Have you ever considered going on a stress, overwhelm, anxiety, or self-criticism diet? I have been practicing this with my long to-do list, it only reinforces to me that all of these indulgent emotions pretend to be necessary but are really optional. I treat the list of items on the list as facts. Bills, laundry, doctor’s appointments, phone calls, emails, I could go on. These are just tasks that could be completed. Nothing more, not thing less. The stress around completing them is completely optional.When practicing a stress- free diet, the first step is to be aware of when you fall into the emotion that you are trying to avoid. Notice feeling tense shoulders, increased heart rate, and a mood shift that's trending negative. This may be your default mood, so work toward being more conscious of your state of mind especially when it turns this way. Use the negative emotion as a signal to remind yourself that you are on a stress- free diet and to drop into calm. It helps to prepare calming thoughts or mantras ahead of time. I like to tell myself,” even though it may feel like it, this isn’t an emergency”, or “there is time for all of it”, or to “remember to breathe”. Roll those shoulders back, take some deep breaths, and repeat the mantra until you are able to drop into a calmer state.What I have come to realize is that when I am on the stress- free diet, I actually get more accomplished. Instead of venting or complaining about the growing to-do list, I jump into action. When someone drops into a calmer state, they become more open, more expansive, and often times more efficient. Negative emotion does not promote positive change, and the stress can block any forward progress or momentum. My passion is to help my clients recognize that these negative mood states are optional and can be changed if need be by changing your thought process. How much better would your life be if you stopped being mean to yourself, by saying “We don’t do that anymore” when you catch yourself being critical. How much more efficient would you be if you chose not to indulge in overwhelm and stress? It is possible.

If you want to learn more on how to accomplish this in your life with your specific circumstances, please contact me for a breakthrough Life Coaching Session by clicking here to schedule.

Have a great weekend everyone!