Get over yourself.
The quickest way to stress yourself out, get overwhelmed and frozen with fear is to stay in your head. We’ve all gone down the rabbit hole. Spiraled out of control asking ourselves what if and masterfully conjuring up worst case scenarios. It’s sounds so easy to get out of our heads, but it’s not. You’re meditating and suddenly your to-do list creeps into your head. You are in downward dog and you panic at the though that you forgot to send those invoices. You get an email from your boss Sunday night and hold your breath.
As a classic over thinker, the solutions I’ve found to work best are those that distract me in the most positive of ways. Finding your passion can get really lonely and surprisingly isolating. Media might have you convinced that the process of working on a passion project, whether it’s small or large, is like a scene out of “WeCrashed”. The reality is that so many of us are nervous/embarrassed/scared to utter our passion projects out loud, let alone scream it at the top of our lungs in a cult-like fashion.
That doesn’t get us off the hook though. It’s healthy to get out of our heads. It allows us to think creatively, outside the box and all those other cliches written on inspirational posters. But how?
I’ve been playing around with a few concepts, but my current favorite is helping others. I know it sounds obvious, but let me break it down for you:
Ego is the enemy of growth. And ego is what sends us down a rabbit hole that stresses us out to no end. What is more anti-ego than helping someone else out? I started volunteering recently and it’s amazing how doing something that has nothing to do with my never-ending to do list not only calms but it frees up the mind to ask “why not.”
ACTION ITEM
This month, I invite you to test this out. Whether you sign up to volunteer at a local organization or just offer to help a friend or family member with something you normally wouldn’t. Track your actions and see if it coincides with your ability to be more centered or focused on your interests and passion projects.