Resilience Boosters – Give yourself a mini break!
With the weekend on its way, it might be time to consider a mini break. You may not have the time or resources to get a weekend away but there is a way of taking mental ‘mini breaks’ that give you a reprieve and help you feel more prepared to face your challenges again on Monday morning.
It’s a simple technique which is based on finding activities that give you some relief from feelings of frustration and tiredness. The more aware you are of those feelings and the better you get at finding antidotes that work for you, the greater the benefits. The most benefits can be gained from integrating this technique into your daily routine.
Do any of these examples ring a bell?
- You’re trying to achieve something but you just can’t get it done
- You’re tired of having to be disciplined with how you spend every minute of your day
- You feel under appreciated
- Your mind is just spinning with all the activities you have to juggle and the constant need to keep re-prioritising
- Your mind feels worn out from having to ‘think’ so hard
- Etc etc
These are typical of some of the day to day frustrations and feelings we have to contend with.
So, how about giving yourself that mental mini break – the feeling that you would like to be having instead, albeit, just for now and maybe in a small way? You may have tried this on some level already and felt the benefits.
Let’s take the first example of trying to get something done but not being able to achieve it. There are a whole range of possible mini breaks here and you’ll know which is best for you. It could be breaking the challenge down and completing one element so you’ve stepped forward, it could be completely unrelated to that particular challenge. Clients tell me how they like to find something practical that they can do from A to B and see a tangible result e.g. decorating a room, mowing the lawn, baking a cake, completing a run, reorganising a wardrobe etc etc. It doesn’t have to be a big task. The important part is getting it finished and having the satisfaction of seeing it done.
For the second example about having to be disciplined with time, how about allowing yourself a certain amount of time, whatever is practical, to just ‘potter’. Do what you are drawn to, do what is in front of you, flit from one thing to another. It’s important to just experience freedom.
If you feel mentally fatigued from having to ‘think’ the whole time, maybe go on a mindful walk, getting curious about everything around you, trying to discover things you haven’t noticed before. Or, more simply, just let your mind wander at it’s leisure – not seeking to direct or control it but just letting it go wherever it wants to. Whatever helps your mind to relax and stop ‘striving’.
Most of our frustrations will have an antidote. There is something very reassuring and revitalising about consciously acknowledging our suppressed needs and acting on them. As well as contributing to boosting our resilience, this can also help us shift our perspective which tends to positively impact our thoughts, feelings and productivity.
Here’s hoping you enjoy your own mini-breaks!
Resilience Reset
If you would like to learn more about growing and maintaining resilience, join our next Resilience Reset course on 14th May and 21st May (2 half days) online (14.00-17.00 GMT). The programme provides participants with our unique Resilience Tool and supplementary techniques to boost resilience. We have been running and evolving the programme since the beginning of Covid with a wide variety of clients, including the NHS. Read more about our previous NHS Resilience Reset.
Please contact Fiona@orchardhousepartners or lisa@orchardhousepartners for a brief call or for more information.