Overthinking! Yup that's me. In almost all my adventures, projects, commitments I find myself overthinking, which always leads to me getting it done at the last minute. So what is it, well did you know that in many cases overthinking is caused by a single emotion? ahhhh what? Really? Tell me!
FEAR...
I can see this, my hesitations are usually fear based, I second guess myself, sometimes jump to worse case scenarios, all the things.
Then I came across this and it blew my MIND.
Fear & Excitement are the exact same feeling. Mind Blown! Yes! If you sit down and think of a specific scenario of when you totally overthought a task and can feel the feeling of fear in that task, then you think of when you did it and how glad you were to do it, the excitement that came along with it, it feels the same!!! The thought are different but the feelings are the same.
This right here is life changing for me. I have steps I put in place to help me push past the overthinking:
1. Write all the steps I need to take on paper, it's my road map so I don't get overwhelmed and feed the overthinking (fear)
2. Set a hard deadline so I come to a point I can't put it off any longer
3. Get outside fresh air time right before I hit task, it clears my mind and gets me out of my head, I hold myself to when I'm done at a certain time outside, I do it! Gardening is my therapy so that's the outside task I usually pull my mind and emotion clearing from.
4. Oil up, if you know me I do a lot of work with essential oils, I have a saying whatever your problem, I have an oil for that! hahaha. In all seriousness essential oils are amazing for emotional support, relaxation, grounding, all the things over thinkers suffer from.
Now along with my steps and the conscious knowledge of the Fear and Emotion feeling I see myself totally overcoming my regular overthinking, it is defiantly a massive personal growth goal. I know it has led me to missed opportunities, idea paralysis, stress, and professional delays.
Now along with my steps and the conscious knowledge of the Fear and Emotion feeling I see myself totally overcoming my regular overthinking, it is defiantly a massive personal growth goal. I know it has led me to missed opportunities, idea paralysis, stress, and professional delays.
We all have room for growth in our lives, it's important to identify those areas but don't criticize yourself, just get the tools you need to work on it and be darn proud of yourself for doing so. There are so many people out there that aren't open to Mindset and personal development growth, in my opinion actions in these areas of your life will set you apart from the crowd.
Cheers & I vote your victory in it all!
It seems I am always making time for things that spark my excitement, passions and are just darn important to me, and you know what I'm so much happier because of it! For many years I just tried to fit things in here and there when I got a minute and I found myself always looking ahead hoping for the day to end so I could have a couple minutes to do something for myself. Not a great way to savour the years, be content or be truly happy. Life goes fast enough I realized I didn't need to start wishing the days away or depriving myself of the things I wanted to do.
I've also gotten better at scheduling all the things in, literally writing them down in my agenda so I have a reminder and list to keep me on track. I've found a little more joy in exercise, I'm working on it, the creative things I want to do are easy for me to make time for, the exercise just had to be put in there, heck because I want to live a long healthy life.
Projects can drag on through the days if you don't approach them in 2 parts, part one is the planning stage, this can make or break how efficient you are in the time it takes to do the project, I've mastered this over the years, I use my 5am hour that I have peace and quiet to design, plan, research whatever the project requires, this cuts so much time off the actual doing of the project. It allows me to just start the actual project when the time comes, no walking in circles, thinking about it, just bam, hitting the ground running.
Gawd I love my 5am hour that I get that peace and quiet before the kids wake up, it's such a mentally recharging time for me. I can prepare my brain for the marathon of the day, I can exercise my brain with creativity such as project prep if I choose, sometimes I socially fulfill myself with an early morning chat, the common thing is, it's only things that recharge my soul. There is no better way to start the day off with the right vibe than fulfilling your needs, as I like to always say, filling your cup first!
If you haven't tried waking up before the kids pop over to my group Happy & Thriving Moms where we chat everything 5am Club, there is even a 5am Club challenge under the Guides section to get you started on your journey of getting up before the kids!
