Every day we are exposed to phenomena that cause stress. From the omnipresent flood of information on all channels to private plans and worries to professional issues. It is often almost impossible not to get stressed about it. But how do we manage to cope with everyday life with all its stress traps successfully and above all in a relaxed manner?
We understand the term "inner summer" to mean the state in which you are balanced and have access to all your abilities, your individual, personal power. You can find out a little more about this in our corporate philosophy. In the following we give you tips and hints on how to find your inner summer.
The meaning of things
Stress can be good. Positive stress is a feeling of pressure that leads to inspiration and, above all, motivation. This is especially the case when you can understand why and what you have to do something for and stand behind these reasons. Keyword meaningfulness. Not understanding the purpose of an activity all too often turns into negative feelings and you should avoid that. If something isn't clear, ask questions and insist on meaningful answers. We are all quite robust, but we should try not to overwork ourselves, because that is not sustainable for our well-being. Ergo: In stressful times and situations, always be aware of why and what you are doing something for and then you will feel better about it.
Multitasking
Multitasking is a popular keyword these days. Many people pride themselves on being able to do several things at the same time. But whether they then succeed in all these things in the best possible way is another question. Actually, it doesn't make sense to do too much at the same time. Firstly, the concentration suffers, we are more stressed and are therefore more quickly exhausted. That doesn't seem sensible. Do things sequentially rather than simultaneously. Take enough time per topic to be able to take care of it in the long term, otherwise you run the risk of it regularly boomeranging back to you because you have neglected a few points that should be clarified from the outset.
Prioritization
Take your time, work mindfully on things and topics: What sounds easy is often actually a challenge in practice. With all attention and sustainability, we also want to be efficient. So how do you prioritize? We suggest you rate each topic: is it important and/or urgent? It sounds trite, but it can save you an incredible amount of time and nerves. Honestly, most of the things we face on a daily basis are somehow important. But not all of them are urgent. And that's a good thing, because that way you can focus on the urgency, after all, things that are important but really not urgent can sometimes wait a bit.
Balance and equalization
Find a balance in everything you do. Anyone who works a lot must also be able to relax a lot and, above all, regularly in order to avoid overloading. If you have gone through the urgent topics for today, then give yourself the space to work on an important but not urgent heart topic. This will ensure that you are not only chasing after urgency, but that you also have time and space for what is important to you. And on the other hand: if you work a lot or generally have a lot to do, remember to take breaks. Relaxation is not laziness! Every battery, every rechargeable battery has to be charged, because energy can only be stored to a limited extent and if you use it up, you also have to make sure that you gain new energy.
Distance
When we work on something with passion, it often happens that our work or the activity that we carry out becomes very important to us personally. That in itself is not necessarily wrong. We just have to be careful that things are important to us that shouldn't be. For example: working a lot is absolutely fine, but your work shouldn't define you or your life. If that is the case, then you risk great disappointment and a lot of unnecessary stress, as you may tend to attach enormous importance to certain topics that, objectively speaking, actually have little to do with you as a person and with your personal life to have. And that's the point: don't take things personally if they have nothing to do with you. That doesn't mean you should lose your passion, not at all. It just means that your existence isn't defined by what your job is, whether you're good at a certain subject, whether you got a lot done today, etc. Go into observer mode a bit: is what you're doing right now something that will still be important to you in 5 or 10 years? If not, then it shouldn't cause you much stress.
Defense mode
Stress, or rather frustration, sometimes comes from feeling attacked. Maybe someone said something inappropriate, maybe someone did something that we didn't understand. We become defensive and begin to justify ourselves and judge the other person's behavior. While understandable, this is not constructive behavior. More impropriety is not an appropriate reaction to impropriety, even if our reaction doesn't seem all that impropriety to us. It is, however, because we are drifting off topic and instead dealing with another person's behavior.
What helps in such a situation? First, take a deep breath and distance yourself. Ask yourself why this person behaved in such a way. Is she maybe worried? Does she feel attacked in turn? It's not about evaluating their behavior, it's about finding an explanation that makes it easy for you to get back to the factual level and thus to the actual topic.
Realize that the person's real concern is not to get one over on you. Her behavior is probably a defensive reaction on her part. This thought pattern will help you approach the person with empathy and find a solution.
Solutions instead of problems
With all the questions and problems of everyday (working) life, it is all too easy to get lost in the analysis of what needs to be clarified. Most of the time, however, this is not necessary at all, because after a certain point it no longer contributes to finding a solution. Especially when you have to find solutions at high frequency, you have to accept that you can't afford the time to analyze every question exhaustively, not least because it's probably of no use to you personally.
