Prevent Procrastination and Overwhelm with this Simple 5-step Stress Management Process
In my years as a coach supporting entrepreneurs with their overwhelm, I have noticed that so many people believe that they are not enough and that they are not valuable. This energy ripples out from them constantly. It is my belief this is what creates and perpetuates their overwhelm.
Then they are in a vicious cycle. Think about it for a moment. If you are trying to prove that you are enough, that you are worthy, then you create situations and experiences in your life to prove your worth. It takes a lot of energy when you are constantly trying to prove this to yourself and others.
Let's talk about mind chatter for a moment! It makes you crazy. What occurs in your mind is an inner tug-o-war of thoughts pulling you in different directions. It is like when you say you want to do something and you have another thought that tells you why you can't do that, or why you aren't good enough to do it or it has to be in a certain format or way. Basically what happens is you get pulled in so many different directions that you end up feeling totally stuck. The outcome is that you don't have a clear path of which way to go or what is the next step to take.
Trust me, I know, because I felt this way when I was trying to write this article and I had to remind myself to use my own process!
Most people have this inner chatter going on and feel stuck but don't understand why they feel stuck. When you don't understand and the energy around it feels heavy, then there is no clear path and you tend to procrastinate or push it off. This creates even more feelings of overwhelm because you know in the back of your mind you need to take care of it. The paradox is that you continue to push it off because it feels too overwhelming to do right now, so you are caught in a vicious cycle.
What can you do about this mind chatter?
What I like to do when my mind is racing is to use the process that I call (or created) The Chatter Stopper. It is true, I really named it the Chatter Stopper! The basic idea of the Chatter Stopper is for you to stop and become clear on your competing thoughts that: - Prevent you from understanding why you feel stuck, and - What you can do to resolve it.
There are five basic steps to completing the Chatter Stop that will help you detangle and focus your thoughts and energy.
It is really simple.
You would do the Chatter Stop to become clear so you can do more easily. First though, you need to become clear why you want to do it, otherwise, your competing thoughts of why it can't be done, how hard it is, that you do don't understand it or have the skill to do it actually interferes with your ability to begin and complete the task.
Let's do the Chatter Stop!
First, you want to identify your goal. You want to identify the goal so that you are clear on what you want to do.
After you identify your goal, you then ask yourself, "What is it that I don't want?" This uncovers or pulls out all the competing thoughts, the yeah-buts, and the thoughts that tell you why you can't do this or why it will be hard. These thoughts are the thing that make it hard for you and prevent you from moving forward. This could be based on past experience or beliefs that you have about yourself, behaviors that perhaps were passed on from teachers, parents or society. When you make time to get clear on what you don't want, you can easily identify what it is you want.
It is like when someone is giving you something that you want. They have a present for you, but your hands are full with stuff. You are holding a bunch of junk in your hands. To take the present, you need to drop the junk. By writing down what you don't want first you are letting go of the junk and open up the space to bring in greater clarity on what you do want.
The next step is to identify what you do want. Most people don't know what they want or aren't clear on what they want; therefore, they don't get what they want. By identifying what you want, you are given a different focal point, rather than staying in the energy of what you don't want. Whatever you focus on is what you get, so it is better to be clear on what you want so you attract more of that!
The next step is to ask yourself is "How will I feel once I have what I want?" The reason you want to become clear on how you will think you will feel is because ultimately this is what you wanted to feel in the first place. By tapping into these feelings, you are tapping into the energy that will carry you through the process.
If you do this process, then you are literally shifting your vibration so your goal becomes easier to obtain. By managing your energies then there is no need for you to try to push yourself through it.
Lastly, ask yourself, "What am I inspired to do now?" This allows your inner guidance to unfold. By tapping into the energy of your feelings, you can you access a higher vibration that allows guidance to come through easily. When you receive inspiration or guidance, it is important to follow through with it. When move from a place of guided inspired action, then it will feel natural and comfortable for you to take the next steps.
When you tap into the feelings of why you want something, you connect to yourself. When you are connecting and aligning with yourself, then you are accessing a higher vibration. Then by following through with your inspired action, you allow energy to flow and draw what you want to you more easily and quickly. In the process, you feel good because you are allowing your inspiration to come through. Then you are lit up with possibilities and actually look forward to what is to come.
The inspired action gives you the next best step. When you take a next step, the possibilities change. You are that much closer to what you want and at the same time you can become high on the energy. You are aligned with and supported by Spirit for whatever you desire to manifest. The inspired action moves the energy. It changes the blueprint and opens up your energy.
I encourage you to try this process and see how easily it can help you manage your chatter. It seems simple, however, my clients tell me all the time that this is one of the easiest ways that they are able to get more things done.
About the Author
I invite you to connect with us at http://www.prosperitylighthouse.com/chatterstopper to receive a chatter stopper template and real examples of how we used it.
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