Last week, Buffalo, NY received over 7 feet of snow in under 24 hours. charlotte family photographer
People were trapped in their homes by the unexpected mount of snow. Roofs buckled under the strain and people could barely leave their homes because of the height of the snow at their front and back doors. The idea of it was extremely scary and even life threatening. charlotte family photographer
It was scary and beautiful and terrible and incredible.
How often do you feel those similar feelings in your own life…sans the 7 feet of snow?
Feeling like you’re trapped in a routine or schedule, as though your life feels like it’s runny you instead of you running it. You stress over things that are either out of your control or lists that feel like they’ve bested you before you’re even out of bed.
With the holidays coming, those feeling may be increasing. You may be dreaming of familyness moments, beautiful music playing in the background, smiles all around, and no one fighting. Then the reality hits you that things may not play out in real life the same way they are in your mind.
It’s ok if it doesn’t play out like the dream in your head.
You don’t have to be limited to that one beautiful way for your life to be lived. You life can be lived in so many incredible, amazing, and depth filled ways that go way beyond the expectation you’ve created.
Let’s get you out from under your pretend 7 feet of life you feel buried beneath.
Quick Tips:
1. What you really want is already in your life right now.
It’s just a matter of seeing it. Believe that you already have it…because you do.
Whatever you’re dreaming of, no matter what it is, is already in your life. You just may not be seeing it. Practice opening your eyes in new ways. Let yourself see ways you already have ‘the family that gets along’ or ‘the money to pay for it’ or ‘life you want.’
A lot of it is just telling yourself to see what you’ve been missing, to see what you’ve been looking past or beyond. There are opportunities in your life right now to have the life you want.
If you wish you had more time…you have the time. What you want is already part of your life, you just have to bee willing to see your time differently.
2. Look at how you’re contributing and connecting rather than what you’re checking off.
If can be so easy to make a checklist and then judge your day by how much you did or didn’t check off of said list. Measuring a day like that can get pretty discouraging. Trust me, I’ve done it!
There’s a way that just feels better and helps you to see the way you’re actually changing the world. How many things do you do in a day that aren’t on your list but are powerful moments of contributing (sending a client their slideshow and adding more life to their day) and connecting (spending time with your daughter in the car talking about the clash of feelings that are coming up for her with her sports team)?
Contributing and connecting are the things that make our lives rich and beautiful and deep and meaningful. We all have contributing and connecting moments through out our days. They aren’t things that generally make it to our checklists but they are so much more worth acknowledging.
3. Take care of yourself and have fun.
Most often, when we feel overwhelmed the first thing we stop doing is taking care of ourselves. We stop exercising or eating healthy foods and we immediately go into production mode saying things like, “I know I’m supposed to exercise right now but I could get an hour more of editing done if I just get started right now.” Do what you have to take care of yourself and you’ll be more productive and creative.
Build fun into your day! I love crossword puzzles (as I’ve mentioned before) and I know they make me sound like an old lady (when a puzzle asks you the name of musician Bono and the answer is Sonny, you know you’re enjoying an old person’s pasttime) but I love taking a few minutes’ break and doing a crossword puzzle in the middle of my day. I also purposefully make myself leave my house (I know you’re laughing right now because you know exactly what I mean)!
4. Give more life to yourself and others.
Instead of thinking about how these ideas are adding to your checklist of things to do, think about how you can infuse more awesome life into yourself. Figure out what would make you, personally, feel more alive. And do that. Today.
Then consider how you can give more life to one other person. How can you inject more awesomeness into the life of someone else. Right now. Today. Go do it.
5. Laugh.
When we are overwhelmed we are taking ourselves and our life pretty darn seriously. It’s time to get over ourselves. Laugh.
If you can’t bring yourself to laugh watch an old Seinfeld episode. Look up the laffy taffy jokes. Give yourself and your brain a break and permission to be silly. Laugh like a cackling witch. Like right now. It doesn’t matter who is watching. Just do it.
See. You’re laughing and feeling silly. And it feels pretty good.
By day, I photograph families. By night, I build forts the size of elephants with my family. I live in a yellow house. I believe real life is the best getaway ever.
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