Since moving from California to Tennessee in June 2020 (during the middle of the Covid pandemic), I have been operating in some level of Survival Mode. Although I have had days of inactivity and what I thought were relaxing, I was really just trying to escape. Escape my sadness and/or depression, escape my daily stresses, escape my personal disappointments. My business was on the verge of success when Covid hit and I wasn’t prepared to pivot to virtual services, and I ended up heavy in debt (still am, actually. It’s a daily reminder of my failure.) It’s not that I’m afraid of failure, but there were so many layers to this one, and so many resulting fallouts, it was, and is sometimes still, exhausting working through everything.
What is survival mode? Taken from and combined from multiple sources:
Although survival mode isn't a formal mental health condition, being within this mode can increase peoples' risk for anxiety and depression, as the body and brain are working in overdrive to achieve a feeling of safety.
Survival mode is a state of prolonged stress that can cause a person to feel overwhelmed and unable to relax. It's characterized by the body's fight-or-flight response, and can manifest in different ways for different people.
I have just recently realized that not only have I been in this state at varying degrees for over 4 years, but that I am coming out of it. How?
Physical appearance. I am ready to correct and reverse the effects of menopause (which hasn’t exactly helped my mental state). It’s not something I’m ready to just “try” and it doesn’t stress me out – it’s just something I’m going to do.
Attire. I’m extremely bored with my wardrobe. I don’t like it and it doesn’t feel like me anymore. Do I have the income to go out and replace it all at once? Nope. But that’s ok…because I’m not entirely sure what I want my new style to be. I have a general idea, but I need to spend some serious time on Pinterest and time trying things on to see what “fits.”
Home décor. Like my wardrobe, I’m sooooooo done with my décor. Most of what I have is what I’ve had for almost 10 years. Not that I promote changing everything in your surroundings, but I know that I’m not the same person I was then. My color palette and design preferences have changed dramatically, but now I’m just done and want to throw it all out today. Again, no budget for that, so the process will be slow.
My business. I have tried to relaunch a few different iterations of my image consulting business since I moved here, gotten excited about each one, but never completely followed through on any of them. But my mindset is different now. I know what I’m good at and what I like, and accepted that I am a strong polymath that can do more than one thing at a time, and know how to combine my talents, experiences, skills, and abilities.
So…here we are.
I’ve done a first-pass revamp on my website, and I’m ready to dive in to work on these changes. It may get messy, it will get frustrating, but I know it will be successful. How?
I have a plan. Essentially, I’m going to use my own programs, processes, and make changes.
Prioritize self-care. Making the time to take care of myself, physically and mentally.
Movement. Exercise, walking, getting up from the desk more, yoga, stretching – anything to keep my body engaged in my daily life.
Mindfulness. Tuning into myself and doing daily check-ins to ensure I’m still on track.
Productivity. Establishing realistic daily habits and activities to keep me moving forward. Setting a weekly and daily schedules to stay focused.
ABC’s of image refresher for myself. Ensure I’m following my own rules and guidelines.
Wardrobe refresh. Start with cleaning out the closet and getting it organized. Work on finding my new style, based on who I am now and my goals.
Updating my goals and vision board for the new year. Arbitrary timing, but an easy way to start nonetheless.
Return to good habits. Wake up and get up. Stretch. Journal. Let creative thoughts flow before the workday starts.
Fun! For too long I’ve been a complete workaholic and wouldn’t allow myself to go out and just do something fun. I’ve been starting this again lately – now that I’m in the mood to! – and it’s made a huge difference in my mindset.
That’s a good start.
The exciting part is that I’m inviting you to join me on this journey. Weekly or even daily blog posts are coming, and I plan on my socials being active with updates. Sort of a group accountability. And putting my own programs new tests so I can tweak and improve as needed.
You ready to join me? Subsribe for updates, or follow me on socials to make sure you don't miss anything. It could get entertaining. Let’s do this!
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