Do I Have To?
Do you ever find yourself having a bad attitude about things you usually want to do?
I do!
Last week I thought to myself “blah, blah, blah, and I have to go for a run today”.
Really? I have to? Nope, actually I really wanted to go for a run. I pictured the feeling of my body warming up, my heart beating a little faster, and then the satisfaction and calm I feel when I finish a run. In just a few moments time I switched from feeling reluctance of having to fit in a run to a feeling of gratitude that I have the health, time, and motivation to run.
In the beginning of a recent yoga class the teacher told us to “Picture the hardest thing you have to do today. Now picture yourself completing that thing with grace, confidence, and ease.” The class was on a Tuesday and I had to teach the first dance class of a session that night. I didn’t know how many students to expect or what level they would be and it was causing some low-level anxiety. Remembering that by the end of the day the class would be in the past and picturing it going well made me feel better going into it.
I’ve used this technique nearly everyday since that class. Sometimes the hardest part of my day is physical; a long run or a challenging yoga series. Sometimes it’s writer’s block for this blog. Other times it’s dealing with insurance companies at the clinic.
Whatever it is, stopping and reminding myself to
1. change my attitude towards [fill in the blank]
and
2. picture myself completing [fill in the blank]
has really helped me ease anxiety and stress and tackle my runs, posts, work calls, etc. with a clearer head and better attitude.
