If you find yourself regularly feeling stuck, deflated, frustrated, discouraged or even helpless, you are NOT alone. This is a natural reaction to information overload and chronic stress. Facebook, Instagram and all of the other social media platforms make it look like everybody is having way more fun than you are and the massive challenges of just existing in this ‘always on’ world simply accumulate. How we react, process and fight back against the incoming tide of largely irrelevant information that is pushed our way defines what happens in both our personal and professional lives.
Be honest, when was the last time you actually shut off your phone? Ok if you’ve never actually shut it off can you remember when you were out of sight of it, forgot where you put it and didn’t suffer from a deep level of anxiety?
It is amazing that one of the main things that sets apart from the animals is that we have opposable thumbs. But yet these same thumbs are now almost the only things we use to communicate…does this make any sense? Work demands that ping 24/7, friends that want to share their latest vacation plans at any hour of the day or night and multiple family demands all compete for the same brain space, free time and attention. What was that about technology making our live easier?
In response to all of this, your brain’s defense mechanism is to shut down, get sluggish and simply work less efficiently. In sales there is an old adage; “a confused mind won’t buy”. This means that if the sales explanation, the steps needed to buy, or anything else is confusing or complicated, the natural defense mechanism is to say “no” shut down and walk away.
In the case of us humans, often the overload and competing demands can create the same type of confusion and rather than being decisive, strong and focused…a funk sets in and nothing gets done.
So, if this is where you find yourself, how do you break free and get back to the old productive focused you? Start with a digital diet…resolutions get us making all kinds of gym going, better eating, healthier you promises. Make the same for your information intake and time demands.
An HONEST look at your schedule will find it jammed with crap. Appointments you don’t need to keep and should never have been made in the first place, activities you no longer want to participate in, vacation days that should be taken, emails from lists you should not be on and an over inflated sense of self-importance that won’t allow you to be separated from your device(s) or take time off from the job.
PURGE! Drop off lists. Resign from activities where possible. Actually schedule down time, you know, time where you can totally disconnect. I will schedule appointments with myself, or my family and when someone asks for a meeting, it is easy to say, ‘I’m sorry, I’m already booked then, what else works for you?” Find ways to shut off your devices, look around, just breathe, reconnect with non-work friends, go on a date (even with yourself), schedule a project or thinking day, and go someplace where you are off the grid.
The excuse is always, “I can’t, I’m too busy”. The tough love truth actually is if you don’t, you will stay stuck, stay overwhelmed and be in exactly the same place, only with more stress related damage to your body, a year from now. Commit to taking a small step today and another tomorrow.
Your life. Your health. Your choice.
If you need some help with this, let’s talk about it.
Schedule a complimentary 30-minute Discovery Call to see if there are some ways I might be able to help you craft a solution that works for you.
Be well,
#TakeTheStrongRoad
