Gearing Up, but Staying in Control

Holy shit can you feel that? Life feels like it just shifted into 3rd gear. Shit is moving real fast. The hustle-bustle-rush to get things done and finish the fourth and final quarter of the year happens with such a flash that there is a constant vibe of commotion, change and transitions all around — even as we walk and hear the soft and peaceful crunch of the fall leaves beneath our feet.

Change and transitions tend to be difficult for people. For instance, my client Sarah shared how uneasy she has felt the last few weeks because of the change in season. She felt summer just ended yet Halloween and Christmas decorations are up at stores. This sparked anxious energy because she feels like life is moving so fast and she feels she is falling more and more behind and can never catch up.

Can you relate to that feeling? It’s like the sensation of being on a treadmill that just keeps speeding up when you want to walk, not run. Or maybe you have noticed some butterflies in your belly or a sense of imbalance, as you don’t know where your next step will be quite yet. In the midst of jumping over a puddle into the unknown, stress and anxiety might feel like they are at an all time high. Pause here and take a breath and know what you are feeling now is completely normal. Pause. Now continue reading…

I shared a mindset reframe tool with Sarah that helped her feel more empowered by her emotions than at their mercy. This mindset shift was inspired by the research that Kelly McGonigal shares in her book, The Upside of Stress. McGonigal shares numerous studies and experiments that demonstrate the power of transforming stress from a threat into a challenge with the power of a simple mindset shift. Jeremy Jamieson conducted one of the studies mentioned. He took a pool of GRE students, one group being the control with no intervention. The other group was given a mindset intervention and had a “brief pep talk to help them rethink their pre-exam nerves.” After both groups took the tests, Jamieson realized that the group with the mindset intervention showed the same physical stress responses as the control group, but the mindset intervention group performed higher because they had been taught how to make their stress work for them to enhance performance rather than hold them back.

Having a mindset reframe for Sarah allowed her to feel more in control and present with her time, projects, passions, body, mind, soul, relationships, spirituality and career. She didn’t feel like life was slipping through her fingers anymore. Instead, she felt like she was taking purposeful action to be her best self.

How can a mindset intervention support you during this time of change?

Are you hungry for more connection, support and accountability during this time of change? Join me for my Healthy for the Holidaze virtual group-coaching program to help you feel healthy and grounded admits the “daze” of the holidays. Check out more info here.