20 quotes that might inspire you to start dancing with your fears

 Fear.

No individual born on this planet is immune to it.  Sometimes it is a very helpful instinct that protects us and keeps us out of harm's way. On other occasions we allow our negative thoughts and emotions to take control over us. Our inner voice then becomes a barrier that keeps us trapped in inertia, stuck in a rut instead of pursuing the things we desire and becoming who we truly know ourselves to be. 

As a very insecure and fearful child, teenager and adult well into my forties, I was so scared I did not dare do much outside the known and safe limits of my comfort zone, I know firsthand what it feels like to be entrapped in your own fear. Oh, I had lofty dreams and I aspired to change the world, sure. But I simply could not muster the strength to face my fears head-on and fight them. I'm talking about the irrational fears, the nagging, nasty voices that existed solely in my head, not in the physical world. What if people would laugh at me if I posted my thoughts?What If I was not good enough? 

After a couple of years of meditation, yoga, journalling and doing the inner work, and the encouragement of friends and family, I realised I need not run from my fear. I embraced it. I looked it in the eye. It roared angrily at me. I was shivering but I was determined, so I roared right back at it, as loud as I could. Suddenly it seemed smaller and not quite as intimidating. I decided to invite it for a dance. Since then me and my fears do everything together. I dare do what I fear. I do it while scared to death. I'm almost at the end of my postgraduate course but I haven't gone bungee jumping yet and  taking my driver's licence is still something I am debating. But I'm going to do it anyway. It's a dance, right? So I figured, why not enjoy it at least?

As a lifelong bookworm I absolutely love quotes and they have been a tremendous help in overcoming or rationalising some of my craziest fears. Below I list some of my favourites.  

 

1."You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself "I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along."  -Eleanor Roosevelt

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. "If you want to conquer fear, don't sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."  -Dale Carnegie 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3."The amateur believes that he must first overcome his fear;then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome.He knows there is no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread-free artist." - Steven Pressfield  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. "What you fear is what you must conquer." - Lailah Gifty-Akita 

 

5. "I learned that courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." - Nelson Mandela

 

 

 

 

 

 

6."There is no illusion greater than fear." - Lao Tzu 

7. "If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you." - Saint Thomas 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8."The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." - Franklin D. Roosevelt 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. "Extreme fear can neither fight nor fly." - William Shakespeare   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. "You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn't exist anywhere except the mind." - Dale Carnegie

 

 

 

 

 

11. "What we need to do is say, "What's the smallest, tiniest thing that I can master and what's the scariest thing that I can do in front of the smallest number of people that can teach me how to dance with the fear?" Once we get good at that, we just realize that it's not fatal. And it's not intellectually realize - we've lived something that wasn't fatal. And that idea is what's so key- because then you can do it a little bit more."  - Seth Godin    

 

12. "When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13. "Fears are educated into us and can, if we wish, be educated out." -Karl Augustus Menninger   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14. "We are more often frightened than hurt;and we suffer more from imagination than reality." - Seneca

 

 

 

 

 

15. "Instead of worrying about what people say of you, why not spend time trying to accomplish something they will admire." - Dale Carnegie

16. "One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't." - Henry Ford

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17. "When you are thinking about doing something and it feels scary, when it feels like this big lion is waiting at the finish line and he's roaring and he's ferocious and he's going to tear you apart....you should just run toward that lion anyway. Run to the roar."  -Tina Essmaker    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18. "Courage is the power of the mind to overcome fear." - Martin Luther King Jr. 

 

 

 

 

 

19. "Fear is inevitable, I have to accept that, but I cannot allow it to paralyse me". -Isabel Allende  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20. "I have learnt over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear;knowing what must be done does away with fear." - Rosa Parks  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are numerous more quotes on fear and each is as wise as the above. I quoted the ones that spoke to me more, that were unique to me. Fear is our permanent dancing companion for life and it is not as insurmountable or intimidating as we make it out to be. If you constantly hear your fear roar, do not cower; this time choose to roar louder. Brace yourself, be determined to take action nevertheless, show up as your best self and everything that you were afraid of will diminish.It's a choice like everything else in life. Choose boldly and courageously.Let your actions speak for the strength of your character and shine!

