When I look for subjects to talk about in my podcasts, I search for topics that are in the news, current fads, seasonal changes and other issues that have an effect on the healthy lifestyle that my listeners are trying to achieve.
When the same issues keep coming up with different people, I know that I have found a good topic to talk about or to pull in interviews with other professionals. I find that when I bring these topics to light everyone can relate to the subject and benefit from helpful information.
This week I have a client who has had a major shift in her life and is suffering with falling back to a difficult stage she thought she had left in the past. She is not handling it well and is, in fact, a “hot mess”, although she will tell you she is FINE. In reality, FINE stands for Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional about her situation. This podcast is about what to do if you find you have slid back to a time when you didn’t have control of your life. But there is a twist to this story. The client who needs help is me! I realized that the best way to handle my situation was to step back and look at it from a different point of view. Looking at it from outside the emotional center of the problem I can objectively and calmly advise myself about how to handle this setback.
As the proud new owner of a two-month old, one-pound puppy, my life has been completely upended. I am back to the newborn stage of no sleep, concern over the welfare of a tiny being that I am responsible for, and messy potty-training issues. This is compounded by the everyday needs of an active family and business. Just like when I had newborn babies, my sleep is much too little and broken up and I feel emotionally unstable. All I can think of is, “How am I back here? I thought I had put this kind of crazy tiredness behind me”.
Although I can use my wise mind and know that this will be much more short-lived than a new baby, it’s hard to see out of this stress and out of the hard moment when I am living in it.
So, this is my advice to my client-self:
1. Ask for help.
2. Put on your own oxygen mask first! You can’t help others if you haven’t taken care of yourself.
3. Take sleep where you can find it.
4. Take it one day at a time.
Apply this example to what fits you. If you were to step outside of your body, your life… what would your advice to yourself be?
Today’s episode is also a prime example of the fact that we can’t do everything; “Something Has to Give”. I go into detail about this in chapter 10 of my book, Direction Not Perfection. If you are feeling overwhelmed, check out the book or listen to my Podcast 19, published May 17, 2019, where I discuss the chapter “Something Has to Give”. Remember to put on your own oxygen mask first, and let others know they are allowed to remind you of that.
Resources:
www.facebook.com/houselifestyles
www.healthaccountabilitycoach.com
