Break Free Tip of the Month

SEPTEMBER’S BREAK FREE TIP shows you some powerful ways to pick yourself up when your spirits sag from “unrequited work” – so that you can quickly reclaim your day and get back to what’s important to you.

Terrific Pick-Me-Uppers

When your task at hand becomes a “drag” on your outlook and your energy, you can easily lose your motivation and start feeling down on yourself. Spending long hours at a task that never seems to end can drain you and make you unfit for your own company, let alone anybody else’s! What can you do to rejuvenate your outlook in a relatively short time – so you can stop feeling gloomy and get back to accomplishing what you wanted?

Typical “fixes” are to grab a chocolate bar, a cup of coffee, a soda, a cigarette, or a bowl of munchies andforce yourself to keep plugging. OR to throw up your hands in disgust and do something trivial and distracting instead – and to let yourself wallow in a general funk all day. Either way you don’t enjoy your day.

TAKE A QUICK TIME-OUT

When you feel like you’re dragging, one of the most powerful ways to tip the scales back in your favor is to take a quick time-out. In order to make it QUICK, you will want to have some good time-out activities up your sleeve and ready for use so you can refresh yourself and get back to what you wanted to accomplish in good time.

ENJOYMENT & CONTRAST

The key is to select time-out activities that are enjoyable to you and that are in contrast to the task that has you dragging. If you’ve been sitting at a computer keyboard for hours, for goodness sake don’t go sit at a piano keyboard. Yes, it’s a different activity, but it’s not different enough to rejuvenate your physical and mental state of affairs.

Here are some ways to make sure your “time out” activities are different enough to rejuvenate you:

Change Your Company

If you have been alone, play with your animals or call someone you enjoy.
If you have been with people, get off by yourself for a bit.

Change Your Activity Level

If you have been active, do something which allows you to sit quietly.
If you have been sedentary, do something active.

Change Your Environmental Stimulation

If you have worked in silence, read something out loud, sing a song, play a musical instrument, or listen to some worthwhile radio.
If you have worked in a noisy atmosphere, go to a quiet place.

Change Your Surroundings

If you have been working inside, go outside.
If you have been working outside, go inside.

HERE’S HOW TO GET STARTED

Of course you have to know what YOU enjoy and have some ideas in mind ahead of time. Activities can be anything you enjoy, from taking a refreshing shower to prancing around the house to your favorite music, to gardening, writing a letter or a poem, to hiking, reading (to yourself or someone else), or calling a friend for a short chat. Ask yourself:

What aerobic activities do I enjoy?
What relaxing activities do I enjoy?
What social activities do I enjoy?
What alone-time activities do I enjoy?
What indoor activities do I enjoy?
What outdoor activities do I enjoy?
What people do I enjoy talking with?
Do I have outdoor and indoor places where I can be quiet and alone?
Do I have outdoor and indoor places where I can be noisy and social?

Once you know what you enjoy, you will have plenty of contrasting activities to pick from when you need a quick pick-me-upper.

And it works! This very day I caught myself feeling terribly down after working for hours at the computer on my eBook project. After “stewing” for a while, I got up, changed clothes and went for a half-hour walk outside. I had time to soak up nature, to think, to gain perspective, and to smile! It energized my body and relaxed my mind. I even came up with the idea for writing this TIP! And now I can get back to my eBook project with renewed enthusiasm!

I hope this helps you lift yourself up whenever you feel down – so you can love living your life each and every single day!

I’d love to hear how these steps work for you — feel free to email me at Terry@YourRecipeForLivingCoach.com, or post a comment on my Break Free Blog atwww.YourRecipeForLivingCoach.com. Please know that you are welcome to share this BREAK FREE TIP by forwarding this message to a friend or colleague.

Always here to make your days more delicious,