Full of positivity...
Good day all…
Sam here
Today I have that feeling that I am on my way to accomplishing something. You know that feeling? Things are going well and I’m getting done what needs to be done. I am busy but I am content. I have a tight schedule but I am managing it.
This was a very different picture to the beginning of the week. Some of the words I could use to describe myself would be frazzled, overloaded, stressed and on the edge. These scenarios sound familiar?
It’s amazing how we can feel so in control one minute and out of control the next… but what changed?
Firstly, being aware of what I am feeling is the first big hurdle. I found myself being snappy and short tempered for daft reasons. Feeling over emotional when somebody gives me a compliment. My body feeling exhausted even when I haven’t trained any harder than usual. Knowing that maybe I’m overloading myself can help me reduce the “reactivity” to certain situations.
Secondly, using my great support system helps a lot. Messaging a friend, even as a distraction from overthinking can help put you in a better mindset. Reaching out to that friend and then explaining how you feel can make an even bigger difference! Taking that little bit of time to spend with a friend can really help you “offload” when you least expect it.
And number 3… doing something about it. One of my big problems is procrastination – this is why writing up my assignment has been a big stress over the last couple of weeks. Trying to focus on this whilst working hard and also worrying that I have not done enough running has been enough on my plate to overload me. The realisation that perhaps I shouldn’t do my marathon in April came as a clear answer to one of these stresses. There is around 11 weeks to go until the Brighton Marathon and unless I really get some decent runs in I will not be able to (safely) make it round and so dropping out will allow me that breathing space to not have to worry about making time for those long runs. Finishing my degree has to be prioritised.
Moving on to my assignment… one of my lovely clients suggested hand-writing it rather than struggling to get it typed up straight away. After struggling to draft up about 20 words in 2 weeks, I suddenly found myself with 10 A4 pages of writing in front of me… the brain started to re-engage and the words started flowing. I was able to make actual progress and have an amazing base to get this thing done, hopefully by the end of the weekend!
Of course, in amongst this, I have been able to send gratitude to the universe, to the people that have been around me and to myself. Extra meditations have helped, as well as scheduling some small amounts of extra rest. On top of everything I’ve been a little sick this week, but it is amazing how much your body can react to stress. These last couple of weeks have been full of so much positivity, so much amazing work with SMASH and some really fun moments with friends – it can be hard to appreciate all of it at times, so this email is to say THANK YOU to all you guys for just being amazing.
It’s OK not to be OK.... I realise that for many people it can be so much harder to pull yourself out of the slump, but as a minimum… you have the SMASH team here for step 2!! Also, for me, as I've said before, writing really helps me put my brain in order! Funnily enough I had been planning to ask Ash to write the email for this weekend as I just couldn't see myself fitting it in, but it is actually really therapeutic once the words start to flow! Sometimes it is the thought of doing something that stops you from doing it... tackling the task might not be as hard as we think!
Have an amazing weekend... I best get back to that assignment!!
Sam and Ash
