We’re still in wild times with change happening constantly. Just when you get used to the new normal, the normal shifts. Yet at the same time, each day feels somewhat the same.
Life feels a little (or more) out of control, but you can still do something about that.
Focusing on what you can control, and leaving what you can’t control alone, is one strategy that helps keep overwhelm, fear and negativity at bay.
There’s actually a lot we can still have control about in our day. I wrote about focusing on what we can control back in March when the world began to tilt. There I gave some concrete steps you can take.
But fatigue, anxiety and negativity has crept back up and that’s not good for you or any of us. I want to offer some journaling prompts that have helped me and I hope they are helpful to you.
Last week I ran a Kindness Challenge to use positivity in the form of kindness to help build our capacity to handle stress. (If you missed it you can still get all the emails here and the Masterclass video and workbook here). Kindness, gratitude, awe, and connection are here to help us combat negative thoughts and feelings.
When we do positive acts or even think about the positive things in our lives, we calm our mind. There’s biology involved as well as the pleasure we feel doing and remembering positive events and thoughts.
I invite you to journal on these prompts to help you calm your body, take a break from the news and build your inner strength back up. Calming your mind, building positivity and capacity is something you can do – you’re in control.
Journal with Me
- What are activities, thoughts or things that help me feel hopeful or positive or joyful? You can just make a list and/or expand on one or all of the items.
- Get specific, pick one or two of your ideas and get into the details… what do you do, think, feel in your body? (Use your senses.) Notice how your experience makes you feel emotionally. If it’s a positive memory, stop and close your eyes and let yourself embrace the memory for a minute.
- How can I remember to add these positive ideas into my day?
- How can I remember to recall the memories of positive events and embrace them during my day, especially if I feel stressed?