I want to share with you an observation I have made recently as I work alongside people helping them navigate their life’s journey. We are starting to figure out life post pandemic and I am noticing that people are very committed when it comes to their time and obligations. Dare I say, overcommitted? Can you relate? Are you suddenly finding yourself to be very busy and feeling stress and overwhelm?
If so, you are not alone. You are also experiencing a very familiar cycle that I witness all the time. It is my belief that when we go through a period of strict restriction, most of us will at some point rebel and move into a period of ample abundance. Think about the last time you put yourself on a diet or stuck to a budget. Did you do really well in the beginning but at some point splurge or indulge because you just felt so restricted? You had been so good that you deserved a treat? I know that I have witnessed this cycle of restriction and splurging over and over again with my clients and myself.
This oscillation between restriction and indulgence is not bad. It is quite normal. And it doesn’t always lead to what we want. We think that if we move to indulgence as a reward for withstanding restrictions, it will make us feel really good and restore us. The reality is it does for a period of time but then we find the indulgence to be too much. We get overwhelmed, we are stressed, we just don’t feel good after the splurge. So what do we do; we go back to restricting because we believe that will help us feel better.
I’d like to offer a new option. Instead of the vicious cycle of restrict, indulge, self loathe and repeat, what if we turned to a victorious cycle of balance that increased quality of life versus depleted it. The cycle starts with understanding what really matters to you; what you value, your purpose, your big WHY.
Once we know what is important, we move into organizing our life around the things that matter. That could be how you spend your time, your money, use your skills, achieve your goals – what’s key is making sure all those things center around what really matters to you and not what society tells you matters. Then this leads to self satisfaction vs the self loathe we see in the vicious cycle.
Do you want to exit the ride of restrictions and splurges? Do you instead want to navigate and orient your life around what is most important to you? A victorious cycle of quality of life will not leave you burned out, over committed, and wishing for simpler times.
Jump off the hamster wheel and start by getting really clear on what matters to you. If you need help, we are here for you.