Try this "What's Stopping You?"Exercise

 

Try this short exercise to explore what holds you back.

 

Take a moment to breathe deeply and create a worry free zone around yourself. 

One more deep breath in, connecting to your heart. 

 

Think...What holds me back?

With a soft focus look around the room you are in and find a symbol, an image or an object that calls to you. 

No need to over-think this. Simply allow the symbol or object to find you.

 

Take a moment to journal about the object/symbol.

 

What stands out about it in terms of color, texture, shape, size?

What associations or memories does it trigger for you?

If the symbol/image were on a book cover, what would the title of the book be?

 

And now ask yourself - what is the message this symbol/object has for me related to the question - What holds me back?

 

Any surprises or new awareness?

 

What baby step does this new awareness suggest?

 

Make a commitment to take that step. 

Create Time For Your Life Today!

Http://www.createtimeforyourlife.coachesconsole.com

Do you get stuck like me in a place of fear sometimes?

Do you get stuck in a place of fear sometimes?  I do...When I am stuck in fear ...My life feels small, constrained and  I hold my breath and foresee every “worst case scenario” possible. I view the world from the lenses of All or Nothing. This doesn't happen often nowadays but it lurks there in the shadows popping out now and then..

I go through phases which reflect a new "dance with fear".  This was a dance that I thought I once mastered years ago, only to find myself sometimes feeling at the new “beginners” level again.

If like me you sometimes are in this "phase" you ll note that many of your actions and decisions are made out of fear and you do everything in your power not to show how you are feeling...

At times we become a great crisis manager and caretaker. We avoid asking for what We want out of fear of not getting it and feeling disappointed. 

If this resonates with you.. It s time to come to terms with understanding that fear is “False Evidence Appearing Real” and that You have the power to surrender and embrace a new story.

Learn to do the Fear dance while walking through each fear with courage, willingness and awareness.

Accept that you will have to repeat this process as fear never goes away.

Fear serves as a reminder whether We are on the right direction going towards our dreams or not...

Sometimes fear is the distraction or the obstacle that We have to overcome to go from point A to point C.

Hopefully like me your life is in a place of "creation full of uncertainty."

Accept that the fear dance is not composed of extraordinary actions and peak experience. 

This dance is about consistent, bite size actions that are far from sexy. It’s about continuing to keep the focus back on what You need, where You need to keep going and moving your feet in the right direction.

 

So... How to get moving and start dancing?

1) Breathe. Yes, really go ahead and TAKE A DEEP Breathe. Sigh. Breathe again. Your breath calms your body down. Better yet it turns your fear into excitement.

2) Write it down. What situation is causing you feel the fear? What feelings are getting trigger? 

One thing I have learned  about fear is that it hates every time you shed light on it because it makes it smaller.

 If you are brave enough, share your fears with a trusted un-bias person (sponsor, therapist, coach, etc).

3) Break it down to manageable pieces. What is that you need to get done? Where do you find yourself in a place of resistance? Fear hates action/movement.

Break down the actions to  5 – 10 minute actions that you can take. Just do one per day. Trust me this will serve as the energizer to push through the resistance.

4) Practice thinking the best if yourself..don’t know about you but I can be my own worst enemy. 

5) Accept that you are right where you need to be.

Create a great day and if you are feeling awesome and don't need to do the "Fear"  Dance today...Dance anyway!!

Self Help a Stress Reduction Tool

Holding yourself or someone else up for too long causes stress..learn to let go...look after you!

A therapist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full”question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”

Want to lower your stress? Remember to lower that glass!

Three steps to living Stress Free!

Do you understand what causes stress?

Anything that makes you:

Tense

Angry

Frustrated

Unhappy

It could be an upcoming exam, keeping a secret, a visit from a difficult relative, making a difficult choice, work pressures,

coping with a death in the family.

The strange thing is that one person s stress maybe another person's pleasure!

Think of a racing driver or people who work on high roof tops or people who just love challenges all the time...many of us set small challenges and overcome them in order to stop ourselves from getting bored and this is good for us..

However too much stress is seriously bad for our health.

In chronic stress the altered stress hormone released can cause depression, stomach ulcers and decreased immune function.

However the good news is that most of us are always able to overcome stress in our lives. The secret though is to learn how not to let stress factors build up too much in the first place.

Sometimes the source of our stress isn't quite so obvious to us and this is when talking things through with a coach can help bring it out into the open and with the help of your coach you can both put steps in place to get unstuck and move forwards.

Some Emotional Reactions to Stress;

1.  Feeling tense

2.  Unable to Relax

3.  Feeling constantly frightened

4.  Increasing irritability

5.  Complaining all the time

6.  Feeling of conflict

7.  Inability to concentrate

8.  Tearfulness 

9.  Unable to make decisions

10.Fears of social embarrassment or failure.

Do You Suffer from any of these Physical Reactions to Stress?

Muscle tension

Pounding heartbeat

Fast shallow breathing

Sweating

Dilated pupils

Change in appetite

Muscle weakness

Sick feeling in your stomach

Headaches

Frequent urge to pass urine

Irritable bowel

Pins and needles in hands or feet

Dry mouth or throat

Constant butterflies in stomach 

In my next article I will give you 20 methods for reducing stress in your life..

In the meantime ..

Work on these three simple tasks:

1.  

Always be true to yourself and your own values 

2.

Be direct with other people..whether it s family, friends or co-workers..don't beat about the bush for too long 

3.

Never apologise for being YOU! You are unique and you are amazing...

Contact Vivien at:

Http://www.createtimeforyourlife.coachesconsole.com 

You will receive complimentary coaching session and sign up to receive her weekly complimentary newsletter 

Want to get more Creative?

It's funny how we can get stuck in a rut and then one day it can seem so easy to make a change...and then we think..wow that was so easy ..why didn't i do that earlier?

Have you ever sat down and thought to yourself "why"? Why does it seem so easy now?

Usually you will realise that it's because you've "Relaxed". Relaxing makes us more creative. Our brains slow down and the creative juices get a chance to flow...

Remember.."what we resist persists"... So accept and relax and watch what happens..

Watch this 40 sec video and get inspired; You are amazing...

http://wordeo.com/w/060b997a48a947d9b9cdc49c9772c3f6