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How’s your Self-compassion?

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Self-compassion doesn’t include self-deception. You aren’t trying to convince yourself everything is going to be okay with an optimistic whitewash.
 
Self-compassion is about comforting yourself with a full appreciation of your humanity.
 
We’re imperfect by design, and we are not less than because of it.
 
Being able to look at your decisions, and results through a lens that doesn’t create new shame for you, is what we’re looking for.
 
Maintaining your dignity, and self-worth through adversity, are beautiful experiences that come with practicing self-compassion.
 
That’s why it’s a primary focus of what I teach my clients.
 
How are you doing with it?

A good cry helps keep you honest…

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I collapsed into tears last night, and am still processing this morning.
 
I’m having a procedure Friday (for back pain), that requires anesthesia. I’m not allowed to use my medical marijuana for 48 hours beforehand as it can interfere with the anesthesia.
 
I started ramping up my anxiety right away after hearing that. Work keeps me pretty distracted during the day. Distraction didn’t prevent thoughts of how awful I expected to feel, from intruding my mind all day. Anxiety was building in the background.
 
By the time the sun was setting, and I was in bed trying to relax, I felt a wave of dread building in my chest.
 
My brain began bombarding me with thoughts, telling me I’m a burden, that I’m fed up with needing so much help all the time, that this is all too hard, and so on.
 
I sat up, and began sobbing, saying these thoughts out loud. Not because I believed them, but because shame cannot survive in the light. I needed to get these thoughts into the open so they could be seen for what they are…fear.
 
I’m afraid of becoming an invalid in the future. I’m afraid of being left alone, and forgotten about while everyone else lives their lives.
 
Turns out, medical marijuana is as good for numbing emotion as it is pain. I can’t continue that. I plan on finding a balance so I can feel less pain but still allow emotion through.
 
Not in the flood like I experienced last night, but a more steady, hopefully more digestible flow throughout the day.
 
After I finished crying I began feeling tired, and lied back down. My wife in all her brilliance, put my weighted blanket over me, and got an icepack for my head. The combination helped me calm down even more.
 
Why am I sharing all this with you? I write so much because putting language to my experience helps me make sense of it, and work through it more effectively than if I kept everything sequestered in my brain.
 
It’s also a way, to hopefully demonstrate the power of sharing our experiences with each other. A simple conversation with a stranger can be paradigm shifting.
 
Why keep it to myself? I’m not in competition with you, we’re in this together. The more tools each of us has at our disposal the better we can show up for each other.

Carrying your circumstances with gratitude…

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I had a moment with a stranger this morning. She called to review some things before an outpatient procedure this Friday.
 
She read my list of diagnoses, and surgeries, during which I was able to lay some tile, and do the necessary calculations to prove string theory.
 
After she finished reading, I said facetiously, “Aren’t I lucky?”
 
She went on to describe the various ways she’s seen people carry life’s circumstances. The, “its what you do with what you’re given” principle, as modeled by her patients.
 
She described a woman in treatment for the third recurrence of cancer. A woman who is also a ray of sunshine.
 
Then there’s the person with mild arthritis who is miserable constantly.
 
I learned a few things having my own experience with cancer some 34 years ago. Add the chronic pain, and fatigue I experience now.
 
The most consequential thing I learned is how immersion in the present moment, can open you up to more gratitude, and wonder than you realize is there.
 
You don’t notice because your mind is preoccupied with the past, and future.
 
I recommend expressing gratitude throughout your day, for the moments enriching your life. As many as you notice.
 
Think, “Thank you,” and feel the gratitude for the thought that cheers you up.
 
The piece of advice you remembered or the person who smiled, inspiring a smile in you.
 
The experience you’re having now is the most real. It’s the stove you’re touching that burns you, the breath you’re taking now that sustains you.
 
Spending your day saying, “Thank you,” hundreds of times. It’s been a transformational practice for my mindset, and emotional balance.
 
In time you won’t need to say, “Thank you,” to yourself. You’ll just notice a chronic feeling of gratitude.
 
I highly recommend it.

Self-care doesn’t have to be perfect to be helpful

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When you live with chronic pain, it isn’t enough to recite an affirmation in the morning, and hope the pain is suddenly an after thought you can take in stride.

That’s an ineffective approach because it requires you to oversimplify the solution, mask your pain so everyone else is comfortable, and beat yourself up because the switch didn’t flip.

In my experience, the negative thoughts intrude all day long. Although my symptoms may vary in intensity, they don’t stop. So there’s plenty for my brain to react to.

When your mind responds with, “This SUCKS. I hate this!” “It isn’t fair I have to live like this!” I understand.

I have those moments too. I’ve also learned I don’t have to piggy back on these thoughts, and keep this line of reactivity alive.

