Recently I have been spending a lot of time with some friends who are just overwhelmed with Excess.
EXCESS is a big word and it has big repercussions. It can show up in all sorts of ways; Some of the examples I have heard recently are:
Getting stressed out in the mornings because there are too many choices of clothes to choose from.
Forgetting important deadlines because you are bogged down with paperwork, one of my clients recently had four handbags on the go at once, stuffed with an assortment of opened and unopened post.
Spending time on people who no longer fit your values but whom you feel obliged to continue to see. How many friends do you need, a big bunch or just a handful?
Eating unhealthily because your day has been so busy. Not making the time to eat well often leads you to dip into demon cravings. We overeat when stressed, tired, and unhappy.
Children running You around all week with afterschool clubs, activities. A jammed packed agenda of Drama, sports fixtures, extra tuition. Who are these activities for? Do you need the certificates to prove they are achieving?
ITS ALL SIMPLY ABOUT THE VOLUME, VOLUME IN QUANTITY AND IT SCREAMS OUT AT YOU.
Sometimes we will get a mystery signal, maybe the same one over and over to try to show us that we need to slow down, turn down and downsize everything.
I have found it is wise to tune in to a new rhythm regularly before it feels like you are getting all screechy inside.It’s kind of like a constant assessment of how/what is working for you. One of the ways in which I do this is to literally just take some time to quiet the mind.
When we continue to operate on auto-pilot, it soon becomes apparent that our excesses start to dominate every aspect of our lives.
GETTING MINDFUL AND OFF AUTOPILOT HELPS TO MAKE A SHIFT
Quit spending money on demand. Have an internal rule of owning only One. Having a drawer full of purses, lip balms and notepads is keeping you busy just Maintaining the volume alone.
Quit checking emails, often you can’t respond on the spot. Set yourself a designated window of 30 minutes each day. Allow yourself distraction free zones. Make your emails and text messages shorter. I am guilty of writing essays when I reply to people, just because I think I need to process what I think for the other person to understand me and often they don’t really spend the time absorbing it. They just want the meaty fact ie “have you done it/are you late etc.
Quit eating when bored. Listen to your body carefully. Excess food makes you feel sluggish and you only have to look at the yoyo diet industry and detox plans to see the evidence of this. Increase your water intake. Fatigue is more often dehydration first and hunger second. Water will improve your energy levels and improve your concentration.
Quit putting things in places “just for now” because you think it takes too long to put it away. Realistically it takes “a moment” but if you get into the habit of leaving things around regularly, it builds and builds into a mess.
Quit keeping all your utilities on mindlessly. TV’s on when no one is watching, lights on in rooms with no one home. Items plugged in, draining your electricity. Think OFF instead of ON at home. Bills mount up to excessive amounts when you haven’t paid attention.
Take a moment to assess, what do you have attached to you? Are you a magnet for the Excesses in your life?