As always sending you ripples of positivity and love,

Lia 

Procrastination - What it is and how you can cope

I bet you know the feeling. The date for your project is due, the stack of tests need to be graded by tomorrow, you've got household chores or errands to complete today. Yet, you can't seem to get yourself to actually finish the task at hand. Something else always seems to attract your attention, a video on Youtube, your favourite series on Netflix or your social media feeds are just begging for your attention.Hours later you realise you've wasted all your precious time, which means you have to finish your work in much less time. As a result you feel horrible about yourself, not to mention your stress levels skyrocket.   

I know I have been guilty of this. So much wasted time and energy. I remember feeling awful, loathing myself because I could not discipline myself enough to finish my daily tasks. Needless to say, my stress levels were at an all time high those days. It's only in the recent five years or so that I actually managed to overcome it, to a great degree. It's not easy and the road has been bumpy. For sure, I fell back on my old habits more times than I can count. But I always bounce back and I'm proud to say that I'm getting better and better every single day.

The issue of procrastination is not something specific to our era. It is a timeless issue. So timeless, that the ancient Greek philosophers Socrates and Aristotle coined a word to describe it. Akrasia. In modern speak it means acting against your better judgment and doing one thing you know full well you should be doing instead of something else. According to Merriam Webster dictionary, procrastination is defined as intentionally putting off doing something that should and can be done.    

So, why do we procrastinate? There are numerous reasons, some of which even touch on a personal level, but I will list eight reasons below.

1. Perfectionism.  The notion itself is restricting and stress-inducing. Nothing and no one is perfect. By expecting everything we do to be perfect, we set highly unrealistic standards for ourselves and make it more difficult to get through the task. One way of overriding this is to work through the mistakes we make in the  process rather than starting over and over again. This saves us not only time but also unnecessary stress and frustration.

2. Proneness to distraction. This has been a big one for me. I have a restless and wayward mind which, if not reined in, wanders in many different directions. It's much, much more manageable now that I'm older. And wiser (!!😂). All joking aside though, distraction is the killer of productivity. If this is your weakness, be proactive and make sure to remove all temptations till you're done. Mute the notifications on your phone or remove game apps from your phone for example. Isolate yourself in a quiet room to study or work if it really can't be helped otherwise. It works wonders, I can tell you. Set reminders,  maybe a post- it on your fridge or alarms on your phone to remind you what needs to be done.

3.You are not clear about how to get started. I've been there and I know the feeling. It no fun feeling this way. Use the get things done approach  by breaking down your task in smaller, more manageable steps. Schedule and follow through. That way you'll still feel victorious because you did get some work done and feel confident and optimistic that you'll see it through.

 

 4. You know it will take a long time and hard work - Working on bigger projects can be daunting and scary. It is easily a reason why many feel demotivated and eventually either keep postponing the project or give it up altogether. Once again, breaking your project into smaller, more manageable steps scheduled in your week, makes it somehow less scary and overwhelming.

5.You are not motivated.  If you can't see how this project connects to your goals or interests, it's more likely that you'll find it difficult to find the motivation to go through with it. As with everything else, it all boils down to your "why'.  Your why will fuel your energy and determination.You need to answer this question : "Why is this task important to me and my goals and how will it move me closer to them?"

6.  Fear of the unknown. I think we all agree that knowledge is power- or rather potential power. Knowledge can be transmuted into power only through deliberate action. Push past the feeling of uncertainty, do your research if you must, ask someone who is more knowledgeable, but take that first step towards action!

7. The "I'll do it later" approach. I'm definitely guilty of postponing tasks. It all comes down to how you prioritise the task at hand and how much you value your time and energy. In the end it is a personal choice you must make for yourself. If, however, a task is a high-priority one, best put it at the top of your to-do- list. If, on the other hand, it can wait, make sure to break it down into smaller steps and work on it a little every week.  

8. Accountability. Tell your parent, your friend or your coworker about your intention. They can serve as accountability partners to keep you on track whenever you tend to deviate from your plan.  

