One of the biggest challenges that I hear about consistently from the people I coach, is that of staying centered and/or grounded in themselves. It’s too easy to get swayed by other people’s needs, feelings, opinions. It’s too easy to get lost in the overwhelm of things that need to get done and lose track of your needs in the process.
How To Stay Lusciously Self-Centered
I know that most of you are over-achievers (or at least over-workers). You’ll assign yourself a new task as easily as other people breathe. So I’m going to take advantage of that tendency and assign you a new task, but here’s the rub. No one is going to keep you accountable to the task except you. So do what you need to do to make it happen. Are you ready?
Every time you take a breath to ask yourself “what’s next?”, you need to add in a question just before it. That question should be:
- “What do I need right now?” And the answer doesn’t get to be “another thing to do”. This question is designed to be a check-in with yourself – something to keep you focused on your emotional needs, your bodily needs, and you in general. Have you been sitting for a few hours working on the last project? Well then, you need to get up and move around a likely take a bathroom break (and if you don’t need a bathroom break, then you DO need a glass of water). Physical needs met, now it’s about mental needs.
- “Am I conscious?” Do you need some food – has your blood sugar crashed when you weren’t looking? Or do you need a little distraction – perhaps a Facebook game or simply a step outside for some fresh oxygenated air to clear your mind.
- Then it’s “how am I feeling?” Are you tired – mentally, physically, and/or emotionally? Are you enthusiastic? Are you depressed, happy, excited, worried, etc.? And then what, if anything, do you need to help with that emotion?
- And lastly, before putting your head back down to work again, the question is “what one thing would make me happy right now?” I don’t mean world peace or falling madly in love, I mean, what can you do right now that would make you happy? And then give yourself that thing.
Once you’ve gone through all of these questions, then you can safely turn your head back to your work. On paper this looks like a lot, but in practice, it’s generally a 10-20 minute break. It clears your mind, opens your energy field, and allows you to be more awake and aware as you walk into your next project. And some days, your answer will be simply. “I’m done!!!” When that happens – honor that. Take the rest of the day off and come back tomorrow reinvigorated and ready to rumble.
Any questions? 🙂 Have a luscious day!
P.S. – my friend, Deborah Roth wrote an awesome book about this – you should check it out!
Want to feel more luscious? Check out my 30 Days to a More Luscious You program!
