Things You Can Do in the Midst of Chaos

During the past month, life was literally happening around me professionally and personally. It made me wonder about slowing down to speed up, and this idea has been lingering in my mind for quite some time.

The more we speed up in our lives, the noisier it is for us to hear our thoughts and intuitions; the noisier it is for us to think straight. Therefore, how do we ensure that we're grounded in our true beliefs, core, and goals when living a busy life and not getting dragged away by its busyness?

Here are some of the ways to feel grounded when life gets a bit chaotic.

Create Rituals

One thing that definitely worked for me is the ability to stick to my rituals. Every morning before my day begins, or every night as my day ends, I create habits that will help me connect back to myself.

Those could be in the form of systems or habits that you consistently stick to daily. Those habits will make you feel good, more connected to yourself, and grounded when things get super fast or busy.

As humans, we feel safer when things are more within our control, especially in our busiest times. Rituals can control your days rather than your days control you.

Meditate

When I'm about to embark on a busy and heavy day, I always aim to meditate first thing before my day starts. There is something about meditation that helps me connect my conscious with my subconscious and make me present; rather than living on autopilot.

Doing it consistently when you're overwhelmed or have anxiety from being too busy and unable to cope with work or life rush. Sitting down for a few minutes can be illuminating and helpful.

I'm also a firm believer that technology was designed to help us. This is true with the numerous apps that provide guided meditation practices.

Journal

Some people are pro-journal writing, while others simply hate it and don't find it helpful. But there is a power in writing all your thoughts, worries, and emotions on paper. It gives you a sounding board that you're present. It helps you acknowledge all your worries and get connected between your inner world and the external events affecting your wellbeing. Taking this one step at a time can be liberating.

A bonus of keeping a journal is seeing how far you've reached over the years. Everyone grows, but not everyone can quantify it. You can always go back to those thoughts and see how far you've come.

Journalling doesn't have to be boring. It can be in any form that you want. It can be visual journaling, the 5 minutes journal, a photo journal, drawings, scrapbook, or scribbles.

Take a break

When you get overwhelmed at work or in life, you need to simply take a break. Many people get burnt out and don't even realize it.

Taking a break to re-calibrate your system and start all over again can be super helpful to break the cycle of burn-out. Many people might think this won't help when faced with anxiety. Therefore, taking a break might be the only thing that will calm you down and let you focus on your target minus the negative baggage that you used to carry.

Make it a habit. When feeling overwhelmed, take a day off to re-calibrate.

Mental Toughness

A saying goes by: "your mind can make you or break you." This is true if you always tend to think of the negative and not challenge yourself to think positively of your abilities. Everyone goes through a rough time, and everyone will be okay in the end. Our brain tricks us into thinking of the bad but not the good.

Think of a goal in mind like persisting, quitting bad habits, or trying 5% harder each time. Once the sea gets rough, challenge yourself. If the tides are high, don't simply quit, but think of a way to overcome them. Persevere. and then the sun will shine bright.

"Chaos always breeds life, when order breeds habit." -Henry Adams