 

Just to be fair, procrastination is not the devil neither are all those who procrastinate lesser human beings for it. It is something that can be overcome with some willpower and strategic steps. Even the acclaimed author Margaret Atwood herself admits to spending her mornings worrying and procrastinating before she finally gets down to writing late in the afternoon. Taking into account how prolific a writer she is, it would seem that procrastination has not particularly hindered her from becoming a successful and established author!

Generally speaking, procrastination causes much more harm than good, regardless of how well you believe you can function effectively under pressure. Apart from the impact it can bear on your work and credibility, it can cause stress and other related health issues. Try to apply the hacks above and why not, have a look at the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, a #1 New York Times bestseller. It is chockful of useful tips on becoming better at managing your time.You can read a short exerpt here  on how to stop procrastinating using the 2 minute rule.    

 As always, sending you ripples of positivity and love,

Lia 😀💓

11 Journalling benefits and prompts to get you started

 Journalling is a well-known mindfulness technique tool, as it offers a wide range of benefits, especially if used in combination with other practices and tools. In my previous article 11 stress management techniques and their benefits I elaborated a lot more on how to deal with stressful situations, so feel free to check it out!

As Lisann Valentin, a Shamanic life coach and actress points out, "journalling is mindfulness in motion". It shines light on both conscious and unconscious thought patterns and gives you invaluable moments of insight and clarity.

Without further ado, let's dive right in,shall we?

1.Journalling reduces stress.    Whenever you feel overwhelmed or you feel life's burdens are just getting too much for you, choose to put pen to paper. Writing down what troubles you may give you the necessary release from the stress but also allows you to look upon the situation from a place of clarity.

2. It boosts health and general well-being.  Several studies  and research conducted on adults suggest that journalling about you innermost thoughts and feelings contributes to 

• lower blood pressure 
• significantly improved mood
• a feeling of increased well-being
• a sense of decreased symptoms of anxiety and depression
• develops greater resilience to stressful situations

3. Allows for release of negative thoughts. In my own long experience with journaling, I have found that any overwhelming bouts of negativity, self-loathing and pessimism significantly decreased the more consistently I journalled. You know as well as I do that it is so easy to just allow yourself to be flooded with all manner of impending doom and catastrophe. To paraphrase the wise words of Sabrina Romanoff ,making the choice to release those thoughts on paper, creates space and distance to consider them more objectively and thus making them more manageable, objectively speaking.

4.Smoothes out the way to process your emotions.  How often do you consciously repress your emotions or pretend they do not exist? I  know I have done so, leading to various health issues and autoimmune syndromes. Ignoring your feelings, not honouring them and not dealing with them appropriately is not the solution. You can rest assured that your feelings will find a way to pop up to the surface one way or the other and the consequences may vary in severity. You can't escape them. It is useful to journal about them, however. That way you can process and reflect on them, without the adverse repercussions on your health or relationship with the people in your life.

5. Journalling is useful to helping you understand what your next steps are. You probably know the feeling of having a jumble of thoughts whirling around in your head, making it difficult for you to decide on a sensible course of action. Writing down those thoughts and emotions, seeing them written out before you, calms you down instantly and provides the clarity to understand how you must proceed.

 

  6. It allows you to  keep track of and achieve your goals.  Writing down your goals allows you to keep track of any progress you're making. Moreover, it keeps you accountable to yourself, reminding you of what needs to be done still to achieve your goals. Finally, you will be able to monitor the growth you've made by revisiting your previous entries, reflect on them, make any necessary changes or stick to your current course of action.

7.  It deepens self-discovery.  By journalling consistently you allow for a reconnection to yourself, your deepest, even unconscious thoughts and feelings. In that way, you open the path to a rediscovery of who you really are at your core.

8. Increased self-confidence.  By tracking your growth and progress as well as by connecting more to your true self, you get a tremendous confidence boost. By remembering the obstacles and challenges you've managed to overcome and see how far you've come as a person gives an unparalleled feeling of pride and satisfaction.  

9. Improved writing and communications skills.  Effective writing and communications skills  improve with consistent practice. By journalling on a daily basis, if possible, allows you to refine your skills in the art of writing. Moreover, as you express your thoughts and feelings, simultaneously you improve in the art of effective communication.

