Chill the Eff Out and Get Back to Loving Your Career in 6 Easy Steps

I have learned it over and over, but I have been reminding myself lately that 'busy is not a badge of honor.'

​Especially as a business owner, I am nearly always tempted to plan and work CONSTANTLY!!!! I don't clock in and out. My work is my passion so if I am not responsible for my schedule, it is SO easy to slip from productive to overwhelmed. Very often, it is easier to quiet my inner chatter by staying busy as opposed to 'being with' that chatter in the calm and quiet.

Anyone else??
Moms? Dads?
Students? Teachers?
Managers? Employees?
Uh, like most of us?? 

Right now, as I sit in a cafe attempting to multitask, I am laughing at myself. I am bouncing from tab to tab and inbox to inbox trying to tackle 90 things and not finishing one of them! I start one thing that reminds me of another I forgot. I take my hands off the keyboard to write on my to-do list. I drop the list to pick up my phone then back to the keyboard! 

GAH! Are you dizzy yet???

I joke about my ADHD brain driving me into action so often but really, it's not that much of a joke. Even when I am tired and wanting to chill out, relaxing can be more challenging than knocking out my to-do list. This can tend to cause an exhausted feeling that makes anything we take on seem like 'work' instead of passion. This strategy can really sabotage our joy and passion for our chosen careers and lives and make us forget why we chose them in the first place. 

So let's pause here and take a deep breath together. 
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Ready?

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Inhaaaaaleeeeeee aaaand exhaaaaaaaaleeeeee. 
​Ahhhh...There we go. 

I invite you to repeat after me:

I am grateful that I cannot do it all RIGHT THIS SECOND! 

I am grateful for the fact that I only have two hands. 

I am grateful to be physically reminded that it is all designed perfectly to go the way that it will go.
 
I am thankful for reminders of my humanity and to chill the eff out!

It will get done.

It will be fine.

I chose this life at one point.

I am on my way no matter how it goes or how fast. 

Wowsaaaa!

Keep in mind that we have more practice with being overwhelmed than we do with being calm, cool, and collected. It is in our human nature to find the problems and fix them. We attempt to fix overwhelm by controlling things. Fact is, that list will always be there. It can keep us going at ALL hours if we let it. The job is never done. Life is never done...until it's done...so let up a bit. 

Here I am, taking a break to check in with you, lovers. 
In case you need the reminder...
Chill the eff out!

Bring joy back to what you are up to with a few simple steps: 

1. Catch yourself IN overwhelm! -Can't stop what you can't see! 
2. Acknowledge that it's happening- whatever your pattern or flavor of overwhelm, acknowledge that it's happening. Notice how you act when you feel this way! 
3. Notice the impact- how does this pattern affect your productivity? How does it stop your progress? How does it affect your love of your work?
4. Knock it off! -Chill the eff out, let go of the grip you have on controlling everything.
5. Give yourself some self love- maybe grant yourself forgiveness for the cycle? You are not a machine so give yourself grace about being human! Remind yourself of how amazing you are and what you are up to in the world!   
6. Get back to action from joy- you love you. You chose your work at one point or another likely because you love it. It likely highlights your gifts and talents. It brings you an income. When you have recovered from the overwhelm, get back to doing what you love. 
   
   

For those of you silently resisting these suggestions because you are hating your work, check out my blog post on Creating Your Career from Joy. There's hope. There are other options. It's okay to be ready for a career transition and I have more content for that ambitious heart of yours! 

No matter where you are in your career path, I always invite you to practice relaxing with me.  

Live the life you love by slowing down long enough to realize, this IS life.
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Right here, right now. ​