Find Your Thing
If you stepped back into my life 3-4years ago, you would find me right smack in the middle of a BURNOUT dumpster fire, twirled up in over-responsibility at work and at home, and just plain exhausted. I was surviving just fine and, on paper, I looked like I was a successful Forensic Investigator, mother, and wife. But like a duck, it only looked like I was calmly floating on the surface while my little duck feet were paddling like crazy just under me. I wasn’t moving my body or letting it rest, and I didn’t eat well or drink enough water. I drank plenty of wine though! The more hours I worked, the more OT$$ I banked, the less my family expected to see me. Sure I was surviving, but I wasn’t thriving.
Entropy is defined as a gradual decline into disorder and chaos - I truly believe that without purposeful, intentional direction, our lives can decline into chaotic messes! Over the last 3yrs, I’ve been working to detangle all of the weeds that grew up and caused chaos in my life. I’ve explained 5 of those tools so far:
1. Sleep and Rest
2. Proper nutrition and hydration
3. Mindful Decontamination
4. Movement
5. Communication and Connection
The sixth tool is Finding Your Thing. This might be really hard for some of you - it was for me! I identified myself by all kinds of external factors in my life - my job, my behaviors, my relatives. It takes a little time to reframe here and that’s ok! So often we are taught that our worthiness is directly linked to our behavior but that is just not true. You are worthy because you are alive, you are here, YOU ARE WORTHY. You can find your thing after you identify your values - what drives you into action? Why do you do what you do? How do you care for the people in your life? And then find some activities that align with your values. Do you value compassion, caring, and teamwork - how about volunteering at hospice care? Do you value discipline, calm, and patience - how about planting and tending a garden? Find something that has nothing to do with work that you really enjoy AND that aligns with your values. Check out this worksheet for more!
