Have You Lost Your Mind!?

Balancing your passions, your career and your personal life is tricky, and growing each of those aspects in a positive, productive way can be incredibly overwhelming. But there’s hope.

Keeping in theme with Tuesday’s post, 12 Super Effective Ways to De-Stress, and because May is Mental Health Awareness Month, here are a few things you can do to help regain control of your life.

Make habits. Having a set routine for the day is a great way to provide structure. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day will help your body set its circadian rhythms more naturally. But don’t stop there; setting times for meals is a great way to keep your metabolism on track. Try taking your lunch, whenever possible, at the same time each day. Your body will adapt to the new cycles and be better equipped to deal with hunger pangs in between.

Break habits. The daily 9-5 grind can be incredibly taxing. It’s easy to fall into the trap of lazily lounging once our work day is over. Rather than defaulting to watching TV or going online, break old habits and make new ones. Instead, head to the gym for a quick sweat session. Now is a great time to start that workout DVD you’ve been meaning to start tomorrow for the last 6 months. Call a friend. Practice an instrument. But most importantly, be mindful of your mindlessness.

Remove yourself. To accomplish goals, you must consistently remove the hurdles that stand in the way. If a healthier lifestyle is something you’ve resolved to do, discard any items or habits that don’t serve that purpose. Trying to be more productive? Disconnect. Close any browser tabs you don’t need to accomplish your task and log off of any social media channels. Surround yourself with your most successful, happy, positive friends and remove the poisonous ones that bring you down. You’re as good as your network.

Let go. You can really only control so much of what’s happening around you. Every morning, approach getting ready with urgency and give yourself enough time to arrive at your destination at least 15 minutes early.  Once en route, let go.  If the train becomes stalled, or there’s a sick passenger, or there’s train traffic ahead of us, stressing out about being late, becoming upset at the lack of motion or panicking at all about not getting there isn’t going to get you there. Focus on the things you can fix and let the universe do the rest.