I’ve gone through periods in my life where I felt stuck. I couldn’t pull the trigger and make decisions. Things, therefore, happened by default. I didn’t feel that I was worthy? Worthy of what? I don’t know. What I did know was that I needed to stop overthinking everything!
I knew that I could never live the life I wanted, achieved the goals I had set for myself If I didn’t do something differently. Thus began my first attempt at inner work.
Inner work turns your pain into power and helps you move past fears, limitations, depression, loneliness, and the feelings of unwholeness that many of us feel at some time or another.
On my path to stop overthinking everything I read articles and check books out from the library. (This was long before blogs and online magazines.) Here I’ll share with you 5 things that helped me move forward and create the life I love. Mind you, it’s not perfect, nothing is but its constantly evolving and a lot of fun.
Tell Yourself a Different Story
What is the story that you tell yourself? Maybe you are paralyzed by self-doubt and limiting beliefs. Perhaps you believe that your circumstances define who you are and what you are capable of. I’m here to tell you that it is simply not true!
J.K. Rowling is a highly successful author and public figure. Looking at her success you would think that she was born with a pen in hand and that she was a huge success from the get-go. Nope! Before her first book was published she was a divorced single mom practically in poverty.
The first thing to do is to tell yourself a different story. Think of the small successes you’ve had, the shining moments, the joy you experienced and then create a vision of who it is that you want to be from now on.
Change the story.
Let the Past Live in the Past
That should be all I need to say but I’ll elaborate a bit more. The past has already happened. Unless you happen to own a time machine, you cant change it.
Make peace with your past. This is another step in the inner work I mentioned. I will tell you that it’s not easy and sometimes it is painful but in order to move forward, you must stop looking back!
Enjoy Today
Today is the only day you can live. Not yesterday nor tomorrow. So what are you going to do to live today? I mean more than breathing and going through the motions. I mean LIVE today. Why not stop and smell the roses. They smell really nice!
Are you going to find a new hobby, try new food, say hello to a stranger, heck how about just smile at someone? You’ll be amazed at how the small things you can do each day can improve your outlook on life and life itself!
Keep Your Emotions in Check
Of all of the work, I have done this one is by far the hardest and sometimes still is. We’re looking for progress, here.
How many times have you allowed your emotions to cloud your judgment? Our emotions can get the better of us if we allow them to.
When a situation occurs or someone says something that irritates you, stop and take 3 deep breaths before I say anything. Just the act of breathing brings a calmness over you and gives you a few seconds to think before you act or speak. Trust me! It’ll help you avoid a knee jerk reaction, probably an overreaction and you’ll be able to handle the situation more rationally.
Look for the Solutions
Things do not fix themselves! You’re the only person who can make changes to your life. No one will make you happy. No job will be good enough and you will never feel fulfilled until you find solutions to help you move forward.
Identify the problem. Part of overthinking everything is that you actually have not focused enough time and energy on the solutions. You’ve been stuck on the problem.
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Meet Denise E. Stegall, the CEO and Curator of Living Healthy List.com. With 25 years of experience and study in nutrition, cooking, exercise, and coaching, she helps female entrepreneurs and businesswomen curate a healthy, happy, and productive life.
As an inspirational thought leader, Denise provides honest, research-backed information on health, wellness, personal development, and fun for real-life application. Her platform, Living Healthy List, is a go-to community for health and wellness resources, empowering positive changes and creating the life you want.
Denise’s background in nutrition and her philosophy of “Eat Real Food, Make Good Decisions, and Be Accountable” shaped her International Best Seller, “Healthy Living, Happy Life: A Practical Path to Finding the Healthy Lifestyle That Works for You!”
She goes beyond her book and Living Healthy List to offer “Forever Wellness Lifestyle ,” a groundbreaking group coaching model with individualized roadmaps for true health, balance, stress management, confidence, and an uplifting lifestyle. Denise E. Stegall is devoted to empowering individuals to embrace holistic well-being and fulfillment.
“Living a healthy lifestyle does not have to be hard! “