BLOG POST ONE
Tapping In...
Lately I’ve been feeling a little disconnected in life, noticing little things that haven’t sat right with me. I realized I was losing myself and my sense of joy. The overwhelm of things, rushing from pillar to post not always convinced why, but here I was peddling and peddling hard. I knew I had to change direction and do something different and fast; this was not sustainable.
With five months till the end of the year, there was no better time for me to take stock of what joy looks like for me and what actionable steps I could take to reconnect with myself again.
It maybe a new season I’m entering, a chance to re-evaluate what I have on my plate, curate where I spend my time, with whom and how I approach my life every day, tapping in emotionally.
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So, what is Joy? I googled and found - Joy is a great pleasure or happiness that comes from success, good fortune, or sense of well-being. For me it’s the last one – well-being because I didn’t win lotto over the weekend!
When I look back on the first 6 months of the year, my days, weeks, and months have rolled into one for the most part, some good and not so great combined with how I would describe intense moments, that no doubt what others may have experienced when the dial is at 100!
On some days, I felt I did a whole bunch of things yet achieved nothing, this was getting me down. I was tired of feeling tired and everything felt like a chore and unmotivating.
Self-awareness is a practice, the ability to self-reflect isn’t easy but something I encourage to do. Taking moments to ponder is helpful, it’s never to doubt our actions, decisions, or choices but an effective tool to help navigate when keeping it real with ourselves.
Sitting in my apartment looking over at my desk I spot a pile of post it notes. No clue on what to do with them but I knew I had to start using them and soon after ended up creating a new wallpaper whilst brainstorming with these beautifully colourful square pockets of genius, my new besties to help refocus my mind!
My first post it read ‘What brings me joy?’ Followed by two separate post its with ‘Physical’ and ‘mental health’. The aim was to get down to basics with my well-being. Answers to each question flowed through easily. Examples of physical joy was to go for more walks and for my mental health it was about reducing social media screen time and turning off the laptop at end of day and not sneaking back on it for work before bedtime!
Mapping out my activities over the month, one post it at a time, itemizing all the things on my plate that was both therapeutic and overwhelming. There were so many times I wanted to quit but I kept going, one post it at a time.
An hour later, I stood back to take it all in, a big visual on my apartment wall, held up like a mirror. As I stood in silence absorbing, I know I was better for having done this. With clear practical steps that I know will bring me joy (start of), helping to reconnect to myself again.
With this experience, I leave you with 3 tips!
Carve out some quiet time.
When approaching the life mapping exercise look to set aside a day or time, where you’ll feel the most relaxed and have space for yourself. Understandably blocking out time can be a challenge, especially if you're living with others. See if you can organize a time with your household or next best thing, take yourself to a local cafe or library, even 60mins focus time, without distractions is a great start. Just you vs. you!Ask open questions.
When you’re ready, keep it simple and specific. Start with a question or 2 (max). For e.g., I wrote ‘What brings me Joy?’ Following this question I created two categories 1. Physical and 2. Mental Health, listing all the things that would feel joyous to me in these areas. Have a go, you may surprise yourself!Power of the post it note.
Use post it notes; the beautifully colourful square pockets of genius with small real estate to write on, helped me get to the point of my thoughts quicker.
To close, if what I’ve recently experienced resonates, then I’d encourage you to get clear on what you want and need for you.
Remember, you are the engine room and vehicle for greatness, keep it simple, keep it moving.
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Thank you for visiting the DRIVE inspirational corner to elevate mindset, find your flow, move with confidence.