How do you give yourself permission to have a day off or PLAY Day?
I recognize it is not the external circumstances that deem a play or a work day it is my internal mindset. I can have the external circumstances completely aligned for example: no appointments, my business is closed, weather is beautiful, I don’t have any plans or appointments.
All of the external circumstances can be in place and I could still sabotage my play day with my thinking mind. Thoughts that begin with: I should, I could, I have to, I need to, I can’t…..
Or I can do it differently with awareness, acceptance and acknowledgment, here’s how I do it.
I become aware of my thoughts, dialogue with them, set an intention for my day, check in with myself and notice if my actions are in alignment with my goal of claiming this day for rest. The last step is to acknowledge the feeling when I have accomplished giving myself permission to play or BE.
I know myself well enough that I do like to “accomplish’ something before I’m able to completely give myself permission to be or play. So I pick a ‘chore’ that fits into my intentions for my day.
- Intentions for the day:
- Spend as much time outside
- Get some exercise/swim
- Read a book
- Enjoy time with my husband
So I begin my day with weeding a small area in my garden. I like to weed my gardens because I can stand back and see and appreciate the difference my efforts have made.
I become aware of some resistance in my mind. An old tape is playing “all my work must be completed before I can play.” My heart and spirit are always ready to play; however my mind will come up with all the things I should do. I dialogue with that part of me that is telling me “I should….” and I create a new dialogue “I am claiming today for self care.”
When you bring consciousness to your thoughts you have the opportunity to change them. Did you realize we think over 60,000 thoughts a day? Many of them are the same thoughts we thought the day before. Humans are creatures of habit. The only way to change the direction of your thoughts is to first bring awareness to them, then ask yourself is this thought serving me and my intention or not, and if not, choose a new thought. This is the process of changing your inner dialogue.
A simple example of mine….
Thought: “It’s Monday, my day off I need to do the laundry.”
Intention: I’m claiming a day of rest and play and letting go of the need to do tasks.
New Thought: You don’t need to do laundry today, you have time tomorrow morning. You can enjoy today. (I have quieted that thought with a solution, closed the thinking loop)
Procrastinating is not a problem for me. I tend to overwork or stay in ‘doing’ mode as my standard mode of operation. Recognizing this and realizing that for me creating a change in my behavior is to consciously give myself permission to enjoy reading a book outside.
I then have to consciously acknowledge myself for listening to my heart/spirit and check in with the good feeling that it creates when I give myself the permission to read. This reinforces the behavior and I’m creating a new mindset.
If I missed this step of awareness and self acknowledgement the mind might want to come in with the old pattern and tell me “I was a slacker.” By acknowledging how good I feel about giving myself permission to play I reinforce the behavior so that it is easier the next time.
Try this strategy for yourself. Notice your internal thoughts and remember YOU choose your thoughts.
If you are curious to learn more and are ready to work with me, now is the time to set up a complimentary Life Coaching consultation. Life Coaching is designed to help you become aware of and change your patterns so that you can experience more of what you want. Resulting in new ways to shift from stress to more ease and joy.
I celebrate you today! Thank you for joining me in this wonderful adventure of life. Now let’s go PLAY!
Schedule a Coaching discovery call and learn tools to love yourself.
Susie Raymond,
Clear Inner Focus Life Coach/Teacher, Reiki Master/Teacher, Esthetician, Entrepreneur