I encourage you to start planning your time for yourself don't just leave it up to luck or chance that it just happens, you deserve to spend time on yourself every darn day.
Cheers
Ebony
I've been indulging in morning ME TIME for years. It some what happened organically, my kids were always early risers we got use to getting up with the sun. As time went on they slept longer in the mornings, but there were no longer nap times when I got to recharge my batteries, get things done for myself, the days were definitely more demanding.
I was counting down the minutes till bedtime once supper came, just so I had my time at night, this was equally exhausting, and I wasn't very productive. That's when it clicked, I need to start getting up at my old time and start tending to the things I enjoy that require no kids. I feel this is where the joke of Ebony and the 5am Club started. I encouraged girlfriends to do it, we would phone chat uninterrupted at 5am, it was amazing, to sip coffee, catch up, motivate each other in our days, we all felt the shift.
I have 3 big reasons for you to start your day before the kids
It Sets The Tone For The Day - There is nothing better waking up in your own thoughts and needs in quiet. No one instantly demanding from you, no one to tend to right away but yourself. Catching your breathe, feeding your belly, feeding your mind uninterrupted, drinking HOT fresh coffee! This can truly change how you see a day regardless what crazy things come your way. I treat it as recharging my batteries.
Sets Your Priorities - once you are good, it is so much easier to get your priorities straight. If you wake up behind the eight ball you are playing catch up all day and can end up walking in circles, not being focused, feeling burnt out before you start. Having taken care of your wants and needs leaves so much opportunity to be the mom and women you want to be for everyone else.
Changes Your Mindset - This is hands down the biggest shift that will ever happen as a mom. Putting yourself first, no guilt attached. There is something in the mom culture that breeds this idea of we put our kids first over our own needs and that is what good moms do. Ummmm well...
I'm not sure how to gracefully go there lol I don't think you ALWAYS have to put your kids needs first over yours, I'm the mom who will eat dinner first while it's hot, and its quiet before I call everyone in from playing outside for dinner. I'm a better mom when my needs are met, I get hangry easily, my patience is thin and frankly I can be a bitch when I don't take care of myself, no one wins on those days, so I don't let those days happen!
This truly will be the start of changing your mindset and what you as a mom deserve. You are the most important person in your life, if you aren't good, how can you give everyone else the best of you, it's not a sustainable plan. So stop feeling guilty and take care of yourself.
5am Club is the first step in doing it guilt free!
I see so many moms wishing they had time to do things they love, putting their needs on the back burner, it makes me want to shout from the roof top. This is where Happy & Thriving Moms was born, to encourage moms to do the things, support each other and stop depriving themselves of what they need. 5am Club lives within this group because it is such an important piece to my success of how I approach the days and life. If you need help pop on over to my group and check out the guides section on how to start your journey to getting up before the kids - Happy & Thriving Moms - Home of the 5am Club
I could talk about the 5am Club all darn day, wait I probably do on some days lol. Why is that? because it is such a crucial part of my day, my happiness, my fulfillment and I want that for all the women who struggle with not having enough time for themselves.
I started indulging in the 5am Club quite a few years ago, at first it wasn't a choice, it was merely a part of the life of having small kids. Then as they grew and started to sleep a little longer I realized I was truly missing out on such a gem of an opportunity. A time I could get up before the kids, be with myself and my thoughts and mentally prepare for the day, and drink hot coffee in peace lol. So I started adjusting my schedule at night and going to bed earlier and getting up in the 5am hour. I honestly can't imagine not doing it any more, it is that important in my life.
So much creativity, planning, day dreaming, goal setting, and joy happens for me in the 5am hour, it's insane. It's spring as I write this and I'm a huge gardening fan, I call it my therapy. The last many weeks my 5am Club hour has revolved around planning gardens, researching, dreaming about projects and figuring out how I'm going to get them done. So much headway happens when you aren't interrupted, it's such a fantastic time to really dive into something you want to get done, the distractions are limited at that hour.