I can acknowledge the part of myself that’s sick of all this, then remind myself my priorities are progress that includes self-care (refueling), being solution-focused, and empowered.

If you own a car, you need to fill er up or plug er in the make it go, yes?
You work the same way regardless of how hard you try to be unstoppable.

Although a part of my brain is telling me it’s hard to do what we want. Another part is saying, yes, but we can if we do it more strategically.

Both have something to say, one must ultimately be in charge.

Self-care is a habit, a habit that can require daily, and hourly reinforcement to keep going. Even if that’s what it takes, its better than the alternative.

You’re more connected than you realize…

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One way I know I’m on the right track with a concept, is when I find a similar process in nature that works that way also.
 
We have expressions like, “Every night has it’s dawn”, or “Just keep swimming”. Examples of how nature already does, what you set out to do.
 
If it follows a natural process, it lessens the feeling of risk for me, because I see evidence it can work. Once I find a narrative that makes it work for me, I can plan for action.
 
Case in point, there’s a beautiful human experience called co-regulation. It refers to how our emotional states, and behavior are affected by each other.
 
We can help each other calm, cheer each other up, and suddenly find ourselves in sync. That’s co-regulation.
 
How deep does this process go?
 
On a subatomic level there’s a process called quantum-entanglement. This refers to a situation where two particles appear to be influencing each others behavior. To the point where if one particle changes its spin, the particle it’s entangled with will change its spin also.
 
Sometimes they just influence each other, other times they sync up. Sounds a lot like co-regulation to me.
 
Which stands to reason, when we help someone calm, help them find hope or discover their confidence. Aren’t we affecting them (potentially) on a quantum level as well?
 
When we say, “Its all connected”, we aren’t just talking philosophically. Everything is actually connected, following the same rules, and processes.
 
Nicola Tesla, perhaps one of the top geniuses to ever live, said, “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.”
 
Emotional “energy”, the “vibes” you get from someone.
We’re talking about how we show up for each other.
 
There are folks that make you cringe, become anxious or downright angry when in their space. You affect each other’s energy (for better or worse).
 
I shared this analogy with a client a bit ago, explaining the importance of surrounding yourself with people who help you regulate your nervous system.
 
Avoiding people who manufacture drama to keep their lives interesting. You need more road, and less rollercoaster.
 
Think about the energy around you, if it doesn’t help you regulate most of the time, we need to make some tweaks. Are you in?

Someone decided being creative, and being artistic were synonymous. PROBLEM!!!

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Do you consider yourself creative?
 
Before you answer, it’s important to note someone, somewhere decided being creative, and being artistic were synonymous.
 
This perception of creativity is far too narrow, and denies the creative spirit guiding your every action.
 
Creativity is a process every cell in your body, and every response in your brain is actively involved in, every moment. Including, right now!
 
Your body creates energy, emotion, thoughts, inspired action, and so on.
 
When you smile at someone, and that someone smiles back. You’ve both created connection, together.
 
When they don’t, you’ve created an opportunity to connect with you.
They’ve created a boundary.
 
You’re both creators of your experience, and the experiences you create with others.
 
When you declutter a room you create more space.
When you’re safe to be with, you help create space for others to heal.
 
You with me on this?
 
If you ask yourself, “Why am I always messing up?”
Your mind will create a list of your weaknesses.
Ask yourself, “What action can I take to move things forward?”
Now you’re creating solution-focused, and action-oriented options.
 
Creativity is process as much as product. You can enjoy playing in the sand whether you build anything or not.
 
Your life may be more interpretive dance than DaVinci, yet it’s a sight to behold nonetheless.
 
Understanding yourself as a creator, reminds you you are active every moment in creating your experience.
 
If you don’t yet recognize this, it’s possible you are in survival mode. You feel it isn’t safe to pause, let down your guard long enough, to experience the emotional space you’re in.
 
What do you choose to create?
 
Where do you feel you have no choice? Is it out of your control, or have you been conditioned to believe it is?
 
Either way, you have a storehouse of creativity you’ve barely discovered. Because a misunderstanding of what it means to be creative, has put a film over your eyes.
 
Preventing you from experiencing the magnitude of your creative power, every time you take action in a deliberate way.
 
Your journey may not lead you to create an artistic masterpiece, write the song that inspires generations, or design the next device that forever changes our way of life.
 
But you can create a way of being in this world, that helps put others at ease. Helps them learn to believe in themselves, and that it’s okay to take risks to make life a little better for all of us.
 
Be you, THAT makes a difference.
 
That’s the work I’m helping every client of mine through, step-by-step, so they can live life as fully as possible.

A busy brain stifles creativity, ya know!

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A busy brain stifles creativity, ya know!
 
The writing I’ve been producing the past few months has been a long time coming.
 
