We’ve all been there. Something has embedded itself into our brains and we can’t stop thinking about it. Ruminating, or overthinking, is a common behavior that most people can relate to on some level.
Whether it’s something someone said, something you did, rehashing the past, or worrying about the future, it’s monopolizing your thoughts, and it can become a real problem. At the very least, it can be annoying, undermine your confidence, and prevent you from taking action.
You’ve likely heard the phrase “time is relative” before. As each year passes and you grow older, it becomes shockingly more true. It’s strange, if you watch a clock ticking, you’ll note that – obviously – time is always the same. A second is a second, a minute is 60 of those. Yet it’s the way you perceive time that makes it relative. Some months fly by, while others are akin to walking through thick custard. There’s no way of pinning it down or understanding it at all, really. Time passes through us.
It can often feel as if there is nothing stopping time. The scary thing is there isn’t – it will always plough ahead, leaving everything and everyone in its wake. In amongst this sense of existential dread, there lies you, searching for an ounce of control over this celestial force. We, as humans, tried to understand time by creating clocks and calendars. Our understanding comes from the barriers we have made, the same barriers you can use to improve your time management and put the seconds back in your hands.
As you get older, you get more tired. It’s just the way life goes. But do not mistake that for laziness. The more responsibility you take on, the more energy you use. Without checking yourself, you could burn out.
Given that the average person spends a significant portion of their time at work, prolonged periods of stress are likely to stem from the workplace. However, these stress periods are caused by an emotional, physical, and mental state of exhaustion. That can stem from all walks of life. In this context, the stress-related consequences of exhaustion separate burnout from laziness. While feelings of lethargy and unwillingness to do things may be the consequence of mental health difficulties, it’s important to make the distinguishment between the two, Typically, laziness can be resolved with some relatively small actions. Burnout requires a lot more work.
Focus, or concentration, is the ability to give your full attention to something. It sounds simple, but anyone living in the 21st Century is likely to tell you that it’s not always that easy.
Distractions come from all directions. Whether it’s in the form of technology, social diversions, or any other type of inside or outside disturbance. The ability to stay focused can be easily deterred. And once your concentration is broken, it can take a while to get back on track.
Imagine this scenario. You’ve just moved house, and for the first time, you’re doing a weekly shop. The route is almost the same – you haven’t moved far in this scenario – but with slight differences. You buy your food and head home. As you drive home, you realise you’re not driving home, you’re driving to your old place. The route shares some similarities. You feel a little silly. Chances are you say to yourself:
Force of habit.
That age-old saying has, well, become a habit for most people. Your brain and body will latch on to routine systems, experiences, and processes in the form of habits, whether you like it or not. Your brain craves routine, so when you provide it with repeated actions, you’ll find yourself latching on – even if you know it might be bad for you.
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to reach exceptional levels of success, even if they seem average in other ways?
Not everyone is born with an innate talent for something, but that doesn’t mean they can’t cultivate skills that can take them to their highest level of achievement.
“You need to stop getting in your own way.”
How many times have you heard that before? More to the point, how many times have you heard that before and truly understood what it means?
It’s a simple, well-used slice of advice yet its true meaning can feel quite alien. It makes sense, sure, but to embrace its sentiment, you must first dig deeper. Let’s use a real-life, common example.
Every day we make choices and have routines and habits that make up our daily lives.
Some habits are clearly better than others.
So, what habits are going to make the biggest difference in your life?
And what can you do that will really impact your overall wellness in the best way?
Have you ever known someone who had an admirable sense of self-control?
No matter what the situation, they always seemed to know what to say or what action to take.
Not having self-control can feel just the opposite. Over indulgence or saying something without thinking inevitably can cause unwanted circumstances. But how do you get to that point of making choices based on intentional words and actions?
What qualities could help you to become an expert at self-control?
What came first, motivation or momentum? Do you have to be motivated to gain momentum, or does momentum inspire motivation?
Motivation is not an all-encompassing, magical elixir you drink to get you started. It’s organic. To feel motivated, you cannot wait for any feeling to wash over you. All you can do is start.
That, however, is easier said than done. Motivation is a fickle thing. Before you sleep, you might be filled with the desire to improve your life in every single way, but by the time you wake up, that wave of motivation has disappeared into thin air, as if it were never there. Therein lies the problem.