10. Journalling strenghtens the memory.As is pointed out  in The Journal of Experimental Psychology Expressive writing can increase working memory capacity, the research that was carried out it depicted how writing down your thoughts can actually reduce nagging thoughts about negative past or present events and improves working memory. By writing something down a signal is sent to your brain that you want to remember it. Isn't your life's story important enough to remember?

 

 11. Journalling can be source of inspiration.  As you can see in the image above, Leonardo Da Vinci drew some of his incredible invention ideas in his journals. You can follow his example and make use of your journalling time to brainstorm, doodle or just let your imagination run wild. The epiphanies you may experience while writing or drawing just might surprise you.

If you've always wanted to start journalling but had absolutely no idea how to begin,I'd like to take away the guesswork.Below I have listed some effective journalling prompts to help you out.

1. What do I know to be true that I didn't know a year ago?

2. What distractions get in the way of my productivity?

3. When do I feel most aligned with my true sef?

4. If someone were to describe me, what would they say?

5. How does every part of my body feel right now?

6. What negative emotions am I holding on to? How can I detach from them?

7. Why am I feeling this way?

8. How can I detach my emotions from the feelings of others?

9. How effectively do I use healthy boundaries?

10. When I look in the mirror, what do I see?

11. What hurts right now and how can I find relief for it?

12. What happened before I felt this shift in my mood?

If you are still not convinced of the many benefits of journalling, here's some more evidence to support it. You can read it here.   

What are you waiting for? Get out your journal, make yourself a nice cup of tea (or a glass of wine is fine,too) and let the words fly!

As always, sending you endless ripples of love and positivity,

Lia

Why you already are good enough

 

 

  𝐼𝒻 𝐼 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝓉𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽 𝓉𝑜𝒹𝒶𝓎'𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔 𝓅𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝒾𝓉 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒷𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽, 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝒹𝒶𝓎, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝒹 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝑜𝓅 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒾𝓅𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓉𝑜𝑒𝓈. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓃 𝒾𝓃𝒸𝓇𝑒𝒹𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝒸𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃, 𝑒𝓃𝒿𝑜𝓎 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝒷𝑒𝒶𝓊𝓉𝓎.”
𝑀𝑜𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝑀𝒶𝒽𝒶𝓇

 

Do you even realise how amazing you already are? You may not have been top of your class, you were not this month's employee of the month, and you may not be as pretty as you believe your partner would like you to be. Still, you juggle schedules both at home and at work, you manage a household and the children while keeping everything organised down to the last detail. Simultaneously, you always find the time and energy to spend time with your friends and family. In spite of how defeated and not enough you may feel, I'm here to tell you that you already are good enough, just as you are.

Not feeling good enough is a common denominator of all emotional issues nowadays.This fear is one of the deepest, most fundamental fears every human being on the planet has. It's our mind's default setting. When you don't feel enough, you can't seem to get enough of anything- be it food, shopping or even gambling. The feeling of not enough-ness can be traced back to childhood, in our formative years, where one harsh comment or even worse, abuse, can cause the child to not feel enough to be loved by its parent.It is at the root of all emotional pain that results in overeating, excessive shopping, procrastination, self-hatred or self-sabotage.

 

 

𝓗𝓸𝔀 𝓽𝓸 𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓵 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓲𝓽

Once you have recognised what lies at the root of your emotional pain, make a choice to remove it or at least to minimise it. In this way, you can reactivate the feeling of enoughness you were born with. Some ways to cope are the following.

*Start being kinder to yourself. Go easy on yourself for a change and give yourself some credit for all the great things you 've already accomplished and acknowledge that it is not always easy to be you. You are as deserving of love and kindness as any other person on this planet.

*Avoid comparisons with other people on social media. It is disastrous to resort to comparisons with social media icons, celebrities or other more successful individuals. Your life, your experiences are totally different to theirs and you cannot therefore consider yourself lesser than them. It is just nonsensical. Love yourself at this stage of your life and strive to get better daily.You carry your own worth. Own it and honor it!

*Be mindful of those pesky, negative thoughts as they arise.  Avoid getting caught up in negative self-talk.Don't focus on the negative rather focus on what is going right in your life right now. A great way of getting rid of negative self-talk is the use of affirmations such as "I am enough", "I am special", "I have amazing coping skills" to name but a few.

