It’s the middle of the month, yes. Time feels hurried. My friends and I are over-busy. Stress level seems high. My emotional processor is jammed because I’m overstretched, but I’ve got goals, dreams, and life to live! What do you do when you want to stay motivated, but everything seems against you to actually produce anything but stress?

I didn’t have time to plan this week, so it’s a topsy-turvy one. The question that begs to be answered – what do you do when the week falls apart? You don’t have time to catch up, and you’re basically in crisis mode. You’re concerned that next week will be the same, and the next, until 2018 is OVER! Ack!

If you’re a leader and a planner like me, then this is a tough spot to be. Take a breath and tell yourself – you can’t control everything, you’re playing a bigger game, so of course life might catch up to you, at times.

It’s magician time. I bless you with the 5-minute reset. The more you practice, the better you’ll get at slowing down time. You will take 5 minutes and stretch it into 1-hour. This is not impossible, so let’s go!

1. Turn off all the lights in your environment or get in your car where you’ll have privacy and close your eyes. Basically, find a place that allows you 5 minutes of darkness, peace, and quiet. Put your phone on do not disturb (the little moon icon), and set your timer so you can let go.
2. Good. You’re in the right environment to begin to feel your butt on the chair. Feel the weight of your body as you sit still and begin to gently slow down your breath. We all know that meditation is good for us, whether we do it or not. You don’t have to compartmentalize so much that 5 minutes isn’t good enough to do at all. It will do wonders, as you learn to draw a line in the sand from crazed to relaxed.
3. In step 2, you’ve felt your butt in the chair, which helps you catch up with yourself. You’ve arrived here and now. Continue by feeling your feet by picturing them in your imagination, and take another breath. Go between feeling your feet on the floor and your butt on the chair. Exaggerate gravity in your mind, and let your mind race for a moment.
4. You’ve slowed down enough now to see the racing thoughts, which fly every which way. ‘Remember this, find that, don’t forget this, did you do this? What if this? What if that?’ That rascally mind! Can you believe how hyper it can get? It can never be tamed, so just start patiently listening to it, like you would a nagging child. Instead of telling it to shut up and sit in the corner, give it a little attention. It goes somewhat like this, “Oh you poor baby, you’re feeling stressed, and there’s no time for a nap. Let’s take a few minutes and relax so we can reset.” Keep talking to this stressed and reeling mind for a bit. You’ll feel an energy of calm slowly set in as you just observe and listen.
5. As you talk to the part of your mind that is in overwhelm, you sink a layer deeper. Now begin to focus on your 3 rd eye. Your pineal gland is here. When glands are healthy, they are your window to relaxation and effortlessness. Sink deeper. Two of your best allies, focus and concentration, can be strengthened here.
6. Now take inventory. Ask yourself how you’re doing, the deeper part, not the hyper-overwhelmed mind. Let an answer maybe come up. You don’t use your brain here, this is much more of a spiritual question to your spiritual essence. Be quiet and listen.
7. It’s been about 4 minutes. You have one minute left to plan your next task. Quietly as the spiritual part of you what is in your best interest to do next? Usually, when I ask this question in a deep state of relaxation, I get, “who cares, just sit and be for a moment longer.’ If you can swing it, listen to that answer. If it’s time to go to a meeting, ask yourself, “What shall I focus on during this meeting?” If you need to choose from a hundred million different possible things, ask yourself, “What task would be the best choice for my well-being?”

Remember, life is a marathon, not a sprint. I often listen to Deepak Chopra talk to me about life on audios, because he makes me see that I’m not in the hurry that my overwhelm mind thinks I am. Go forth and create, create your life by each choice you make. Then you see that your day is slowly created with patience and care. This way, you only run around on the hamster wheel enough to realize that you don’t need to. I caught myself doing it just by writing this blog. I have slowed way down, and again feel like my 2018 goals are realistic. Get started now with your 5-minute reset.

Love,

Kate

Kate Galt

Kate Galt writes the Motivation Monday Blog for AboutBoulder.com.

Her mission is for those in relationship to be the best they can be to each other. If that’s not happening, it’s time for an overhaul. As a Certified Relationship Coach, Kate Galt is known as the Breakup Expert because she understands the healthiest way out of heartache. The breakup transition is a HUGE change that takes an enormous amount of energy to overcome. If she can motivate, uplift, and guide men and women going through this devastating transition, she’s living her purpose.

Share these resources with your friends in need. Kate’s YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/thebreakupexpert) is a five-star resource. Her Friday Night Broken Hearts Club (https://kategalt.com/webinar-registration/) is a free online meeting not to be missed. These tools provide tips and strategies to recover faster and start laughing again.

Kate hopes the Motivation Monday Blog inspires you to dream big and follow-up that dream with bold action!