We all have them. Those weeks when you know you have a lot on or you’re going to have to do some things that are tough or not particularly enjoyable and you’re just going to have to grit your teeth and get on with it.
I find, as a life coach, that people can assume that I have everything organised, that I barely suffer from overwhelm and that I rarely struggle with life. NOT TRUE. There are some weeks that are certainly more difficult than others and I also have to grit my teeth and get on with it.
What can I do to make life easier?
However, there are some things you can do to help this process and to make life a little easier.
- Remember that wonderful expression “this too shall pass?” – it usually does. Recognise that this is probably temporary and therefore doesn’t deserve too much head space.
- Small bite size chunks. Don’t focus on the whole week, instead look at one day at a time, perhaps even break it down into hours or morning and afternoon tasks. Focusing on smaller chunks of time will allow you to be more productive, which in turn makes us feel more accomplished.
- On the occasions where it all feels too much, change the dynamic. That might be taking a break from the task in hand and having a quick walk. It can be as simple as walking into another room, changing your environment – just give yourself a break or a change. This creates some headspace and can make all the difference.
- Accept that it’s a crap week so don’t set yourself up with even more commitments to deal with. Keep the week simple, do what you need to do and little else. That way you’re less likely to feel overwhelmed and be able to concentrate on the tasks that you need to do. Save the other stuff for the less challenging weeks.
- Nourish yourself. Eat well, get sleep, exercise as and when you can and if you fancy a bar of chocolate or a glass of wine, don’t punish yourself by denying yourself a treat – there are plenty of other days for that. Don’t beat yourself up, be kind to yourself. This is a great week for upping the self-care.
Keep things simple.
So, on your “grit your teeth weeks” keep it simple. Remember that you’ve coped with them before and you’re likely to have to cope with them again. It’s just a question of finding out YOUR coping mechanisms so that you can get through them a quickly and painlessly as possible.
