Last week I was stressed about a deadline I had for a nonprofit I work for. I could feel the tension building in my body and it became harder to concentrate because I was focusing on the deadline, not the stuff to get done. When I took a step back and gave myself choice - 1) I could ask for more time 2) I could ask for help finishing 3) I could decide what I’ve done up to now was enough - I could feel my body and brain relax and it didn’t feel as stressful. Those options gave me breathing room to move forward.

When we feel stuck it feel like we can’t move forward.
A lot of times it’s because we only see one option. And that totally makes sense. Our brains naturally try to find a solution quickly - we may have been taught to believe there’s only one way. And when we’re stressed our body can go into survival mode, where depending on what we lean towards, flight, fight or freeze seem the natural ways to go.

And…gently and compassionately reminding ourselves that we have choices can allow us to see that we’ve got some wiggle room.

If you’re feeling stressed or stuck, can you think of other options (big or small)available to you? What’s a small step you can take to show yourself compassionate choice?

If this feels hard to do (it makes sense) and you want compassionate support to walk you through some stuck spots, reach out and schedule a coaching session. That’s a great choice, too! 💛