Energy ebbs and flows.
It easy to feel good when the energy is flowing, you are achieving, dreaming, and it feels like your cup has all it needs.
But when that energy ebbs, it can be hard not to compare to what you could do days, weeks, months, or years before.
This last week was one of those ebbs over here so I've been operating on my low energy, bare minimum schedule across the board. So I'm dropping in on a Monday (it's a long weekend so it still feels like Sunday, right?) this week 🖤
Over the next couple months, I'll be focusing on tools and strategies you can use to support through the busy (and sometimes boundary busting) fall/pre-holiday time of year. I'd love your feedback on what feels the most helpful for you to receive:
Turning Tension into Traction
In several client conversations last week the topic "how the busy season is upon us" kept coming up. School is back in session and the world is hitting warp speed to blow through milestones before the holiday season arrives.
Do you feel that tension building as well?
For many that busyness and restless feeling means a wave of anxiety joining the day-to-day - especially if you are trying to build new habits around productivity and work.
I've seen this with my clients, and I've experienced it myself too. It's all too easy to slip back into old patterns when seasons change and our progress is challenged.
When anxiety creeps in, your first instinct might be to view it as an unwelcome shadow, hindering your progress.
Maybe it even feels like a step backwards, undoing growth you worked really hard to achieve.
But what if you shift your perspective?
Instead of a dark cloud, what if you could use it as a spotlight?
This week, let's explore how we can turn the tension of anxiety into traction for growth.
Try This:
The Spotlight Exercise
Let's reframe what anxiety can be:
🙅🏻♀️ From an unwelcome guest, to be avoided or pushed away.
🫡 To a helpful signal, pointing towards areas that need attention.
By learning to listen to our anxiety rather than trying to silence it, we can transform it from a source of stress into a valuable tool for focused, intentional action. This technique helps you do just that.
To get started:
Identify a task or project that's causing anxiety.
Ask yourself: "What is this anxiety trying to show me?"
List 3 actions you can take to address what the anxiousness is spotlighting.
Choose the highest priority action to complete in the next 24 hours.
Reflect on how taking action affected your anxiety levels and productivity.
Schedule the other 2 actions outlined to ensure they get completed in the appropriate time period for the project.
In the equation made up of busyness and restlessness, anxiety doesn't have to be the result. Instead, let them be variables that help you transform overwhelm into oversight, pointing you towards purposeful productivity.
Your tension can become your traction 🫶
From My Journal
I was journaling this weekend and one of the prompts was:
What if there were nothing wrong and nothing to fix?
And my response was:
That seems impossible sometimes. But if it were true, it would mean that I could focus on the doing instead of the anticipating. Oh fuck. That's anxiety, isn't it?
WHAT I'M LOVING:
I've been obsessed with PaperMate felt tip fine-line markers as long as I can remember. About 5 years I switched to these because erasable, yes please. The first set I bought finally dried up so I just ordered replacements.
This summer was the summer of reality TV bingeing and I'm currently in a lull before The Circle Season 7 starts in a couple weeks. What I've watched this summer in order of favorite to least favorite: Love is Blind UK, The Goat, Perfect Match, Claim to Fame.
My camera roll is currently nothing but screenshots of recipe ideas, pictures of clouds, and pictures of little man.
HAVING A GREAT TIME HERE?
Here's a few ways you can let me know:
Option 1: 💌 Share with a fellow creative or business owner. Community starts with each of us and friends don't let friends chase their dreams at the expense of their mental health! If you know someone seeking more sustainability and harmony in their life and/or business, send this their way.
Option 2: 👋 Say hi! Hit reply and share a sentence or two about anything you enjoyed or hit home for you. I always hope these words find the right people at the right time, but it's always makes my day to hear from you!
