Boxing Match, Anyone?

Throw on the boxing gloves and step into the ring. Ding, ding, ding! Round 1 quickly begins. You glance in your opponent’s corner but you don’t see  anyone. You’re in the ring by yourself but somehow you come out with a black eye, a throbbing headache, and a broken nose.  It may sound absurd but many of us act out this scene every day.

No, we don’t sucker punch ourselves in the face each morning but we beat ourselves up if we don’t live up to the “perfect” standard we have in our minds.  If we don’t have everything checked off our to-do list we find ourselves sleepless, tossing and turning. We even pick apart our day to see what we should have done and what we could improve upon.

Here are key points to finding balance…

Prioritize Key Items: The main reason we’re so hard on ourselves is because we feel we didn’t accomplish the amount of work we should have for that day. If we actually looked closely at our list we’d realize that only half of the things on the  list are “urgent.” If you’re looking at the entire list as urgent you’ll drive yourself crazy trying to meet unrealistic deadlines.

Realize the Bigger Picture: Give yourself a break by taking a walk outside or doing something that has nothing to do with your list for 10 – 15 minutes a day. My personal favorite is just stepping out for fresh air. Seeing nature helps you realize that life is much bigger than your everyday accomplishments or tasks. Haven’t chatted with your coolest aunt in a while? Talking to a loved one also helps us see that our tasks are not a matter of life or death.

Laugh at Yourself: Oftentimes we get so caught up on the proper way of doing a task that we begin to take ourselves entirely too seriously. We build up an idea of how we’re supposed to act then get frustrated if things don’t go a certain way.

Guess what? You’re not perfect and neither am I. This is what makes us individuals. We all make mistakes, make the wrong moves or sometimes say inappropriate things, but that’s what makes your life experience yours. The key is not to waste time and energy beating yourself  up about it.

Get out of your own way!

Miracles and Blessings,

Ellisa Oyewo