Consider it the breakdown before the breakthrough. Regardless of what you do or where you are in your life, there are times when you can shut down, feeling powerless. Not sure of what direction to take or unable to find a solution? Allow your mind to do all of the heavy lifting when you need to manage stress at work.
Be Conscious of Your Thought Patterns
We’ve all heard of the term “being self-aware.” It can be a difficult thing to define when you’re trying to manage stress at work. By examining the thoughts that come up in response to certain situations and examining the filters in which you interpret the world, you can live more consciously and be more aware of your own self. This heightened awareness allows you to be more aligned with your values and what’s important to you, and in time, your choices will come to reflect this.
Write down what’s showing up for you through journaling, or a mind map. Let it flow without judgement.
Trust your Intuition
By being self-aware, your intuition is trained to help keep you on the path you want to be on. Sometimes your intuition sends you a message, usually when you’re in a comfortable and quiet space, engaged in a task that requires minimal brain power– taking a shower, cleaning, doing the dishes. Your mind wanders when suddenly you’re hit with an impulse, an inspiration. The thought may seem illogical or infeasible, but don’t let that fool you. Take the time to immediately give the thought the attention it needs to grow into something more useful to your situation. If there’s anything you can do in that moment to help facilitate the thought, take that next step right away. Immediate action is important since that initial burst of inspiration will fade with time, and you’ll find yourself putting the impulse down with rational thought and overthinking.
This breakthrough intuitive response is essential if you want to answer a difficult question or solve a challenging problem in your life. There are some things you can do to help the process, including:
- Engaging in activities which make you feel light, playful, and carefree. This allows your mind to be in the right creative headspace.
- Notice nonverbal cues, such as impulses, signs, or subtle messages. These inner and sometimes tangible cues will be aligned with what your thoughts are focused on– this is how you’re able to notice them and why it’s important that you do so.
- If you notice a random yet timely conversation in which someone is offering the support you need, don’t be afraid to jump in!
- Occupy your free time with creative endeavors such as writing, cooking, or drawing. This builds your creative muscle and increases your intuition.
- Find calm spaces and activities to help quiet your mind. This can come in many forms: yoga, meditation, enjoying nature, or listening to relaxing music.
- Offer your time and support to someone else. You’ll sometimes find that, in helping someone else, you will find wisdom you can relate to your own situation.
- Finally, simply letting go and focusing on other things will allow your mind to rest. An answer will come easier once you’ve taken a break from finding an immediate solution.
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Take Small Risks. Increase Confidence.
How often you follow your instincts is directly related to how confident you are in yourself not to mention takes back your power. An intuitive hit is about listening to your own needs and acting on your own influence. By following your intuition’s inner messages immediately as they arrive, you are mentally preparing yourself for difficult circumstances by taking on the small level of risk that comes with an immediate action. This increases your self esteem, and in turn, you will follow your intuition more. While this sort of thought can seem like you are living your life on a wing and a prayer, it is truly about becoming more aware of where your thoughts are pointed, aligning them with your values, and learning to rely on lessons from past success you may not have realized you learned.
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Your gutsy action item this week is to press pause. Reflect. Ask where you are being guided? Resist the urge to ‘do’ and ‘be’ instead. Notice what shows up for you and take action only on what feels aligned. Don’t question it. Any decision you make when feeling a heightened level of stress will never support you.
Thanks for taking the time here to trust an external resource. You’ve GOT this.
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