I’ve had this knowledge in me, locked away behind walls of fear, self-doubt, comparison, you name it. Then there are the cascades of executive functioning blips, that can make thinking feel like trying to see clearly in a snowstorm.
 
I gave more bandwidth to masking than self-acceptance, and consumption rather than creativity.
 
My inner critic developed laryngitis trying to keep me safe. It sure kept me afraid.
 
Like many of us, I spent years, and energy reacting to the noisy world we’ve created.
 
Chasing this, running from that. Constantly wondering whether I’m good enough.
 
You say you can’t think about trying something new because you’re too busy, too much on your mind, and so on.
What’s the truth, is your life busy or is your mind busy?
Is your life busy because you’re trying to calm an anxious mind?
 
How many of your +/- 60,000 thoughts per day are about good/bad, right/wrong, should/shouldn’t?
You know, all the conditioning that controls your behavior so everyone else is happy.
 
There was a key insight that helped unlock the ability to calm down, and open up to more creativity.
 
We often talk about wanting to quiet our thoughts or calm our minds, but this is only half the story.
What we know now is that the work isn’t to calm your mind, it’s to calm your nervous system.
 
Scientists have determined that 80% of all nerve signals don’t originate from the brain, but from the body.
So if there’s anything you need to calm down, it’s not just your mind, or your body, it’s your entire nervous system.
 
Your nervous system reacts to everything, in conditioned ways. It’s difficult to feel in charge of your life when you feel controlled by your triggers/conditioning.
 
I had a conversation with my boys this weekend about PTSD. My oldest is majoring in Social Work, and is studying childhood trauma in one of his classes.  We talked about some of the difficulties they’ve experienced, including when I divorced their mother.
 
When you’re too young to mentally understand what’s going on, the experience doesn’t simply pass you by.
 
Your body still has an experience, whether or not your mind can make sense of it. Your body will be triggered by reminders of that event (e.g. sights, smells, sounds, etc.,) even though your mind has no idea what’s going on.
 
Having grown up with ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia and so on, none of which was identified or accommodated. I grew up feeling unsafe, and in the way. It’s been hard work, much of which I hope to spare you by sharing what I’ve learned.
 
Step by step, you learn to remove one pebble at a time from the path you’re on. In time, the path becomes smoother.
The pebbles become exceptions instead of the rule.
 
Creativity is vulnerable, curious and risky. We need to clear the path of pebbles so your creativity can flow more freely.
 
Will you give yourself permission to do the work?

Don’t touch me!

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I remember a moment at a family gathering. A now “ex” relative I wasn’t fond of, was going around the room hugging everyone, whether she knew them or not.
 
I saw the facial expressions of many unwilling recipients who didn’t know how to say, “No” in this situation.
 
It was like a wave of awkward was growing, and headed my way. Then the inevitable happened, she came for me.
 
Empowered by the needs to spare myself unwanted physical contact, and put an end to the awkward feeling in the room, I acted.
 
I extended my arm, and with palm facing her I declared, “I’m good.”
 
Stopped her dead in her tracks.
 
This adult, ended up making a pouty face, and walking away. Even after I reassured her my issues were sensory, and not personal.
 
I don’t remember any feedback I received from others in the room. Doesn’t matter anyway, I feel good about how I stood up for myself in that moment by setting a boundary.
 
Sure I could’ve said, “Pardon me madame, but I don’t think we’ve been introduced. Would it be terribly inconvenient if I requested a simple knuckle bump this time around?”
 
It’s difficult to be eloquent and resourceful the more anxious you become. I went with what I could get out.
 
Some people on the spectrum will hit, shout or push others away, if they fear being touched in a way that feels threatening.
 
I’m hyper-sensitive to touch, the wrong touch can feel overwhelming, and send me into fight-or-flight. I become hostile, and want to lash out. I feel like pushing the person away. It takes a lot of strength to contain that impulse. I often feel tired afterward.
 
When in public, a restaurant or theater, I try to position myself so no one can brush up against me. It’s worse if I can’t see it coming. My nervous system treats it like an attack. Good old autism at play.
 
It’s one of the reasons I avoid handshakes. If the touch feels weird I need to rub the spot on my hand that feels weird. The deep pressure on that spot helps calm things down.
 
But if the other person sees you do it – Awkward!
 
Touch is something I wish more people would ask permission to do. I ask for permission, because I understand how it feels to sometimes fear touch.
 
You can imagine how stressed I already was by being at a family gathering. Now I risked being thrust closer to the edge by unwanted touching, by someone I didn’t like.
 
I’d had it with the input bombardment at that point. I wasn’t just setting a boundary with her. In a way, I was saying, “enough already”, to the situation.
 
In the years since I’ve become more skilled at diplomatic self-advocacy. I rehearse in my head, what I’ll say if I need to set a boundary in a respectful way.
 
