1. Start your day with a strong morning routine. 

This alone is a game changer. Instead of waking up. stumbling into your day and reacting to life as it happens around you, you can start the day feeling calm and in control. I have a strong morning routine, I will always get up before anyone else is awake. I then have that time to myself, to get my mindset in the right space and start the day feeling empowered, invigorated and ready. 

I’m sure you’ve noticed that when you first wake up, your mind immediately starts working on your to-do list or starts trying to tackle problems. And it’s such a chaotic way to start the day. When you start the day in control, you can start the day in a positive frame of mind and can be very deliberate about how you feel and how you want the day to go. This means that when everyone else gets up and start needing you, you have more energy and patience and can give from a full cup instead of being triggered and feeling rushed or stressed. What morning routine? That’s completely up to you. Google it. I know Tony Robbins has some videos on YouTube about his ‘Hour of Power’ which would be worth watching. See what resonates with you and set the time aside to get into this incredible habit. Just to give you an idea, I meditate, do some gratitude work, journal and do a brief yoga session. It has completely changed my life and I am much calmer and happier for it. When it becomes a habit for you, it won’t be something you have to make yourself do – it will become a non-negotiable part of your life, as you will love it.

 

2. Set an intention for the day.

Doing something as simple as setting an intention for the day, can really shape how your day goes and how you feel as you start the day. It will bring energy through for the day and will help you focus on what you want. It’s small, it’s simple, but it’s powerful. 

 

3. Focus on what you are grateful for.

I can never say enough about gratitude, gratitude changes everything. It changed my life. It changed the way I saw things, it changed my perspective, it changed how I felt about everything. If you are always complaining internally, and looking at the things you don’t have, the things that are missing, the things that you are trying to create but just aren’t coming – you will be living in a place of lack. You will never have enough. You will never be happy. 

 When you stop to think about what you do have, it can be very humbling. Even in the worst of situations or most challenging of times, you will always have more than someone else. There are always going to be people worse off, so it’s really valuable to take stock of what you have around you and who you have around you.

 It’s scientifically proven that when you feel gratitude it’s impossible to feel fear. They are on opposite ends of the emotional scale. And since you can chose what to focus on, you can chose the emotions you want to feel. You just need to be deliberate with how you manage your thoughts.

 When you Iive in a place of gratitude, you will attract other thoughts and feelings that are on the same level of emotion. And so you will feel calmer, happier and more uplifted. 

 How do you practice gratitude? It’s simple. You can just write 3, 5 or 10 things you are grateful for every morning when you wake up and every evening as you go to bed.  And make a conscious effort to appreciate all the things you observe as you move throughout your day. Think of all the things that had to happen just for you to have a cup of coffee in the morning. When you trace that journey back to a single coffee bean, it’s really quite amazing. 

We have so much to be thankful for. A roof over your head, running water, electricity, heating internet….. you can pretty much order anything and have it delivered the next day! Then of course there’s everything you have in your life, your home, the people around you. 

There is always, always something to be grateful for and when you practice gratitude you will simply attract more and more into your life to be grateful for. 

 

4. Be OK with interruptions.

 So this tip is for all the families working at home whilst home schooling / with kids at home. To reduce stress, you need to make peace with having interruptions throughout your day. The kids suddenly need 10x more snacks, you’re having to make sure they show up to lessons, you have to help them with school work and when they’re not in lessons, they want your attention. 

 It’s difficult when you are used to having your time segmented and managed effectively – but again, this is temporary. It might not feel it after 2 lockdowns already, but it will pass. For now you can only do the best you can. 

 The kids will be needing you more than ever and in a different way. Just relax as much as you can and accept it. It’s out of your control, there is nothing you can do aside from adjust – this will stop you getting frustrated and triggered every time you hear ‘Mummyyyyyyyy….’ or ‘Daddddddyyyyyyy’. 

And be grateful.  Be grateful for the fact that they’re actually with you and that you get to see them a little bit more. I know, it’s really, really difficult. And it’s easier said than done, but when could you ever have imagined that we’d get all this precious extra time with our children and family?

 

5. Stop trying to be perfect. 

Another tip is to stop putting so much pressure on yourself. And I speak from my heart because I used to be so guilty of this. Trying to be perfect at everything and then giving myself a hard time because I wasn’t. For a start, perfection doesn’t exist. There is no such thing! 

 Make your best good enough, because it is! There’s different demands on us, we’ve suddenly been moved into a different world where everything’s changed, our routines uplifted, everything’s different, and it feels a bit chaotic. 

So take your foot off the gas and cut yourself some slack. Just show up and be the best you can be for your business, and show up and be the best you can be for your family. That’s all we can ever do anyway. Doing your best is always enough.

 

More to come in part 2….

 

Take care, you’ve got this