Getting your oomph back week 8
Considering the number of changes we can have in our lives, you would think we were okay with it, however, often this is not the case at all. Even a change for the better can leave us with mixed emotions. When it is a change that comes from without e.g. another re-structing at work, a change in health or other circumstances even in our environment and community, then we may have all sorts of emotional responses to what we see as challenges which we wonder if we will be able to cope with or adapt to what we see as a negative impact. As ever, these wee tips are for self-reflection and not a replacement for professional advice.
Change can have an impact on our motivation and energy levels and can be something else which leaves us feeling flat, listless and with no ‘oomph’. The more we begin to understand ourselves the more we can find ways to work through these feelings to a better state of wellbeing and motivation.
We may not always be aware of it, but in many ways, we are creatures of habit. We have routines some of which we are not even aware of on a conscious level as we have been doing them for so long. Change often means those patterns and routines, which often offer us a sense of stability, all of a sudden become shaken. We often enjoy a degree of certainty in our lives this is why change can have an impact on us as perhaps things are less certain now, and this sense of uncertainty can be stressful. While we can experience stresses in our lives, it matters we know how to recognise these feelings and manage them. Stress drains our energy at a time when we need it to enable us to deal with whatever the change is.
Another reason why change can leave us feeling exhausted is that it may require us to invest energy into adapting, or learning e.g. a restructuring at work may mean new roles, new team members, new bosses, new policies, new expectations, now this happens occasionally, but if you find due to various reasons there are often restructurings happening then this obviously can increase our fatigue as we feel we were only getting used to the new normal then hey, another new normal comes along. This can also be exacerbated by the pace of change we can find as a result of AI and having to find ways to adapt to this new technology.
There are so many emotions which can accompany change, excitement, anxiety, anticipation, fear, sometimes even a feeling of loss or grief. While some emotions like excitement can energise us, others like anxiety, fear, grief can leave us feeling exhausted and listless, we may find it hard to concentrate or even feel enthusiastic about things we normally enjoy. We are capable of so many emotions, and we can have a tendency to describe them as good or bad, where really these are all our emotions and when we try to suppress or even ignore those which we do not like that can leave us feeling even more exhausted whereas recognising our emotions can help us to move through them to a place which is more helpful to us.
We are all individual and its finding what works for us, some of these ideas may be helpful.
- Acknowledge how you feel and why you may be feeling this and how it is affecting you. Every situation we find ourselves in can offer an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and how to cope when life does not go as planned. What mindset may help us navigate this change in a way which is future focused on new opportunities?
- Share your thoughts and feelings with others, this may be friends, family or even others affected by the change around to adapt to this in a way which is most useful.
- Be kind to yourself and practice selfcare. Being overwhelmed at times is natural, finding ways to be in the moment and focus on the now can help move forwards one step at a time rather than overwhelming ourselves about all the steps we think/fear may lie ahead of us.
- Celebrate the steps you take, find a healthy reward works for you. I have just noticed ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E’ is streaming, this takes me back to my childhood, so a reward I offer myself is an episode to watch which gives me something to look forward to, find what works for you.
- Understanding why the change is happening may not immediately make us feel better, however, knowing why it is happening can help us make sense of it, which helps us to prepare, mentally, emotionally and perhaps financially if this is a change in circumstances.
- Seek advice and support if you need it. Sometimes change can be very difficult and we have a need to navigate different routes which can be confusing, there are services which can help for many of the challenges in life we can face, if needs be, speak to someone, we all need to talk sometimes.
Sometimes we recognise we need to change, and that to move on from where we are now, requires us to change some of our routines or habits. If this has meaning for you, here are some reflection points
Do you want something to change?
Do you see the benefits of the change that can help to motivate you to take the steps to change?
It is important to remember, change can take effort so it needs to matter to you, that way you will find the motivation to go for it. So why does this change matter to you?
Is the change realistic and within your control?
What do I need to do to make the change happen?
What is one small step I can take today?
Recognising what is within our control is helpful for getting back our oomph, we will explore more on that next time
For now, be kind to yourself
Hilda