What Is The First Step?
Posted by Savannah | Filed under Focus, Self-awareness
As a practicing Neurotherapy Specialist and Life Coach, I find that time management, organization, and goal setting as well as other life application tools seem to be a primary focus when working with my clients. The question, however, is: What is the first step when focusing on what we want? We establish goals and put together an action plan or a timeline to reach those goals. Yet, after a number of years, I have noticed that there are elements that need to be put into place first so that many of my clients can be effective in applying these tools. I began to wonder if goal setting, better time management, and organization actually were the first steps needed to be taken when trying to “pull it together”.
Concentration and focus are required before we engage in any cognitive activity. How do we focus on the process of goal setting and organization effectively when we struggle to survive the day? For some of us, our “busy” brains operate more like pinball machines than “well-oiled” machines. We look for “magic cures” to end our dilemmas. We look to other people or the latest program or gadget to be the answers to solving our problems. Are these the answers to providing the long-term management and sustainability we need to reach our goals?
So what is the “monkey wrench” that is being thrown into our well-oiled machine? It is negative stress. Stress runs rampantly through our lives. Stress is a normal physical response to when we feel threatened. The body’s stress response, what is commonly referred to as the “fight or flight” or “ancient alert” response, is its way of protecting us. Good stress allows for us to meet our challenges more easily and can even save our lives. On the other hand, too much stress, or when stress becomes negative, can stop being helpful and become damaging to our physical health, our emotional health, our personal and professional relationships, and our overall quality of life.
Fortunately, there are tools we can adopt into our daily practice that can control the body’s response to stress. They lead to relaxation, relief from anxiety, better concentration and focus, and long-term stress management. These tools are very simple, yet very effective.
A few suggestions before we begin: Please remember to remove gum or candy so there will be no choking! Try practicing these steps at least twice a day for a minimum of 10 – 15 minutes. Scheduling it into a daily routine incorporates it into an existing lifestyle. And last but not least, practicing these exercises when alert will prevent falling asleep to receive better benefit.
Counting Back and Breathing- Counting back from a higher number such as 20 – 25 and breathing can be done anywhere. It slows the “busy” brain down and can stimulate an instant stress relief.
Progressive Relaxation-Focusing on the different body parts releases the tension that is felt in the muscles and around the joints. Concentrate and breathe or flex and release into each part.
Happy Place-Sitting or lying down and going to that peaceful, pleasant place enables even greater focus and further relaxation. Remember that last vacation spot or maybe the “secret place” and go there.
We can better manage stress levels with a daily practice of relaxation techniques. Relaxation creates a moment of restfulness which lessens emotional vulnerability and allows healing to take place in the body. It relieves the pressure on the nervous system. Practicing relaxation techniques also jumpstarts the healing process of the body and promotes overall feelings of calmness and self-control. Only after the body and mind have been brought back to balance, can the critically important issues of time management, organization, and goal setting be adequately addressed.
