The Lesson from this Past Week? Be Kind.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had the most unproductive week ever.

As a registered independent, the election took a lot more out of me than I expected.  

I am not a political person.  And I do not talk about politics with most people. Certainly not on Emerge Positive or any social media platform.

But this year was very personal to me.  I still didn’t talk about it - except to a very specific few  - because I believe very deeply that relationships should always come before politics.  Friendships should not be tainted by this outcome….nor should family bonds.  So I kept quiet.  (For those who know me well, you know that is not an easy task for me).

This week hurt my heart at its core.

Especially watching the aftermath of people - friends and family, going after one another in nasty social media exchanges, completely stressed me out and made me incredibly sad.

And don’t even get me started on the news and media overall.  It has been a shit show at best.  Watching it definitely does not help.

Now, I’m well versed in how to shift your mindset, get in a better headspace and improve your focus and productivity.  But even I have struggled this week.  Frankly, I didn’t even want to try.

So I did what I thought was best for me.  

I took a time out.

My days were full, but full of nothing.

I did a lot of thinking.

I read a lot.

I meditated.

I took naps.

I tried new recipes for dinner.  (And they were delicious!)

I exercised and stretched my body.

And you know something?  It was wonderful.

Was I working?  Nope.  But I was working on me.  Doing 100% amazing work on my self care.

It was exactly what I needed.  

So I may have a bit of catchup this week, but I’m ok with that.  I feel good. Recharged.  Peaceful.  Clear-headed.  And ready to get to work.

Are you still struggling from this past week?  If so, I highly recommend taking some “me time”.  Don’t keep pushing through expecting a miracle to happen.  Sometimes you just need a break.

So give yourself permission to do just that.

Give yourself the gift of doing nothing.

Honestly, it’s not as hard as it may sound 😀. Personally, I enjoyed every single moment.

We have about 7 weeks left of 2024.  (Let me just pause here….holy cow, how is that even possible??!!)

7 weeks to go.  How will you spend them?  What is it that you need or want to accomplish just for yourself?

Lose weight?  Start a new morning routine?  Spend more time with friends or family? Start that novel you’ve been planning to write for years? Plan a garden for spring? Book travel?

Make amends?

7 weeks.

Let’s not waste them.  Take a step back, relax, recharge, and decide what exactly you want.  

And then go do it.  Do it with all your might.  Do it as if your life depends on it.

Because it does.  An incredible, full, and fantastic life is waiting just for you.

And regardless of what you thought of the election, this too shall pass.  The highs and the lows.  The feeling of defeat.  The feeling of success.  In the big scheme of life, it doesn’t really matter what the political outcome is.  What matters is how you choose to respond.  What matters is how you choose to show up.  

Let’s show up with Kindness.  Stop the bickering, the hatred, the finger pointing and get on with living with Grace.

Kindness Matters.  Be the spark.

You can Emerge Positive.

Positively,

deanne

Emerge Positive is dedicated to improving mental health, culture, and productivity in the workplace.  Go here to learn more about how Connect by Emerge Positive® can help.  Or email me directly at deanne.lewis@emergepositive.com. I’d love to hear from you!