* Create a list of the things you're good at. Seeing as we're so hard on ourselves most of the time, I realise it's not as easy as it seems. More often than not we are pathetic at recognising our strong points and our inherent worth. Write down what you do well, and refer to this list whenever you are feeling down. It should be a great boost to pick yourself back up.

*Spend time with positive and supportive people.  Strive to surround yourself with people who are encouraging and supportive of you. People who will show you that it's not just you facing this issue.That way you will not feel alone in your struggle with your self-worth.

*Practise self-care. Our reactions and our perception of our self-image significantly worsen when we are sleep deprived or have poor self-care habits. Regulate your sleep patterns, cater to a nutritious diet and tend to your personal hygiene. Taking regular breaks from social media is also necessary on a weekly basis. Finally, don't even attempt at keeping everyone pleased, that's not your job.Not to mention it's emotionally and energetically draining.

*Find out what your passions are. Discovering what you're passionate about will distract you from focusing on negative feelings and thoughts and will provide  the motivation you need to keep moving forward towards your goals.

 

 

 

I will leave you with the amazing words of Kathy Brown, who summarises the notion of enoughness so beautifully:

    “𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝑒𝓇𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓉𝒶𝑔𝑜𝓃𝒾𝓈𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝓌𝑜𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇𝒻𝓊𝓁, 𝒷𝒾𝓏𝒶𝓇𝓇𝑒, 𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓇𝒾𝒻𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓁𝒾𝓉𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒. 𝐼𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒹𝑒𝒸𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽, 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒹𝑜𝓃'𝓉 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓌𝒶𝒾𝓉 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑒𝓍𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝓋𝒶𝓁𝒾𝒹𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒽 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝑜𝒻𝒻𝑒𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓀𝒾𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻.”

As always, sending you ripples of positivity and love,

Lia

 

 

 

 

      

 

How to handle daily pressure

 

 

  “𝒯𝓇𝓊𝑒 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒾𝓈 𝓇𝑒𝓋𝑒𝒶𝓁𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝒽𝑜𝒾𝒸𝑒𝓈 𝒶 𝒽𝓊𝓂𝒶𝓃 𝒷𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓈 𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈𝓊𝓇𝑒 - 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑔𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈𝓊𝓇𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒹𝑒𝑒𝓅𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓁𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝒽𝑜𝒾𝒸𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉𝑒𝓇'𝓈 𝑒𝓈𝓈𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒾𝒶𝓁 𝓃𝒶𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒.”
― 𝑅𝑜𝒷𝑒𝓇𝓉 𝑀𝒸𝒦𝑒𝑒, 𝒮𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎: 𝒮𝓊𝒷𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒, 𝒮𝓉𝓇𝓊𝒸𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒, 𝒮𝓉𝓎𝓁𝑒, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒫𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒸𝒾𝓅𝓁𝑒𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝒮𝒸𝓇𝑒𝑒𝓃𝓌𝓇𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔

 

Dealing with pressure is something both you and I have to deal with on a daily basis. If we are honest with ourselves, we find ourselves in a state of pressure most, if not all of the time.  

 I am positive you'll recognise the potential sources of pressure below: 

*Other people's opinions, so contradicting oftentimes that it feels like you're being pulled in every possible direction.

* A lack of information and communication between you and your family members or you and your team at work

*A huge workload with deadlines to meet or the opposite, having no work to do at all and you feel bored and useless.

*Technological failures.You know what I'm talking about. Your laptop crashes or your printer will just not respond right at the moment you need it!That can really add on the pressure, right?

* Outside pressures. Home life, finances, relationships, health concerns and many more.We've all been there.

 

 

It is important not to demonise tackling pressure. Accept it, own it and think coolly of possible outlets to release the pressure and not allow it to escalate to pressure.Let's have a look at some possible outlets.

 

*Personally, I love working out. Or engage in any kind of physical activity. It helps me blow off steam and get me into a more rationally thinking mindset.

*Prayer and meditation are also great options to clear your head and gain perspective over said situation.

* View the situation that adds pressure as something temporary. Somehow that takes away its power over you and allows you to find possible solutions.

* Try to see it as a bringer of beautiful changes. A diamond is forged and formed in conditions of extreme pressure. Some degree of pressure on you has the potential to do the same. You are a diamond in the making.Isn't that a more attractive perspective?

