This week has been really rough. Both of my dogs have casts from various scrapes and dog-like activity. Michael fell off his mountain bike last week and dislocated his shoulder, resulting in a very expensive and painful surgery culminating on Friday. Also his hunting trip that he's been planning for months was cancelled. He was supposed to leave yesterday.
Now, you might ask, Helene that doesn't seem that rough for YOU. And you'd probably be right. But since I can be a selfish brat sometimes, I was feeling that way.
A few minutes after Michael told me his trip was cancelled, I responded as any loving wife would:
“I thought I'd have some freaking time to myself.”
Was that rude and insensitive? Yes. Was it true? Hell yes.
I don't really know what's wrong with me, but I like time to myself. I want to do the things I like to do. Like pretend he's a skull head on Snapchat (@helenesula).
In all honesty, I just wanted to work on my next big project. I've been working on this for MONTHS and I'm almost ready to reveal. Almost. So I wanted some time with my thoughts and my blog.
I get a terrible case of the “OH MY GODS.” I freak out that I don't have everything done and go into panic mode. Wanna be my friend?!
So, I was feeling like this and then to have the added stress of everyone in my life being hurt was just upsetting, not to mention cramping my style. I'm kidding… health comes first. And I really do feel bad for Michael, he'll be out for 3 months with his arm like this. And the man goes biking at least twice a week.
Anyway, I got over myself, packed myself a picnic and went to the park and pretended to be shooting pictures for the blog. Really, I was just eating cheesecake and grapes and drinking wine. Who's all the wiser? My sanity.
The picnic. This makes me happy to be an adult because kids can't do stuff like this. See, being an adult is sometimes perfectly fine.
The key to success in life is to stay motivated and keep going. So today, here's how I find motivation when I actually feel like total shit. Also, sorry Mom, I know you don't like when I cuss on the blog but some posts call for it.
1. I reward myself.
Maybe this makes me a child, I'm not sure. But when I tell myself that if I work for 20 more minutes I get to do ___, it works like a charm. I instantly get in “go” mode and really try to make those minutes count. This can be a material reward or just a personal gain, like heck yes, I am awesome! Or it can be that I switch tasks after the fact. This is how I got through taxes this year.
2. Get social media out of sight
I get SO distracted on Instagram and Snapchat, so I gotta put it away. I actually put my phone in the other room. Sometimes I think, oh I need to check today's Fitbit steps. So I keep a notepad nearby to remind myself on what I'd like to do… later. When I get on my phone I often forget what I was doing in the first place.
3. I breathe.
Wow, Helene, neat. Breathing. Okay, I know. But hear me out. I breathe and realize that I can't control everything. I stand up, walk around for a minute, and just tell myself to chill out. I try to focus on the positive and realize that I'm being a selfish brat. That usually does the trick.
4. I get on Pinterest.
Sometimes the best way to stay motivated is to get motivation from others. I know I said get off social media. But if you're feeling REALLY down in the dumps sometimes you just need to see some inspiring quotes to keep going. The psychology of seeing others succeed is very powerful to me.
5. I look at the big picture.
Sometimes life really sucks. Sometimes you have to look to what the future entails in order to focus on the task ahead. I don't always want to do this, but it helps put everything into perspective and helps keep me balanced.
6. Write it down.
What am I really stressed out about? Writing it down helps me to overcome it and move on from it. Creating a brain dump helps to ease my mind and de-stress, and also stay focused on what I NEED to be working on.
7. Create a vision board.
I don't care if this seems silly. It works. When you physically put together what you want your life, your blog, whatever, to look like, you're able to visually see your goals and, in turn, it's a great motivator to achieve them. You have to put into the universe to get back what you need. I love this motivational resource from Shopify.
Okay, that's all for Helene's life hacks today. Chin up, y'all. We will all get through it.
You might also like: You're Worth it.
