As a mom of two active and sporty boys, I am always concerned about what they put into their mouths. Is it healthy? Will it sustain them? Snacks are a big thing in our house! “Mom, can you please get some goooood snacks?”
The challenge is always something tasty AND healthy. We’re pretty good in the fruits and vegetables department, but after that, I’m often at a loss.
“Christmas is over, you’ve put on weight, it’s cold out, it’s dark out, your credit card bills are in, you’re not going to get another day off until March, and you’re tired.
You might even be depressed.
If so, you are not alone, especially not today. For today, according to one measure, is Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year.” (Montreal Gazette)
Blue Monday sounds pretty gloomy. But for many, it truly is. For some, the January funk is a result of cold weather, overspending during the holidays, a relationship gone sour, or job dissatisfaction. For others, it’s something more serious.
Today, no matter where you’re at, I wanted to give you 10 power tips to help beat the winter blues. Ten power tips to get you out of the January funk. Ten suggestions you can do NOW, to give yourself some relief.
Hello, I’m back! Back in the groove. Kids are back in school (hallelujah), I’m back at work (grateful).
Our family time over the break was really restful. I became an auntie for the first time too!
Happy 2018, my beautiful ladies.
I checked in once this break, as I am really trying to focus on being present in all my activities. I also wanted to be fresh for 2018.
I feel ready.
If you rolled into the New Year without any resolutions, or are feeling stuck or in a rut, change starts today for you.
I’ve got a little roadmap ready to guide you.
Truth? I’m sitting right now with one of my besties and said to her, “How should I close the year? What should I write about today?”
And she proceeded to tell me about an article she was reading recently on the “unpleasable generation.” The article discussed how over-parenting is making our kids unpleasable. Restless. Even depressed and anxious. With technology at our fingertips to give us quick answers, with parents giving in to their kids’ every whim trying to keep them happy, combined with mom hovering to make sure Johnny handed in that assignment, or worse, call the teacher to see what can be done with that poor grade, our children aren’t building their resilience muscle. They are actually becoming anxious and depressed in the process. When they aren’t given the chance to fail or try new things, they become lazy, unpleasable.
So, my bestie and I decided, instead of sitting here today and contemplating our New Years resolutions and how we make next year better, why don’t we take time to focus on what we DO have, and how we can build on that. Can we focus on being PLEASABLE? And not just for our kids, but us too.
If you’re just joining us today, my 7-day life coaching challenge/homework has been daily exercises to help get you off the fence in 2018. If you’re late to the game, you can still do the challenge, just start from day 1 on our blog, and proceed daily.
Day 7 – Create your own vision board or dreamboard
Today’s final challenge is an activity! It is called vision boarding or dreamboarding.
WHAT IS A VISION BOARD?
It’s a powerful visualization tool representing your goals and dreams by pictures and inspirational phrases. This is where you actually create visual imagery of what you want it your life on a bristol board or virtual board (I love DreamItAlive.com).
Day 6 – Book yourself at an upcoming networking event
Book yourself at an upcoming event (networking, conference or other, in your city or another). Yes, I’m serious. Commit to being open-minded and getting out there and meeting new people. Meeting new people solely for the purpose of — once you know your goal for the new year, the law of attraction can help you meet random people in random places. But, it’s not so random. You see, once you’re crystal clear about what you want, you will attract those people you need who will help propel you closer to your goals. Yes it’s real, and it’s spectacular. ?
That’s today’s challenge. An interesting one. Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
Day 5 – Write down 3 action plans that you will execute each consecutive week starting January 1st, 2018
These action plans will propel you forward in the goal you selected on Day 2 of our challenge. They will roll out one at a time starting January 1st and will carry you through the first 3 weeks of January. Example, if your goal is to find a new job in the new year, Week 1 action plan: Fix up your CV. Week 2: Research 10 new potential employers. Week 3: Reach out to 5 new potential employers to solidify interviews. You catch the idea.
That’s today’s challenge. It’s a big one.
Day 4: Do one thing out of your comfort zone today
Day 4 – You’re still digesting the 3 blocked areas from yesterday, so while that’s marinading, today is the ‘out of your comfort zone’ challenge day!
Your homework is simple yet challenging: Do one thing out of your comfort zone today. It can be something as simple as going to a yoga class this afternoon if you’ve never done yoga, to something bigger. Something perhaps you’ve wanted to do, but have been putting off. In the words of NIKE, Just Do It. I encourage you to Google activities out of your comfort zone if you can’t think of any. Going out of our comfort zone challenges and awakens you in more ways than you can imagine.
That’s today’s challenge. It’s a FUN one!
Day 3 – You’ve narrowed things down to ONE goal to focus on for the New Year. Today, write down 3 things blocking you from attaining your goal. Expand as much as possible. Doing this will help bring the situation to life- and actually, perhaps, you might realize you are not as stuck as you think. When you write about the blocks, that begins the unblocking process.
Examine belief systems holding you back from achieving your goal. Things like “I’m not good enough. Unlovable. Not deserving…”
When we awaken ourselves to what is blocking our path, we begin to build a roadmap through.
So, how did yesterday go? Did you come up with 3?
Follow WomenOnTheFence.com all week for my daily life coaching challenge/homework to begin getting off the fence. If you’re late to the game, just start from day 1 and proceed daily.
Let’s recap day 1.
Day 1 – Write down 3 areas you’re stuck
(Example: you’re currently in a job you dislike, you want to lose weight, get your finances in order, you want to fix your marriage, be a better parent, find more me-time, stop smoking, etc)…
I help busy women (like you!) prioritize self-care so you can experience less stress, more calm and greater joy every day!