*Listen to any kind of music that uplifts and inspires you. Could be inspirational music, gospel, jazz, pop music or some good old rock or heavy metal music in my case. Whatever you like, just crank it up and feel the pressure on you ease up.

* In the same spirit, dance it off. Dancing energetically, allowing your body to move in any way it wants to the music, allows for all negative energy to be released. So get your body moving to your favourite music, you'll feel much better! 

*Laugh it off. Put on your favourite comedy and laugh till your belly hurts. It works every time.Some comedies I really love are School of Rock,Mrs Doubtfire, Meet the Parents or My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding. 

Reducing or relieving pressure goes hand in hand with elementary self-care. Take good care of yourself to be able to endure in times of extreme pressure. Prioritise getting enough sleep every night, eat nutritious food, take frequent breaks to get some fresh air and perspective and stretch your muscles. Talk to someone you trust and allow them to help you. Figure out what's best for you and incorporate them into your routine. 

On a final note, remember that if you are accomplishing great things in your life, it's normal to feel some degree of pressure.Always keep moving forward with your goals and plans. Do not allow the pressure and temporary discomfort hinder you from achieving what it is that you want. 

What are your action steps to managing pressure? Let's talk about it!

Sending you love and positivity,

Lia   😀💓

 

15 important lessons my life taught me

 

 𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓮𝓻 𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔂𝓮𝓪𝓻 I can actually find moments of silence that will allow me to go within.To allow for that wise voice of my intuition to be heard. In those moments of introspection, my mind takes me back and I revisit all those incidents of misconduct or moments of great achievement and joy of my life's journey. 

This year I've been pondering and journaling on the most valuable lessons I got from my 50-year-long life. For some reason I felt called to do so.To go within but also back in time. So I am sharing them with you, hoping they'll be valuable to you . 

Before I start, let me first acknowledge that each life is unique and that what might hold true for me, for you it might not resonate at all based on your life's experiences. So please take what I say with a grain of salt. With that out of the way, let us begin.

1. Treat everyone with respect.I am guilty of having been utterly and shamefully disrespectful to people who deserved nothing but my absolute respect. A habit I changed after realising how hurtful it is.One thing I simply cannot tolerate is hurting other people.

2.Don't follow the herd. I had always been too shy and timid to have any opinion of my own,well into my adolescence and early adulthood. I agreed with everything and avoided all conflict no matter what. I liked what everyone else liked. Looking back it's a pathetic, mundane existence of no individuality whatsoever. Suffice it to say that is no longer the case. All credits go to the hardships of my life and some amazing mentors and friends.

 

3. Don't listen to critics. It's one quality that due to an almost inexistent supply of self-worth and self-esteem I sorely lacked. It cost me countless of wasted opportunities, the loss of valuable people from my life and made me act in ways I still cringe when thinking of them. One more thing I definitely not do anymore.

4.Exploit hardships for your growth.  I can't recall the exact moment I realised that all horrible moments of my childhood and adolescence could be used as fuel for my growth and progress as a person. But oh, what a difference it made once I got that lesson down. I aced it!

5. Celebrate the tiny triumphs. You don't have to wait until you've hit that long-term, lofty goal. Celebrate every little success in between. That will give you the necessary fuel to keep taking those baby steps while going for the big one. I should know from experience.

6. The things that are hardest to do are generally speaking the wisest to do. It's something we all know to be true but pretend it does not apply to us. Like getting up early or planning ahead, sticking to a healthier eating regime or working out more often. Not many of us can muster the discipline needed. The rewards for those who do are improved health and more freedom of time during their day. 

  

7.The fears you don't face become your walls. I know I'm not the only one whom this applies to. Due to my life's circumstances I had developed this huge fear of being hurt, I was just too afraid to trust anyone, at least enough to let them in. It cost me dearly, I can tell you that much. Face those demons head-on, you know exactly what they are. Scary as they may seem, you can do it. Your life will be so much better if you do. 

8.Keep your promises, both at home and in the workplace. Don't say you'll do one thing and never do it. Do not lie.Not to yourself and definitely not to others. When at work outwork your peers and deliver massive, beautiful value to the world. You might think nobody is waching. Trust me, they do.   

