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Dear Subscriber Name, Happy Monday! Even though you may have heard some good advice or wisdom before, sometimes it comes to you at the perfect time when you can finally apply it to what you have going on in life. My latest bit of good advice came from my husband and my sister this weekend: You can’t make a plan for something you can’t control. I am the queen of plans. I rely on them. They are my main coping mechanism for every thing and every part of my life. When it comes to teaching, I try to over plan so that I am always prepared. When it comes to productivity, I try to plan out each section of my day in my planner so I feel more organized. It is color-coded. I feel stressed and anxious? I’ve got a list of things I can try in order to relax. However, this past weekend, I came to the conclusion that many things right now are out of our control. Specifically, out of my personal control. Things like the schedule of teaching online, navigating a pandemic, and transitioning to the fall from a summer that didn’t really feel like summer. I have always made a plan for life’s big changes; however, I am finding in this season in my life that instead of focusing on the plan, I need to focus on the things I can control. Here is my shortlist: The number of hours I am spending working on teaching on the weekend and during the week after 4pm The time I wake up in the morning so I can go through my morning routine of journaling, reading, and eating breakfast slowly The time I am finding to focus in on one goal a day for my own self-care whether this be yoga, journaling, drawing, or reading The number of times during the day where I slow down to focus on my own breathing or take in the changing fall scenery The number of times I reach out to others to check on them or offer some words of encouragement
I am going to come back to this shortlist this week in terms of my own writing, teaching, and different aspects of life. I have got a busy week ahead that includes teaching, cooking, writing, and dreaming, but I want to make sure my focus is on what I can do instead of what I can’t. What will you focus on this week? This week’s journal prompts: “The 10 best things about social-distancing are…” “The 10 most frustrating things about social distancing are…” “My days could be better by…” “My average day looks like…” or “My current schedule is…” “One way I want to insert time for myself each day is…” “I feel like my (mind/body/spirit) needs…”
Brew some coffee or tea, grab a pen or your computer, cozy up with a blanket, and write. Happy reading and writing, Stephanie
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