Sometimes a good quote can really make the difference to how you see your life and the world around you. Other people say things so well!
It's often what you hear from someone wise and knowledgeable that will actually prevent you from going further down that road of stress and keep you from the burn out path. So I hope that these quotes will give you some food for thought and perhaps even shift something on an insight level that might really create a positive change for you. Feel free to share your experience with me if it's helpful. You can contact me via my website here.
1. Value v/s Time
“The world rewards you for value provided, not time spent.” James Clear
It has become cool to be busy but at the expense of directed intention and notable value. Actually, we are all addicted to busyness and to being overly committed to doing too many things all at once. Once upon a time I worked in an office where staying until 9pm was common. This was before the time of laptops and home-working and so everything was done from the office floor. One woman in particular told me that she wouldn't do very much at all during the day and then would stay at the office until late so she would be seen to send all her emails after everyone else had left. Now with iPhones, laptops and working from home, too many people are expected to check their emails before they go to sleep at night and the problem has become one of the key issues leading to stress, poor sleep, anxiety and burnout.
But what if you were concerned about value rather than time spent? How would that change the picture?
When I work with people and help them to slow their minds and bodies down, at first it can feel like such an unnatural state that it is very uncomfortable for them. But that soon changes, as does the perspective on so much. Often being busy is an addictive state, but when you go into recovery you have so much more time to spend on the value of what you are providing, rather than letting the hours of your precious life run away with themselves.
2. Being With What is Actually Happening
“The attempt to escape from pain is what creates more pain.” Gabor Maté
If you are under life or work stress (and who isn't?), I cannot emphasise enough the importance of taking stock, acknowledging (preferably before the crunch time comes) when you're body and mind have had enough, and learning ways to physically and mentally rejuvenate and redress the balance.
Most people will find ways to evade the pain of their stressors for as long as possible before doing something about it. On a basic level, this can lead to numbing out behaviours like drinking too much or ducking out of commitments or other avoidant behaviours. Unaddressed, many people find bodily and mental health issues emerging, such as anxiety, depression, back pain, weight loss or gain, or full-blown addictions. Gabor Maté talks a lot about the importance of showing up and dealing with your experience. The first step is to take stock and acknowledge what is actually happening in your life right now and then to find ways to create the necessary changes.
3. And that brings me to...
“Without giving up hope—that there’s somewhere better to be, that there’s someone better to be—we will never relax with where we are or who we are.” Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
Striving for more at the expense of better, comparison culture, and many other of our modern-day ills all prevent the relaxation into this very moment now. I know the phrase 'giving up hope is' a big one to contemplate, but you might find that it provides such deep relaxation and freedom when you really go into the felt experience of it.
Of course, then comes the question of motivation. If we are no longer striving for that something better, then what drives our behaviour? What gets us out of bed in the morning? Why don't you try it and let me know where you get to? (I promise it's a game-changer!).
So instead of heading down the path of burning out, perhaps you can start here and let the steam out of the pressure cooker in a way that can also shift your perspective on your life. And obviously, if you want a hand with that do give me a call. There is so much that can make a huge difference to how you can life your life relaxed, free and inspired.