Letting Go of Tension by Living with Intention – BONUS

“I’ve learned that you can’t have everything and do everything at the same time.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

Throughout this month I’ve given you several simple but powerful ideas to intentionally incorporate self-care into your life, in an effort to help you let go of the tension, stress and overwhelm that life seems to hand us on a regular basis.

But all that I’ve given you are just theory and words if you don’t put it into practice. So, it’s time for a little accountability check right here… How intentional have you been? Which of the practices have you tried? Which have you started consistently using? If you don’t like your answers, read on… because I have three BONUS ideas for you to help you level up your intention so you can let go of tension.

Consistent – Consistency is the key to creating new habits. If you aren’t consistently practicing the concepts I’ve shared with you or started your own self-care practices, it will be difficult to sustain the new habits you’re trying to create and in turn be difficult to easily relieve tension.

Pick even one of the self-care concepts I’ve given you throughout this mini-series and commit to practice it consistently. Set yourself up for success by having a plan and being prepared to follow through every day. And just remember, that if you get off one day, it’s okay. Just recommit and get right back to it the next day. Soon, with consistent practice, it’ll become a healthy habit of self-care.

Eliminate – As our quote says, you can’t have everything and do everything at the same time. Honestly trying to do everything is often what gets us into a state of tension, stress and overwhelm in the first place. Right? So in addition to encouraging you to add an intentional practice of self-care, I also want to encourage you to seek out what you can eliminate that might not be serving you.

What are you currently doing that you know you need to stop doing? What is even one thing, that if you stopped doing it, would instantly improve your quality of life?

Being intentional about eliminating a bad habit is an obvious plus but what about being intentional about stopping a habit of negative thinking or believing you have to do it all? That can be tremendously powerful! Especially when it’s followed by being intentional about what actions you keep as your responsibility and which you delegate or dump in order to have the quality of life you truly want to create for yourself.

Observe – Pay attention to how the self-care practices you incorporate make you feel. Focus on the quality of what you’re practicing. Doing something half-heartedly will likely just create more frustration and tension. Acts of self-care should always be something that make you feel how you want to feel. So monitor the quality of your actions and make sure you’re getting the desired feeling from them. If they are draining you more than bringing you peace or recharging you, then they may not be the practice for you. Or you might need to up your intentionality and quality commitment to them.

For example, a glass of your favorite red wine or a cold craft beer, sipped slowly while you prepare a healthy meal for your family relaxes you. But three glasses of wine are going to make you tired, less present for your family and even result in poor sleep or a morning headache. None of which are positive effects. So be intentional about how much you’re consuming.

Another example might be that for some people, hanging out with friends is wonderful. But if you find that making plans only brings you more stress, check yourself. What is that all about? Is there an underlying expectation or pressure causing what should be a fun event to feel stressful? If so, what will you need to let go of or change? It could be your thoughts, your activity or maybe even the people you’re surrounding yourself with.

Observe how you feel around certain people and adjust accordingly. Observe how different actions or habits make you feel. And be sure that whatever self-care practices you decide to incorporate will truly benefit you and not create more stress, tension or negative effects.  

***When you eliminate what isn’t serving you, observe what works and are consistent with those practices, I have no doubt that you’ll begin to see a huge difference in your life. And you'll be well on your way to letting go of tension by living with intention.

Why wait another moment to invest in your self-care and your future? Words are just words until you put practices into action. Equip yourself with the knowledge and support you need to take action and thrive! Join my interactive virtual workshop that is taking place today at noon mountain time! Click Here to sign up!