Well, the simplest answer to this question is that you’re overwhelmed. Crazy work timing, the pandemic, and post-pandemic changes, daily commute to and from work, irregular food habits, improper sleep, and most importantly- lack of personal time and space; all culminate to wear you down mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. All these characteristics function co-dependently. The moment one thing goes amiss, all of it follows a domino effect and eventually, you tumble down. To put it simply, think of life as a sandwich, where one slice of bread is work, the other slice of bread is personal life and relationships, and the condiments are personal time. Mostly, we end up eliminating the condiments and put the two slices of bread together; as a result, life seems bland and distasteful. This article will help you space things out, put the desired condiments in place, and make life seem worthwhile.
Here’s What You’ve Got to Do to Manifest Stability in Life
Achieving stability is not an instant miracle; rather, it is a process that needs your dedication. The first challenge is breaking out of the imbalance because your system, body clock, and mentality are attuned to it even though you don’t like it. It’s like getting rid of a bad habit that you’ve had for too long. It may seem like a mammoth task when starting out. So the first thing you need to do is break your ultimate goal down into smaller, easier steps. Take an hour out, sit down with a clear head and make a new schedule for yourself. Don’t make it too different from your existing schedule, but make sure to add small breaks, eating time, self-care time in it. Without making too many major changes, if you just move things around and de-clutter your daily tasks a bit, it creates a great difference in results. Once you have the new schedule in place, you can do the following:
Figure out a healthy diet. Infuse your diet with nutrients by adding fruits and vegetables to it. Reduce your caffeine intake slowly. Instead of heavy meals twice a day, eat small portions 4-5 times a day. This way, your body will stay energized owing to the constant inflow of food. Researching a little about healthier food and incorporating it into your lifestyle will greatly benefit you. Managing and monitoring your physical health through food intake is an easy yet important step.
Be sure to keep 20-30mins, or even more if possible, dedicated to yourself. That is when you detox from the day-to-day events. It’s even better if you take a break from social media. You could brew a cup of tea, take a bubble bath, read a book, meditate, just lie down and listen to music- the options are endless. Whatever you do, just detach yourself from the world and move into the world of your own, even if it’s just for 20mins. This will help you evaluate your own worth and improve your sense of self. It will allow you to prioritize your wellbeing instead of blindly following the painful, dull routine that feeds off your energy.
With your self-worth in place, it’ll be easier to start setting boundaries to slowly separate the personal and the professional. Post work hours, stop accepting work at home unless absolutely necessary. Work smart, get paid for the work that you do. Don’t let others dismiss your valuable time. If you take up work at home post-work hours, it gets in the way of your daily schedule and disrupts it. Once in a while, it is manageable. But if it occurs continuously, it’ll become a problem. Similarly, try to finish up all the work at your workplace instead of carrying it home with you.
This may be a little difficult, but try to keep your work timings flexible. This will ease the burden of deadlines and help you settle into a schedule that accommodates your needs while getting the job done efficiently.
Seek therapy if necessary! There is no shame in seeking therapy. You don’t need to have clinical issues to talk to a therapist. People don’t realize how useful therapy can be because of the taboo surrounding it. It’s simply like talking to a well-informed friend, and you are able to realize a lot of things about yourself that help you flourish. Therapy is like treating your mind to good food. Sometimes it’s sweet, sometimes it’s spicy, but in the end, you love it. One doesn’t have to be damaged or broken to be there. You can simply talk about daily ups and downs, and it’ll help you release your stress and negative emotions that you hold without even realizing it.
One of the most important steps is to communicate your boundaries, even in interpersonal relationships. You can only enjoy personal time and space when both work and other relationships are sorted. Inform the people in your life about the time you’ve set aside for yourself, and ask them to respect it. Extend the same courtesy to any other person in your circle.
Following these steps will surely establish stability in your daily life. Sending hugs and positivity!
