New Year State of Mind

There have been times when I really empathised with Scrooge.  It used to be that from mid December onwards I would wake at 3am in a state of anxiety and thinking "I can't wait for it to be over". I'd start fantasizing about the 6th January when the whole festive thing would be done, decorations gone and life back to 'normal'.

So a few years ago, when I found myself falling in to a stressed out state in the middle of the night - again -  I decided that there had to be a better way of experiencing Christmas than this.  I decided to focus on how I would feel when life was 'back to normal'.   I imagined how I would be calm, relaxed, happy and with a clear sense of direction. Then I had a brainwave 'why not just bring that mind-set forward to now?'  Of course I still had a great deal to do before Christmas and whilst I couldn't change the fact that Christmas was happening, I could change my attitude towards it.

So I brought my New Year State of Mind forward by a few weeks and discovered that it helped lower my stress levels and, as a result, my thinking got clearer.  I became more efficient, more time seemed to create itself (even though I was never busier) and everything got done more easily. Best of all, I had a great time!  Christmas Day and Boxing Day were full of family, food and celebrations.  I felt really present, much more able to relax and enjoy the chaos.  Christmas became a magical time again and was much more fun.

Somethings you can't change, but you can change your attitude to it. I learnt a great lesson about the power of the mind. Think of a challenging situation, think about the positive feelings you will feel when it is over and bring that state of mind forward to the present to help you work through the challenge.  

Now I am going to apply it to the ironing!  And the fitness programme.... And the tax return .....