Now's the Time to Plan, not Panic

Have you been watching the news? It’s a lot. And yet, does it serve us to listen so much?

When we let the noise overwhelm us, it distracts us from our mission and has us venting about the state of the world, the country.

For me, overwhelm is a feeling of being stuck and unable to determine what urgent tasks need tackling next so I distract myself with busy work.

I do believe that anger is a crucial catalyst for social change because someone has to notice, get angry, and then take action. 

However, anger isn’t a sustainable emotion as it lends itself to hypervigilance which wreaks havoc on our bodies. 

We can’t sustain that kind of stress in our physical beings or minds. The ‘what ifs’ spiral out and that lends itself to reactive actions.

How can we channel that anger into something more grounded in our power and proactive? Taking actions that are aligned with our values.

Here are three ideas to move us towards taking grounded action rather than ad hoc reactions.

 1. Make a Decision to Do Better 

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed - taking on too many tasks, lack of focus, racing thoughts - then make a decision to change. That simple.

Current studies show that we operate 90 to 95% unconsciously, meaning that we’re simply going through life without purpose and are entrenched in our ways of being.

We often set our resolutions on January 1st that this will be the year that I get fit, spend more time with my loved ones, reclaim my weekends. But then daily fires pop up again at work and by mid-February, those targets are long forgotten.

What if we made a decision to change that entrenchment? 

Once we declare an intention that ‘yes, I can show up differently’ and ‘it doesn’t have to be this way,’ then we can start taking actions to shift.

 2. Become More Conscious

The ultimate goal of personal development is being present in the moment. 

I’m sure you’re sick of the word - mindfulness. I get it because it’s used so often. But just because a word is overused, it doesn’t negate its importance.

It's the simple concepts that are hardest to master sometimes.

We live in a distracted world. 

Ask yourself, how often do you stay on task? While writing a proposal, do you check your emails/texts? Are you checking out websites that have nothing to do with ‘research’?

What's the point of all these practices that folks teach, i.e. meditation, yoga, breathwork, tai chi, tapping? 

It's to practice in real-time on a daily basis how to stay in the present moment. Sure, sh*t still happens but how do we bounce back and keep on course?

How to let that harsh email not irritate us? How to maneuver a difficult conversation by staying present to the physical sensations that are telling us that we're annoyed?

So choose ONE practice to become more conscious and go deep.

We're often dabblers - try something for a few days and say that doesn't work for me. I used to be that way about meditation.

By going deep and really giving the practice an opportunity to shift your perspective and stay present, that's when the real magic happens.

3. Be Mindful of your Inputs and Outputs

I used to check my phone first thing in the morning. Big mistake. 🥴⁠

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During the first five minutes of being awake, I’d have read all the tragedies that have hit the news.⁠ Doomscrolling as it were.

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Yet just 10 years ago, I wouldn’t have so much information at my hands.

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Now, at that waking moment, is it really helpful to know this information? No.⁠

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We’re living in a time of information overload. The news outlets and Facebook thrive by having more eyeballs on their content.⁠

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We live in a distracted world which leads to us being in a state of overwhelm.

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And for those of us who've chosen difference-making work that makes us bear witness to people’s suffering on a daily basis, let's not start our mornings in a deficit.⁠

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Start small, don't touch your phone for the first hour after waking up. See how this feels. So that’s one input.

Next, start paying attention to other inputs: what social media are your consuming, what books are you reading, what podcasts are you listening to, what shows are you watching, what conversations are you participating in … is there a negative or positive bent to them? 

Do you feel differently after consumption? 

It’s all about being mindful of our reactions to the inputs.

Now for the outputs, our goals need to override the noise since we’re working towards a mission - making that difference.

Chaos will always surround us. It’s how we show up in the moments that are key.

And it’s in those times that we double down on our efforts toward our future vision for our communities. 

Do this by improving your focus and productivity habits - working towards the things that matter. 

Be it through having a morning routine, blocking out times for certain tasks, standing up and stretching every hour, setting an intention before each activity, and having a ritual to end the day.

By having these habits in place, then we’re able to be strategic about the work that matters.

I’m truly rooting for you! 

These are challenging times to be navigating, but it’s ultimately up to us to decide how to frame it - either as a problem or as an opportunity.

I’ll end this week with a quote:

“Don't wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don't wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom”

― Jim Rohn

Shalini