Mindfulness and Wellness by Stephanie Lewis

Stephanie Lewis is a certified mindfulness meditation and qigong instructor, national board-certified health & wellness coach (NBC-HWC), and attorney.  She works with professionals in a variety of fields to skillfully manage stress and release the barriers to performing and achieving personal and professional goals.

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Do you feel like your responsibilities are crowding out what’s most important to you? Here are a few quick tips on setting boundaries that may work for you.

Determine Your Values, Priorities, and Goals

You have so many choices about how you can spend your time that making progress means weighing your choices. The most effective way is against your values, priorities, and goals so that whatever you choose is more likely to make a big difference in your life. For instance, if you want to transition to a healthier lifestyle and be physically fit, you’ll make the time for movement on certain days during the week. That may mean letting go of other things like getting through emails that are not your priority for the day.

Examine Your Routine

An inventory of your daily routine can yield a lot of information about activities most under your control that you can eliminate. It might be too much television, too much social media, or too many newsletters and podcasts. Perhaps you’re obsessed with your mobile phone. Be careful though that you don’t eliminate all sources of relaxation and joy. Decompression time is important.

Identify Essential Tasks

There are tasks or moments that are essential in light of your values, priorities, and goals. And these will differ at different stages of your life. Knowing your priorities can help you discern what takes precedence or if it should be on your to-do list at all. By setting limits on your activities, you can simplify even more by sticking with what is essential and letting go of the trivial. It is important though not to make too many changes in your routine at one time.

Notice When You Automatically Say Yes or Take the Lead

Here is where we get into trouble. And here is where mindfulness practice is especially useful. There are tasks you just automatically do. People expect it from you. You have always done it. You might enjoy it.. Or you like having control. So, it becomes a part of your to-do list. Taking that mindful pause is so important here. Check-in with yourself before you take on something new and also for the tasks you already do – listening to your body’s signals. For example, is there an unpleasant sensation in the stomach or do your energy levels suddenly drop? Do you automatically reach for food when you think about it? Those may be signs that the tasks are out of alignment with your values, priorities, and goals or you are overwhelmed at the moment.

Learn to Say No (or Not Now)

Ultimately, if you’re looking for more hours in your day, you may need to learn to give other people the opportunity to take on some of your responsibilities and learn to say no to new ones. These tips can help you discover what to let go of and what responsibilities you want to take on and keep.

Learn more about Stephanie at https://livewellflow.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/livewellflow/.