I love sharing my strategies with my members, and watching their relationships transform.
 
When you prioritize doing what you need so you can bring your most resourceful self to the table, everybody wins.
 
Because in advocating for yourself, you give others permission to do the same.

What helps reduce overthinking, overwhelm, and procrastination?

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What helps reduce overthinking, overwhelm, and procrastination?

This is one of my favorite things to help people with.

Let’s face it, you often think of more reasons NOT to do something than to do it, right? That’s one of the reasons you experience overwhelm.

Reasons include:
1) Procrastination which causes unfinished tasks to increase in number
2) Difficulty saying, “No” results in added responsibility you have neither the time or energy for
3) Refusing to ask for help leaves you two-handed when you need at least four

As much as your executive functioning challenges (e.g. getting started, maintaining focus, doing things in order, and so on) make getting things done difficult. There’s the emotional resistance, strengthened by years of criticism, and correction. With few experiencing of useful guidance on what to do instead.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing mistakes is all you’re good for.
You’ll do anything to avoid making mistakes at this point, and the subsequent barrage of brutal,
shame frosted self-talk that follows.

This pattern is a self-fulfilling prophecy, practically guaranteeing a negative experience every time you take the slightest risk.

I suspect you’d like to explore an alternative to this, yes?

Back to the original question, “What helps reduce overthinking, overwhelm, and procrastination?”

In my experience, it’s accountability. Especially For us ADHD, Neurodivergent types.

If left to their own devices, little if anything is likely to happen in between conversations with them.
The accountability changes that.

Poor executive functions make it difficult to create, and follow a plan.
Life can feel like driving your car through yards, and over mailboxes every time you leave the house.
No plan or sense of direction.

Having an accountability partner isn’t about assigning the role of “designated nag” to someone.
It’s having someone agree to support you in creating results important to YOU. It helps to have someone there to hold your hand during the more difficult parts. Am I right?

With an accountability partner, you aren’t alone at any point in your journey.
Your partner can be a sounding board, a brainstorming partner, a voice of reason, a coach, a teacher, and sometimes a friend.

Knowing I’m there for you, and have your back. This alone reduces anxiety.

So many things happening inside you,
many working against taking risk,
experiencing growth, to remain safe from criticism.

Yet action is where the rubber meets the road. It’s a universal law – nothing happens until something moves. That includes you.

It’s the daily nudging, and guidance from me that helps make sure my clients follow through.

I have several accountability partners that help keep me from chasing every shiny object, so I concentrate on the goals, and objectives we agreed I’d focus on. They also help me get things done in a timely manner.

It isn’t a failure or weakness to need this support, it’s a reality. I can adjust to reality or resist it.

I message with my clients between sessions to help them take what’s in their minds, and turn it into action until they get the result they want. This is their opportunity to apply what they learn during our live conversations. Its also the time during which they’ll bump against a lot of self-sabotage.

There are a lot of old beliefs, and habits that showed up to protect the kid who felt they couldn’t do anything right.
Beliefs, and habits that grab onto the ankles of the adult that knows better, making it difficult to take the next step forward.

Time to step out of the past.

Let’s explore working together, because you have a life to live, a difference to make, and a legacy to leave. Sound like a plan?

What slows you doesn’t have to stop you…

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One thing I hide behind my chipper demeanor,
is how much physical pain I actually experience day to day.

Yes, I’ve tried that!
Yep, that too!

I don’t talk about it every moment because there’s nothing to be accomplished by doing so.

I’m writing this from bed because the pain wipes me out.
That, and the cortisone shot for my back is wearing off.
That’ll open the floodgates to major burning, and stabbing pain from my low back down to my feet.

I share this with you because it’s a fact of my experience.
It isn’t a failure, curse or punishment. It’s simply a fact.
I also live with purpose, and have goals to accomplish.

Why should feeling sick stop me?
Sure, it slows me down.
But I’m relentless like water dripping on a stone.
I still manage to leave my mark.

Our aspirational culture bombards us with celebrities, influencers, heroes, and villains.
It has to influence, trend, be EPIC or Iconic!

It doesn’t have to make the news, go viral or win an award to make an impact.

Persistence, a little at a time, over time, can make a big difference. Patient determination.

Somedays I can only stick my toes over the sideline, and onto the field. But I’m still in the arena.

There have been days where I did no, “work”.
But I still practiced self-compassion, and being present while waiting for the worst of it to pass.

Sometimes I want to cry, sometimes I do cry.
It’s a part of moving through the experience until it calms down.

I choose my attitude, my priorities, and which thoughts I choose to believe. Attach those to my aptitudes for resilience, and resourcefulness.

Now my everyday experiences are filtered through a solution-focused way of approaching life, that makes me virtually unstoppable. Fortunately for you, this is all teachable.

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