How to Embrace Flexibility this Summer!
Do you struggle with being flexible in your daily life? Summer often requires a greater need for flexibility, especially with the kids out of school, the shifting schedules, and all the different activities that come with the season. All that flexing can feel uncomfortable if it doesn’t come naturally to you. In this post, I’m going to share a few tips on how to embrace flexibility this summer!
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I’ll be honest: Flexibility comes easily to me. I love an empty schedule, and I’ve been known to drop everything to go on a last-minute adventure! I think this is partly because I grew up in a family that embraced flexibility, and I learned that flexibility = adventures from a young age! But I also believe that flexibility can be a learned skill — you might just need to work on your mindset.
Here’s how to Embrace Flexibility this Summer:
Change what you think about Flexibility:
If you struggle with flexibility, you probably think that it’s awful, uncomfortable it’s messing up your plans, or it’s disruptive. But what if you changed what you think about flexibility? What if it was a grand adventure? A chance for something excitement? A moment when you can invite joy and wonder into your day? Take a moment to choose a phrase that you would love to think about flexibility. The next time you need to be flexible, fix your mind on that new phrase you’ve chosen, and take your new mindset for a test-drive!
Ask WHY you’re struggling with flexibility!
Are you really a total control-freak like you’re telling yourself? Or, maybe, you’re people-pleasing, and you’ve said yes to SO many things that you don’t have any time left to be a human? Maybe you’re a MOM, and you’re so busy flexing to your kids ever-changing needs, that you don’t have the capacity to be more flexible? If you address why you’re struggling with flexibility, it might be easier to shift the next time! (The 5 Stages of Why might be a great exercise to try!)
Give yourself 5 Minutes to Adjust.
Did you know that your brain can take up to 25 minutes to shift gears and re-focus? Sometimes we just need to give yourself time to ADJUST! If you’re not giving yourself time to adjust, you probably feel stressed about the change, then you bring that stress with you into the next thing you do. (Probably telling yourself how much you hate change, or how you suck at being flexible the whole time.)
I learned this tip from Brendon Burchard, and it works SO well! The next time you have to make a shift — from your plan to a new one, or even from one task to another — set a timer for 5 minutes, and talk yourself through the change. If you need to, acknowledge the fact that you’re not loving the change. Then ask yourself, “How do I want to move through this change? How do I want to act? How will I choose to feel?” This simple technique helps your brain re-focus faster, and gives you a chance to set some intentions and move forward with purpose.
I want you to be able to flex with less stress, friend, and these mindset-shifting techniques can go a long way in helping you stay intentional, no matter how much you have to shift. You get to decide how you handle the flexibility summer brings — and learning how to embrace it can help you chase wonderment all summer long!
Do you struggle with flexibility?
Tell me in the comments below!
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