Take a Mini VacationBy Thomas Sechehaye
You know that feeling after a completely satisfying day -- you’re lying down to bed, feeling exhausted yet happy? I’m just guessing here, but has it been a while? Maybe when you were last on vacation. Would you like to take a mini-vacation, right now?
The good news is: feeling good is something you already know how to do—in fact,
your body is naturally drawn to do what you enjoy and what you’re good at. In the
next few minutes, you’ll learn a practical technique to create less stress for yourself
—starting right now. Here’s how:
Find Things That You Like To Do
What do you really ENJOY doing? What puts a smile on your face the quickest?
Lets work on pulling out the practical segments of these activities
We want to find
out – Just what is it exactly that you cherish about these things? This requires a bit
of reflection and may take a few moments. Don’t worry – you’re not on your own –
keep reading…
Do you really look forward to your morning walk around the neighborhood with the
family dog? What do you like most about those walks? Is it the fact that you are
getting in some quiet “me-time” with no one else around? Or maybe you value the
physical benefit you get from the fluid movements of your body and the mind-
clearing effects of your increased heartbeat and breathing… Perhaps you enjoy the
time of day right after dinner when the sun is setting. Ask yourself, “What am I
appreciating most about this picture?” Maybe you are really drawn to the beautiful
colors at that time of day.
Use this checklist to put a finger on what delights you.
“Wow! I enjoy that!”
• Which places make you feel most at ease?
• Where do you feel most creative?
• What activities do you look forward to the most?
• Who are the people you can really enjoy yourself with?
• What times of the day do you feel like your senses are gathering the most input
for you?
• What are your favorite sounds – musical instruments, sounds of nature?
• Which are your favorite colors – bright and vibrant, soft and soothing?
• What smells bring you positive associations?
Identify Your Weak Spots / Sore Spots
Think of something that you have wanted to start doing or feel that you are not
good at doing. Where do you find yourself doing something with great reluctance?
What are the necessary things in your life where you find yourself saying, “I’m not
cut out for this!”
Use the following checklist to identify things that rub you the wrong way:
“No way, it’s not my thing!”
• What are your least favorite activities?
• What intimidates you?
• Who intimidates you?
• Who are your least favorite people?
• What are the locations – in your home or place of work – that don’t do anything
for you, or even drain your energy?
• What seem to be your least productive times of the day?
• What is your pet peeve?
Drawing Connections
This part is a bit like playing a game of mix and match. Ready? – Now that you’ve
done detailed work in discovering just what it is about a situation that brings out
the best and the worst in you, it’s time to do yourself a favor and apply your
“strengths” to your “weaknesses”.
The goal is to find your “sweet spots” among all of the things that bring you joy and
a sense of relief and match them to an area of your day that doesn’t go so well. The
key here is to realize that you already possess everything you need to smooth your
bumpy road! Instead of such huge fluctuations in your activities – ones that you
look forward to and complete with ease vs. ones that you dread and plough your
way through – you will draw from the positives and apply to the negatives. It makes
sense, doesn’t it?
Start The Improvements Right Away!
Let’s take the example of your favorite and least favorite room to be productive or
creative. Think about all of the details of those two places – the colors, the lighting,
the smells, and the temperature. Which setting, or combination of settings, brings
out the best in you?
Take this strategy and apply it right down your list of things that bother you (weak
spots) and refer to the information you gathered from your strengths. Our mind is
an amazing tool…sometimes we just need another way of looking at things!
Take This With You:
Take a really rough part of your day and find an appropriate strength among your
opposites. Apply that positive element to shed a new light on your rough spot and
rapidly improve how you feel.
Milly is author of Beyond Words: A Guide to Drawing Out Ideas. She is co-author
with Thomas Sechehaye of just-released Design Yourself and SOS: Stress Options
and Solutions available at http://www.better-stress-advice.com
Milly and Thomas translate field-tested methods, from 17 years at Hands•On
Graphics corporate trainings, to practical tools to help you reduce stress today!
Discover the newest visual and holistic approaches to manage stress and reduce
information overload.
http://www.better-stress-advice.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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