It can be daunting thinking about getting up early, how am I going to do that, I'll be to tired, I hear all of this often when I speak about the 5am Club, I get it, but don't knock it till you truly give it a run, you may find it's exactly what your soul needs. I love helping people discover the 5am Club and thrive, that's why I created the 5am Club Guide, in my Happy & Thriving Moms Group I want every mom to start the day excited and fulfilled. Our jobs are never ending and it's time to start putting ourselves first and filling our cups so we in turn can fill others.
If you need help flipping your day around and rocking the 5am Club pop on over to the Happy & Thriving Moms Group great things happen here!
Ebony
Oh the time change, it seems we talk about this twice a year! Spring ahead, Fall behind. I'm one of those lucky ones that it has never really bothered me or been an issue that has caused me grief, that goes for my kids as well, but as I surf social media, I see that is definitely not the case for so many. I was chatting with a friend the other day and we brought up the question why is that? Am I approaching it different than other families, I can't be can I?
I am a huge believer in mindset, how we internally talk about ourselves, our situations and our problems can project outwards and transfer to how we deal with situations and problems that arise in our lives. When time change rolls around each year, in my head it's not big deal, we all loose 1 hour of sleep that night, 1 hour, that's no big deal right? Don't we stay up 30-60 minutes to late doing something silly like watching a movie or surfing Pinterest at least one night in the run of a week? I know I do, I've caught myself do that on a Thursday night, getting lost in surfing chicken coops, GUILTY! ha! Yes, I'm a little sleepy the next day but no biggie. So time change, we loose 1 hour of sleep that Saturday night, but in exchange we actually gain something magnificent, an entire 1 extra hour of beautiful daylight, OMG it's amazing, to see that sky still lit up at 7pm! How energizing is that? Summer is coming! I consciously do a little extra the week following, I try hard to be a little extra kind to myself and make an extra effort to eat healthy and make good choices for the week following time change, this will help you adjust. Here is my #1, No big plans that will cause you to loose any hours of sleep! Depending on your body you may take a week to feel like you are back to normal, so spend the week sticking to your schedule that allows you to get the sleep your body requires, do the things at night that encourage you to feel like you are ready for a rested nights sleep, STAY ON SCHEDULE!
So it's pretty easy for me to speak about adults, we can suffer things out and deal with it, but what about adding kids in there. I will speak about how I have always approached it and so far I'm 3 for 3 with kids who aren't bothered.
1. Don't fret, no biggie, it's going to be a bit darker when you are getting ready for school/morning/daycare, turn more lights on.
2. It's a little brighter when you are going to bed, close some more curtains
3. Keep your schedule exactly the same, if your kids usually get up at 6am wake them up at 6am, the mistake comes thinking you need them to make up for that 1 hour lost, that's a hard NO unless you want to throw the whole day off, and ultimately destroy bedtime. I know I don't mess with bedtime, I treat that like an atomic bomb that will detonate if I go past the set bedtime.
4. Don't speak your negative thoughts and anticipations about it, that speaks life into a situation that might not have been, and little ears and brains hear everything you say, don't create a problem down the rd that could have been avoided.
5. Take the opportunity of more light in the evening to go outside and burn some energy off, they will sleep better! I have gone for a pre bedtime walk with the kids every night since time change, there wasn't time before, it was supper then it was dusk, now its still bright for that 30 minute window of opportunity before the bedtime routine starts.
6 Don't stress, this is the sign that spring is on the cusp, we are so close! That should be celebrated.
So there is my time change life in a nutshell lol, notice how many times I spelled routine? HA! it is my life, and our home runs like a well oiled machine, and I love it. I know we all function differently and this may look a little intense for you, but I always encourage having kids on a tight schedule so you as a parent can squeeze in the things you need to each day knowing you will have some time after they go to bed and before they get up. I'm a happier mom because I know everyday at that certain time I'm off duty.
Happy Time Change!
