I'm drowning......

Have you felt like you are drowning but you just don't know from what?

You over caffeinate yourself thinking it's because you're tired and you just need a pick me up. You try to justify why you may be tired and then just pretend like you're not and just keep pushing through.

If that's you don't fret, you're not alone. I've been there far too many times than I can count. I try to blame it on everything else other than just simply taking time out to listen to why I may be feeling this way.

You see people always talk about the importance of taking breaks, rest days, resting the body but what about our minds. How often have are we taking time out to simply give our overthinking mind a break.

How do we do that?

I remember thinking to myself when I am laying on the couch or in my bed oh I'm resting my mind too. While scrolling through social media, or frantically thinking about my to do list for tomorrow or thinking about the next move, next class, adjusting the yoga schedule, checking my slack messages. Finally, I realized Fe you're not taking a mental break if anything you're driving your mind down into the gutter. No wonder you're so freaking tired all the time. You never shut down.

That's when it dawned on me that in order to truly take a mental rest break, I have to set hard boundaries not just for others but also for myself.

Hard Boundaries I set for myself to take a mental daily break right now looks like:

1. Designated reply times

As a yoga director, educator, entrepreneur and mother I had to set a boundary for myself that I don't have to reply as soon as someone messages me. Unless it's an absolute emergency. Set designated check email time. reply to email time, reply to text messages, slack messages. The emails can wait. The text reply can wait. You don't have to jump every time someone messages you.

2. Shut down time

This was probably the hardest and still is the hardest thing for me is having an off button. Shutting down at night. Just because the work isn't done for that day doesn't mean you have to finish it. It will still be there tomorrow. Shut down your brain at night. Have an absolute cut off time and shut down your computers, electronics, work time.

3. Stop 0verbooking yourself

If there is work that has to be done don't over book yourself trying to do the most. Give yourself enough time to get projects done or to get a task done. If the person doesn't like it, then that's their problem. Their emergency is not your urgency.

4. Make time for play

When was the last time that you actually allowed yourself to simply play? When was the last time that you put all work aside and you did something fun, a hobby, a walk in the park, skating, roller coaster riding. Life is not just about working but about living. We are not living when we don't allow ourselves to play.

5. No is a complete sentence.

You don't have to say YES to everything. No is a complete sentence. So often we get into this people pleasing state especially with jobs, love ones, or close friends. You don't have to show up for everyone and everything. Protect your peace, your mind and remember that NO is a complete sentence; no explanation needed.

I invite you through this month, throughout each and every month to take inventory. Notice what areas that you are over booking yourself. Notice if you are taking time out to play. Notice if you are being a YES person. Notice if you are not allowing yourself to simply be, to rest. It's time to take back our peace, peace in our mind, body and soul.

I don't know about you but I'm ready. Who's ready to take own this challenge with me?

Join me and others in the Mindfulness Challenge

Let's go

Felicia