PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Ditching the Leggings and Sweatpants

“Out greatest freedom is the freedom to choose our attitude.” – Viktor E. Frankl

The back-to-school season is almost upon us. Whether you are a parent, teacher, or child caregiver, or simply just going back to work, you are bound to have some anxiety about how to return to some form of normalcy and having to interact with others face-to-face instead of on Zoom and Blackboard apps.

What is your perception, your reality of things getting back to normal? - Back-to-school shopping in preparation for inperson learning to resume - Having to think about what to put on in the morning for both yourselves and your kids - Separation anxiety from being away from your kids - Having to go back to a 9-5 work routine - Frantic drop-off, pick-up, after-school activities, and playdate schedules - Interacting face-to-face with friends and strangers - Are they or are they not vaccinated? Fully vaccinated?

If you are starting to feel overwhelmed and your thoughts are whirling around, take a moment to remember that your perception determines your reality so if you can find the positives in the postpandemic world you will cultivate more happiness for yourself and those around you.

A healthy mindset will make all the difference in how you experience every day’s experiences.

You have far more control over your internal world than your external world, so this is the best place to decrease stress and raise your happiness.

I am specifically referring to your response to situations via your thoughts, emotions, and actions. When you change your response, you change your experience of the situation.

When “back-to-school” starts this fall, why not try this on for size, see if it fits, walk around wearing it for a bit.

Thoughts cease to be vague when you manifest then into something tangible or real. You attract what you think and feel.

This probably sounds like some cliche motivational hoo-ha you hear everywhere these days. However, you are kind of open to the idea of it, but you are not. You kind of want to believe it, but you kind of feel like it’s bullsh*t. When it comes to positivity, think love, compassion, and peacefulness. Negative thought only creates fear, anxiety, sadness, and depression.

How you perceive a situation impacts the amount of stress you experience. When you choose to view a situation in such a way that validates your reasons for feeling stressed. You can instead view it so that you feel motivated and up for the challenge to deal with it. You may not be able to control what happens, but you can control how you respond to what happens. Your response includes not only your actions but also the degree of tension you allow in your mind and body.

You have never been where you are in this moment, now, yet your mind finds a way to make it familiar so that you think it is the same. Your perception drives your behaviour. You can start with owning your interpretations and navigating your way through other ways of looking at the situation. Thus increasing your control over your internal world and raise your happiness potential.

You may think you know, or you are certain about your perception. But how can you be 100% certain? You alone can choose your perceptions. Seeing as you are making it all up, you may as well choose something that moves you in the direction of happiness, well-being, and self-esteem.

One way to help loosen the hold of your interpretations is to consider the facts within a situation. Ask yourself this question: ‘What are the facts in this situation, outside of your interpretations about it?’

As you separate the raw, objective facts from the interpretations, you give yourself more power to choose a different interpretation.

It is never too late to change the way you see the world.

For now, signing off from a place of calm, joy, and love.

AMANDA KIRKLAND

Personal Development Coach www.amandakirkland.com

If you are interested in making positive changes in your life, to move forward and live a whole and complete life, let’s book an initial consultation call. Tell me about your story and we can assess your goals and what’s blocking you from living the life you were meant to. Email me at amanda@amandakirkland.com or visit www.amandakirkland.com