9.Mastery takes massive practice. And unwaivering faith and unlimited resources of patience. If you aspire to be a master in your field you've got to work harder than anyone else.While I'm still pretty far off from being considered a master in my field, whatever experience I gained through hard work and practice is precious to me and it fuels me to move onward still. I'm proud I came this far and  I look forward to becoming more knowledgeable in my field. There's always one more mountaintop after you've reached the top, right?

 

 10.Morning exercise is a game-changer. At least for me. Of course this is not set in stone and not everyone necessarily likes it. The difference it can make in your daily life,however,  by giving you the necessary boost in feeel-good hormones and ample amounts of energy to be the absolute best you can be, are invaluable advantages to you.

11.We are at our most creative when in solitude. Speaking for myself, I do my best work when I'm alone or in the early morning hours when everyone else is sleeping. That's when creativity and  the soft voice of inspiration are at their peak. Why not use those moments to work on yourself or hone your craft?

12. Education is your protection against distraction. We are all painfully aware of the numerous sources of distraction around us. Your phone screen is one, constantly flashing notifications. The tempting allure of social media. The latest show on Netflix. And while it's ok to indulge from time to time, if your goal is to be productive, make sure your mind is fed and innoculated through daily reading and education. I myself love watching a good movie or series and Itend to get hooked on them. I do try though to counterbalance that with at least 30 minutes of reading or watching educational content.

13. An uninspired person can't inspire others. In order to keep the flame of inspiration burning, I suggest you do things that inspire you. Read good books or biographies. Go to an art gallery. Travel more if you can. Have amazing, thought-provoking conversations with people who are smarter than you. Watch a documentary or listen to a podcast.Go to conferences or networking events. 

 

14. Cheap costs more. We all love finding bargains and admittedly, most of us are not that affluent to go for the more expensive option. But it does come at a price. I've bought cheap shoes more often than I can recall with horrendous, extremely painful consequences for my feet. Cheap clothing items I tossed away after having washed them only once, since they quite literally tore up at the seams.Cosmetics that caused skin damage, thankfully not extensive or serious. It's therefore preferable to hold out till you can actually purchase a bit more expensive product or service and be healthy than paying money to doctors or other specialists to fix whatever problems your cheaper choice cost you.

15. Life can change in a day. Worse still, it can change in a matter of seconds. Savour therefore the blessings this moment in time brings you, don't postpone it. Even when you're going through trials and tribulations right now. Just enjoy the present moment, you're not going to get it back, ever again. So don't wait. Be present, laugh, listen, be with your loved ones. Time waits for no one.  

Well, that's it from me today. I tried to keep the list short and concise. It is my sincere hope that whatever lessons I learnt in my life will be of service to yours, so you can make yours the best, most loving and productive life, for yourself and the ones you love.

 

𝓐𝓼 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼, 𝓼𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓲𝓷𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓻𝓲𝓹𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓻𝓰𝔂,

𝓛𝓲𝓪😀💓

       

Revisiting 9 of my earlier blog posts on Soul Sessions

 

In my very early blogging years I kept a blog called Soul sessions, one that hosted my musings and thoughts, some very personal, at the time. It served as my personal journal of sorts, a place I could vent all my pent up feelings and express all those words that remained unsaid inside my soul..You will also find some of my thoughts and beliefs on my craft, teaching, my love for children, writing and bringing about positive change. 

Though I have changed immensely since that time, I am grateful, as it still served as a means for me to evolve into the person I am today. Below are what I believe to be the best among them.It is my sincere hope that you enjoy reading them and hopefully even derive some value from them. 

5 Reasons to stop feeling so negative

Heaven is a place on Earth 

10 surefire ways your students will dislike you

 

  Own and Honour your space 

Get out of that comfort zone and go after what you want

Momma, what would you do if you had wings? 

 

Wake up child...

On creativity or letting every poet loose 

To teach or not to teach (or how to create the leaders of tomorrow) 

 

  

Soul Sessions is still online should you feel curious enough to check out more of my past blogging ventures.Just visit -worplayblog soul sessions

 

That's all for today. Make sure you make this day in time the best ever, in whatever way feels right for you.Make a difference in someone else's life and it will truly be a day well lived.

Sending you, as alway endless ripples of love and positivity,

Lia