Always focus on only doing things that help you solve the problem. Be aware of this: If you find yourself drowning in 1,000 topics again, take on one thing at a time and ask yourself at all times, whatever you do, whether it contributes something to the solution. If yes: Go! If not: let it be! In other words, be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
Other people's problems
Being helpful is a fantastic quality. The downside, however, is that sometimes you let yourself be taken advantage of without even realizing it. Good help is empowering someone to do something themselves. "Bad" help, on the other hand, is simply taking something over and doing it yourself. Of course, that's fine sometimes, e.g. B. if someone else is overloaded and you have capacity yourself. But that shouldn't be the rule. It is neither your job to do other people's job, nor should it happen on the other hand that your own issues may suffer because you have to deal with those of other people.
When someone approaches you with a request for help, always ask what you can do specifically for them. Depending on what is being asked for, decide if you can afford it and if it is appropriate. Don't allow yourself to make other people's problems your own. You already have enough of your own. It's perfectly okay to help someone else find a solution, as long as that person remains responsible.
Good planning, achievable goals
It doesn't really matter whether you have organizational talent or are a slob, because even the greatest chaos is ruled by an idiosyncratic logic. What you should be aware of, however, is that a rough timetable from A to B will always help if you want to go to B. You can determine exactly what this timetable looks like for yourself, after all it is your journey. Just avoid suddenly ending up in C because your timetable was too imprecise for your needs and always remember: People need plans!
And with plans comes goals. Long-term, medium- and short-term as well as partial goals. It is pure joy to check Done. The more things to tick off in your plan, the more joy you will have on your way from A to B. A little tip: Split each big goal into several smaller ones. This way everything remains achievable and you don't have the feeling that the reward would only wait for 100% achievement. No, you can also reward yourself from time to time, also at 15%, 45% and even at 73.78%. You decide how, when and where, after all it's your goals.
Recreation
You don't have to wait for the next annual vacation to recover. Is not that great? You can give yourself a break at any time. What helps you let go? A walk, a meeting with friends, dozing on the sofa, a nice warm bath or a short trip? All of this can also be realized in between and you should do it too. Lots of little breaks will help you be more productive in between. But also long breaks, e.g. B. going away for 2 weeks is a must. It doesn't always have to be expensive either. B. Visit relatives? Or you're flat-sitting with someone who's traveling. So you can make yourself comfortable in a new environment for a while. Recreational activities always have the greatest effect when the difference to everyday life is greatest, because then you can let go of those things best. Because that is exactly what recovery is: a short-term break from the normal state.
Wishes and dreams
Your life is far more than the sum of the tasks you manage every day. You too have wishes and dreams. It certainly sounds corny, but it's all the more true: life is short. That means you don't have time. If your only wish is not to sail through the South Seas as a pensioner, you should start realizing your wishes and dreams today instead of tomorrow, so that it is not too late at some point and you find out that you never have time for this or had that. It's your time, so take it. No excuses, your dream life is waiting!
Accept help
We all feel at times that we carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. But that doesn't have to be the case. You don't have to do everything alone and you don't have to do everything yourself. There are enough people around you who can and maybe even should take something off your hands. Do "only" as much as you can do yourself and for the rest look for someone who can help.
Help is a term that is sometimes interpreted in a somewhat odd way. As if that were something unnecessary that you can't afford. Not even close. The best managers are those who don't get bogged down in details and dwell on individual tasks, but rather those who drive the big picture and delegate individual issues. Help is not an offensive refusal to work, help is a sustainable division of labor and an excellent quality of solution-oriented management.
Mental well-being
There are countless phenomena and feelings that go unmentioned in this short blog post that can still be a reason why you feel stressed or highly energized. Even if we cannot go through them all individually, after all we are not experts on these topics and this article cannot replace individual advice, we would like to at least go into them in general.
Admittedly, if a certain topic is putting an enormous strain on you, then no wisdom of any kind will simply relieve you of this pressure and you cannot inspire it away. But we can still tell you one thing at this point: The good thing about worries of any kind is that they can be shared. So share them! This can e.g. B. be someone who just listens. Don't underestimate the power of a good conversation. In the deepest, darkest inner storms, it is often our favorite people who make the sun rise for us. So, in all fairness, give them the opportunity to do the same for you. Together it is much more pleasant to look in the same direction anyway.
It doesn't have to be one of your regular familiars, either. Therapists or coaches are trained to support people with different enormous burdens, so it is always a good idea to use these offers. Just talk to your family doctor and see what advice they give you.
In addition, there is another, great option for every topic that concerns you, very simply, anonymously and at any time, 24 hours a day: the German telephone counseling service. You can reach them free of charge on 0800 1110111 (from Germany) or on the Internet at www.telefonseelsorge.de , there you can also find out how to contact them via chat and email.
The way to inner summer
The way to the inner summer, to this state in which we feel good inside and can activate all our potential, is different for everyone. However, the commonality is that we are all on this path, consciously or unconsciously. We wish you to take it consciously, one step in the right direction every day. Find meaning, concentration, the right order, balance, distance, lots of suitable solutions and, above all, companions with whom you feel comfortable and who will make your journey unforgettable.
