I'm doing a cleanse but it's not what you think
Last week on Twitter, I shared this article by Rachel Astarte on Elephant Journal about soul cleaning. I decided immediately that I was going to do this.
First, a little about my current dilemma.
I must think I have super hero powers, because I tend to overload my schedule and to-dos. Right now, I've bitten off more than I can chew, and I'm kind of stressing out about fitting everything in.
So why add "soul cleaning" to the list?
The point of this effort is to simplify my life. I'm hoping that by eliminating some unnecessary and negative fluff that's part of my routine, I'll have more time to devote to the more important things that bring my joy.
So this soul cleanse. Here's how it works.
- Make a list of things that are working for you and things that aren't
- Eliminate one thing per week from the "things that aren't working for you" list
I'll go first.
When making these lists, Rachel points out that you need to be realistic about what you can and can't change. For example, if you hate your job and it's not working for you, you probably can't just up and quit until you have another source of income lined up.
WORKING
Yoga
Daily meditation
Morning/evening walks
Family time (I've been seeing my family on Monday nights)
Coffee - don't judge
This blog (it's a nice pause that I enjoy)
NOT WORKING
Lack of sleep
Unreasonable expectations
Procrastination
Complaining
Cool. Step one: Complete.
Now on to step two. This part's going to be harder.
Rachel suggests eliminating one thing per week. But when looking at this list, I feel like these should all stop immediately. So I'm cheating and I'm going to go all in. Here's the plan.
PROBLEM: Lack of sleep
SOLUTION: Sleep more. Be in that bed by 9:00 p.m. If I'm tardy, no morning yoga or walk for me ... and I love my morning time, so that's a big punishment.
PROBLEM: Unreasonable expectations
SOLUTION: Expect less. I'm a "yes" girl. I need to prioritize and say "no." If someone makes a request of me that is going to pile more on my plate, before saying, "SURE!" I will pause, look at my list of priorities and determine whether or not I can truly fit it in. I need to have realistic expectations of myself. I am not a super hero.
PROBLEM: Procrastination
SOLUTION: Plan and conquer. I think I'll be a lot less stressed if I make a plan to get everything crossed off my to-do list. If I have a schedule and stick to it, I won't have to stress about meeting all these deadlines and can focus my energy on knocking things out. Because when I'm stressed about getting things done, my energy is focused on that stress and I procrastinate. Not a good cycle.
PROBLEM: Complaining
SOLUTION: Stop complaining. It's as simple as that. My husband is going to help me out with this one. If he catches me complaining, he's going to point it out to me so I'll stop. Complaining just creates a pool of self-pity for me to wallow in. So not helpful.
My plate is full of wonderful things, like cookies. I love cookies. But when I eat too many of them, I feel sick. Some of the things on my plate are like store-bought, processed cookies. Not so great. I'm hoping that through this soul cleanse I can reserve my appetite only for the best cookies.