasts. Today’s episode is all about taking back some control so you can feel like there’s more balance in your life, meaning you’re more likely to be able to then do the things that make you feel like you again, or even get your headspace into that place.
Episodes are released every Wednesday, so be sure to subscribe to ensure you do not miss out. You can find my podcast on Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Breaker, RadioPublic and Pocket Casts.
Anchor
Spotify
PocketCasts
Google Podcasts
Breaker
Radio PublicTranscript Of Take Back Control
Let’s talk about this idea that your morning runs your day. And I say this with some hesitancy, because I know that I am talking to Mums, and a morning quite typically is a really stressful time of the day right? We are trying to get ourselves up and sorted, feeding everybody, stop the house from looking like a bomb has gone off in it, keep on top of any chores etc, for me, it’s getting the dog out for a walk as well. All of those kind of things mean that the day can start very manic. If the day then starts like that, you’ve already set the tone for the rest of the day. So you can operate from a place of stress, overwhelm, frustration or whatever it may be that you feel on a regular basis. So I want to maybe challenge your thinking slightly today in terms of taking back that control and if you can find a way of taking this control back, the benefits are huge. So that includes, you’re more likely to feel like there’s a balance in your life, you’re more likely to be able to then do the things that make you feel like you again, or even get your headspace into that place. Your mindset is better because you’re focusing on good feeling instead of, for example, always feel behind on things or rushed.
How do you go about taking back control?
Well, let me ask you… What’s your alarm clock? Is it your clock, or is it your children? And this was a big change that I made in my life that made the world of difference. We all need time to ourselves don’t we, it’s easy to get tapped out, to feel like you’re running around after everybody else and people are always needing you, somebody is always crying at you, or asking for something. For me, it’s always being touched.
I want to challenge your thinking, and I want to ask you, what would happen if you were to set your alarm so you got up that little bit earlier in the day? Now, I can already hear what’s happening, i can hear you saying “well that’s not going to happen, I’m tired, I don;t get enough sleep as it is.” And I get that, I totally get that, believe me, from one Mum to another, I know what it’s like to just feel exhausted, and i know what it’s like to just feel like you need more sleep. But if you were to get up half an hour earlier for example, or even just 10-15 minutes it could be (at least initially), I can promise you the benefits from that half hour will far outweighs the negatives of not getting that half hour sleep. And here’s why:
What it will enable you to do, is to set your day up better. Now, what that means for each of us is different. So for me, that time when i wake up, and I’ve actually started getting up an hour to an hour half earlier now over a period of time. That time allows me to have a shower, in peace, without rushing, or without hearing the phantom baby cry whilst I am in there, anybody else experience that? That moment when you have left the baby in the cot, the mid-shower swear you hear a cry, to grab your towel with soaking wet hair, run into the nursery, to then see your baby absolutely fine, either sleeping, or just contently playing away. Which then, this could become a ritual or cleansing the body and the mind for a good day.
It also helps me to feel like I am on top of things instead of feeling behind, so it means I can begin to get breakfast ready, or get everything sorted to head out. So my day doesn’t start with overwhelm, and then I can approach the day much better, and also, it dramatically changes my mindset because I go from a place of “I don’t get any time for me, there’s never enough time to do everything, I’m so overwhelmed, my to-do list is so long.” Then actually what it helps me to do, is to break down all of those and to start making progress with them.
So then let me ask you, what would you fill your time with? I mean, the list is endless right? I would challenge you to how you fill this, so it serves you well. But the reality is, if just sitting down for 5 minutes to actually enjoy a hot cup of tea whilst scrolling through social media left you with a good feeling and helped you to claim some balance back then that is absolutely the right thing to do for you.
However, we are also talking in the context of you feeling like you again. So I would ensure that whatever you are feeling your time with positively contributes towards this. Perhaps it’s getting some exercise in, even for just 10 minutes, or maybe it is reading something fictional that acts as a little escapism, or something uplifting or that you can learn from in the form of personal development books. Maybe you get to catch up on your favourite TV series, because you really enjoy doing that and just simply don’t get the chance anymore.
But could I challenge your thinking even further? You are presumably listening to this because you want to be the best person that you can be, you are keen to do some work on you so that you can feel like yourself again. And you know that in achieving that it will mean you get to show up even better for yourself, but also for those around you. So how about filling that time with positive, productive activities that will contribute to this even more. So some examples could include:
- Meditation
- Listening to a podcast
- Reading something for your growth.
- Exercising
- Reflection, reviewing and action planning for the day, week or month ahead.
You get the gist right? So perhaps some of these are new for you, and you’d like to give them a go, or maybe there’s something I haven’t included that you would like to try too.
Whatever you choose to do also doesn’t have to be the same each day. So a really good habit to get into is to ask yourself, “how do I want to feel?”, and when you ask yourself that, you can then follow it up with “what do I need to do in order to feel like that?” And that then becomes you activity.
So I appreciate I may have pushed your boundaries a little today with this topic, and challenged your thinking. But the fact you have got to this point of the episode tells me that you are keen to hear me out, and see what this could mean for you. So give it a go, start with just giving yourself 5 minutes, then maybe 10, then perhaps you could build up to the half hour. Whatever feels right for you, and that’s really important here. Own this, so it is right for you, you connect with, and ultimately it provides whatever it is that you need it to provide.
Don’t forget that you can head over to Instagram or Facebook, drop me a DM, let me know how you get on.
It has been great to connect with you
Thanks for stopping by, I hope that you found it useful. Please feel free to share any comments or questions you have below, and if you have any requests of topics you’d like to hear then I would love to know.
