Despite the chilly weather we’ve had, March brings us the Season of Spring, with our clocks going forward on the 26th March to Summer Time.
We might find our mood improves with the longer and lighter days so how can we make the most of this time?
Now is a good time to prepare, to identify goals and get new habits established.
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it,
move with it, and join the dance” Alan watts
Our inability to predict the future and mind read, or our habit of revisiting events and conversations from before, all promotes fear of change. The sense of uncertainty can also feed anxiety. To survive this, we create strategies that often provide short term relief –such as avoidance, putting things off until we absolutely have to do it,
Here are some tips to move forward – what one thing could you experiment with?
1. Be mindful – what factual evidence do we know right now, engage your senses and tell me what you can see, hear, smell, taste and feel. Ground yourself in the present moment instead of being swept away in that emotional storm.
2. Be present and notice – what physically and emotionally are you experiencing, what message is your mind and body trying to give you, what needs are not being met? What needs to change?
3. Be curious – listen to that message and begin to notice whether you are avoiding or whether you need to approach.
4. Lean into your strengths – recognise what you have achieved and accomplished in the past, what mistakes can you learn from, list your positive attributes and give evidence of when you have acted that way. Build your self-esteem and resilience to bounce back.
5. Consider both sides to the story that you tell yourself – how else can this be viewed? What is the likelihood of it happening? How might someone else view the situation? Does it help you to think this way?
6. What values do you want to live by each day – for example, kind, compassionate, helpful, confident, adventurous, a good listener. Make a list and choose two or three to live by each day, in each moment as best you can.
7. What goals will you work towards to make that change? Approaching, and welcoming change is not easy. Break it down in to smaller, realistic and achievable steps. What’s the first step toward that goal? What, who, when, and how will they and yourself help you succeed to grow and flourish?
“Progress is impossible without change….”
George Bernard Shaw
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