4 Tiny Habits That Will Give You 100% Life Clarity
A de-cluttered mind results in a de-cluttered life.
Matthew Henry | Unsplash It can be easy to get stuck. We’re not feeling it. We feel low. We’re frustrated. And feeling good is what we need now to get stuff done. Not every situation like this can be fixed or soothed in four steps, but many times it can. It’s worked for me, and it can for you too. If you can commit 10–30 minutes of your time today to getting mentally unstuck, you could save hours, days, and years of time ruminating, hitting your head against a wall, and twisting yourself up. Would you be willing to make that trade?
Here are 4 tiny habits that will give you 100% life clarity:
1. List everything in writing that is worrying you.
Doing this alone will make you feel better. Write down at least five things that are bugging you. It gets your thoughts out on full show on paper.
Photo: Antonio Guillem / Shutterstock
2. Right after you’ve written your list, sit or meditate for at least 10 minutes.
Be aware of your breath and the feelings in your body. Let thoughts float by but don’t mind them. Just be aware of your physical sensations. This won’t be easy for some because you will want to jump to the next step but go with it. This clears your mind and allows you to become aware that you are separate from your emotions. You are an observer.
You will find that by focusing on uncomfortable sensations in your body — watching the feelings of worry in your chest — they will start to melt away. You are now in the state opposite of your previous reactive and emotional self. You are now moving towards creativity. A creative state is in flow, free from reactive worry, and you can carry this state into the next step…
3. Come back to your list.
Write down three of the biggest worries from the list leaving space below. Now come up with at least two solutions — or turn the worry into a positive (reframe) — for each of the three main worries. The more the better. Write them down and let them digest. Here we show ourselves that we have the creativity and the self-determination to begin solving our biggest problems by ourselves.
4. Take one tiny step toward one of the solutions you just came up with.
If you need to get more of your art into the world, share an image on social media. Just take one step. Show yourself you can do it. Now you can see and feel real progress, even if it’s a small step.
Where can this take you next? Being stuck is not so sticky after all.
Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient.