Hi, friends 👋🏽. I’m Stacy Casson, Chief Play Officer at Things to Think About, LLC. With over twenty years of continuous improvement experience, I’ve learned to stay calm in a crisis—unless you’re that jerk in the white Tesla who doesn’t understand how indicators work. Get ready with me!
Is your calendar packed to the gills? Are you constantly double or triple-booked? Do you groan when your alarm goes off? You don’t have to face the overwhelm alone. I write this blog to help us get ready for the week ahead. As Dan Martell says, “A problem well defined is a problem half-solved.”
This week, we will seek inspiration from the Spiritual AF deck by Roxan McDonald
Step 1: Celebrate Your Wins
Pause for a moment:
What’s one thing you accomplished this week—big or small?
Did you update your resume?
Successfully went to the gym?
Said no to something that didn’t align with you?
This week, I comforted friends, finished making a batch of cakes, and spent time with friends who were in town. I also handled being liberated from my day job with a growth mindset.
Drop your win in the comments or share it with a friend! Now that we have celebrated our achievements, let’s take a look at our current beliefs.
Step 2: Understand your current situation.
“YOU ARE A PRODUCT OF WHAT YOU BELIEVE.”
I am in a new phase of my life, and I am making certain that I have a growth mindset. I was playing cards with the kids, and when they had a bad turn and had to pick up, they said they needed to organize their winnings. Isn’t that a great attitude?
Challenge: I’m calling this one “two sides of the same coin.” Being detail-oriented is an excellent asset until you spend three hours trying to get out of the house because you worry you missed something. Let’s do the opposite. I want you to pick three things you are unhappy about and reframe them. I am not asking you to ignore your feelings. Here is an example: I am upset that I got cut off, and I appreciate that I am a proactive driver and that I avoided a collision. Now you try it? Did you gain insights about your beliefs?
Step 3: Create a Winning Mindset
A synonym of overcome is surmount, which means to prevail over. When you think about the thing you listed in Step 2, what is the challenge? The card I pulled states: “GOT OUTSIDE AND DO SHIT.” Often, overcoming our inertia is our biggest challenge.
Whenever I get stuck, I often go for a walk. Dr. Alok Kanojia also touts the benefits of pacing back and forth (without your phone) to support emotional regulation.
Mini-exercise: On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest, how confident do you feel that you can overcome your challenge? Write that down. Now, go for a walk, or pace, or look at a picture of nature for at least five minutes. Now rate your confidence level. Did it change?
Step 4: Build a Support System
Your environment influences your mood. What can help? The cards suggest:
“BEAUTIFUL THINGS HAPPEN WHEN YOU DISTANCE YOURSELF FROM NEGATIVE SHIT.”
Who is around you? Are they people who inspire you or drain you? What is around you? We went antique shopping and saw this adorable Alice in Wonderland clock depicting the White Rabbit. I did not buy it because being reminded that “I’m late, I’m late” all the time would increase my anxiety.
What can you subtract that will add to your well-being? Who in your social connections lifts you up?
Step 5: Let’s gooooo!
Only make new mistakes 😊 “YOU CAN LEARN A LOT OF GOOD LESSONS FROM A FEW FUCKED-UP PEOPLE.”
Sticking with the idea of reframing, can there be an alternate explanation for what happened? I finished a fun book about a doctor who had extreme social anxiety. Everyone thought he was the biggest jerk because they lacked context for his actions. Don’t get me wrong. People can be jerks. At best, you will learn how not to lead from their behavior. Is there anyone or anything that you have a different understanding of after further reflection? How can this guide your current situation?
We can also learn lessons from our messed-up situations. One of my former therapists shared this gem: “Let the pain inform you.”
To recap:
• What do you believe to be true?
• Does it serve you?
• Go outside and get some headspace.
• Release what does not serve you.
• Make new mistakes, don’t repeat the old ones.
• You aren’t failing, you are learning. Namaste
Need a Little Extra Support?
If you’re finding it tough to carve out time for yourself or need a reset, I offer Calm Down Sessions designed to help you get the headspace you deserve. Sometimes, a quick chat is all it takes to get back on track.
Ready to tackle your overwhelm? Let me know what’s happening, and we can schedule a brief call to brainstorm solutions together. Book Now: https://calendly.com/thingstothinkabout/calm-down
What did you learn this week? What is one thing you are going to distance yourself from? Drop your thoughts in the comments or send me a message—I’d love to cheer you on!
Picture Descriptions: 4 cards: 1. A green card with the sentence, “YOU ARE A PRODUCT OF WHAT YOU BELIEVE.”, lit up like a neon sign. 2. A purple card with neon letters that state, “GO OUTSIDE AND DO SHIT.” 3. A white card that looks like a lined index card with the phrase, “BEAUTIFUL THINGS HAPPEN WHEN YOU DISTANCE YOUSELF FROM NEGATIVE SHIT.” 4. A grey card that resembles a lined index card with the text, “YOU CAN LEARN A LOT OF GOOD LESSONS FROM A FEW FUCKED-UP PEOPLE.”
