1. I Put Myself First. I truly believe in the philosophy that if you don't take care of yourself, you won't be able to help others. I ask myself daily, what do I need. What is it that I need to be THE BEST I can be? There are daily basic things, such as food, rest, exercise and fun. But there are also things that fulfill me such as writing, projects such as my blog that fulfill my creativity, home decoration projects, reading a book, eating out and going to the movies. I treat everyday as if it is Christmas. It's important to be fulfilled everyday (as much as possible). These things keep one fulfilled and keep you going.
2. I Do What Is Most Important and Hardest, FIRST Each Day. I'm a natural list maker and organizer. It helps me see what I must do and what I must get done. I find doing the hardest or most tedious project at the beginning of the day helps me. I'm a morning person. I work best early on. I feel fresh and more focused. So getting that task done early on, means more FUN for the rest of the day. It also helps with me stress levels. I get stressed out when things get compounded or overwhelming. So I try and handle things when they come up.
3. I Ask Myself What's Causing Me Stress? In life, you're going to have some form of stress. The battery may die in your car. You may get a flat tire. A family member may get ill. You may get extra work at your job to do. Those things happen, But I think about stressful things that I CAN CONTROL. This may cause for some LIFESTYLE changes. I love grocery shopping, but lifting groceries...hauling them in the house and putting them away became taxing. So a couple of years ago, I subscribed to SHIPT. It's made a world of difference. It eliminated a lot of steps that was causing me to be tired and irritable. Plus it opened up time where I could work on something else (that I enjoyed). So many stores are now offering delivery services. You really have a choice. Another thing that is causing me stress is housework. I keep a really clean and organized house, but its work doing so. It's also taking up a lot of my time (outside and inside). So I hired a guy to cut the grass every two weeks several years ago. I have a wonderful contractor that does home projects I need around the house. This year, I'm going to look into a maid service to do a once a month or bi-weekly cleaning. So look at what is causing you stress and think about allocating those jobs to someone else. Every time I do, I feel much better.
4. Negativity and Limiting Distractions. Many years ago, I really had to do a total clean-out of the people that were in my life. These were people that really "took away" from my "pie energy". I would listen to problems from others. That's fine, but when the person complains everyday and does nothing to change that situation...that's when it turns toxic. You sit and listen for hours, but nothing is being done. Or if a person wants to do the same thing over and over again. Sometimes you have to disconnect from those type of people, just for your well-being. I now try to avoid a lot of negative topics on Twitter, negative friends, neighbors, extended family and co-workers. Negative people and situations (if you let them) can really eat at you. Some people THRIVE on negativity! That's the way they live. They wake up with a chip on their shoulder from morning to night. I don't like that energy, so I tune those people completely out. They do nothing for my pie.
5. Connecting With Positive People. On the flip side, replace those negative people with positive ones. Connect with people that can offer you something: words of wisdom, a kind word, people you can learn from...that will promote you intellectual growth. You'll find that they are pleasant to be around. You'll feel better! You can help one another. Of course, everyone has bad days but overall these type of people are beneficial to your well being.
6. Faith, Prayer and Silence. When I go to bed, I try and lie in silence for a half hour to an hour. I think about what has happened during the day. How can I change or make things better. In the mornings I try and do the same. I think about what I would like to accomplish. I evaluate how I'm feeling. I pray on things. I ask GOD to help me with things. Faith has seen me through many difficulties. It has always seen me through.
7. Toxic Thoughts and Conversations. I remember the speaker saying, "If you're upset about something, talk about it for 15 minutes and then let it go." We all had to laugh, because how many of us are guilty of holding onto negative things and talking about them continuously all day long or longer? I just mentioned on Twitter that it's ok to dislike things or someone. That's healthy! But when you constantly talk about a person or situation day in and day out it consumes you (and others). I GET you don't like that person or something. You don't have to re-hash it every single day. Plus, you're giving control to that someone or something. They're taking up your pie's worth of energy, of which you could spend that energy on something else. Something more beneficial for you.
8. How Much Of Your Pie Is Left? Manage Your Energy. I think its important throughout the day to be able to reallocate your time. To be flexible and re-adjust things if at all possible. There are some days, you might not feel like working on a project. Replace that with something else that needs to get done. I do that type of switcheroo all the time. I don't feel like taking pictures today, but I do feel like writing. So I change things up. Something still gets done. Also when something doesn't work out, go to B, C or D. I find that it's best to let something completely alone if its not working out. I say, you know this is not working let me put it down and go to something else. Don't let things "consume" or frustrate you.
These are just some of the things I do, to conserve my pie's worth of energy each day.
Write down the things that affect your pie.
Make changes if needed. You'll feel much better :)
Happy New Year!