My family and I have always been active. We write books, build houses, keep the streets safe, and bake until we drop. We run and bike countless miles, tend gardens, and keep up with the most energetic 4- and 6-year-olds the world has ever seen.
Between relationships and commitments, life can get downright crazy. But when life becomes overwhelming, it’s time to slow down, examine our values, and refocus our energies on appreciating the things that bring calm, happiness, and wholeness. In other words, reset!
Relationships
Relationships with family, friends, and coworkers play a central role in our emotional and spiritual well-being. Minimize the things that interfere with spending time with people you care about.
Reset | Refocus. Spend time with people who make you feel good and fill you with energy; reassess relationships that drain your energy. Self-acceptance, acknowledgment, and acceptance of your flaws are the pathways to a more intimate relationship with yourself, others, and, most importantly, the Lord.
Activities and Commitments
Our lives are filled with family and work obligations. Each commitment demands time and energy. It’s easy to become overcommitted.
Reset | Refocus. Examine commitments in the context of your well-being. Recognize the difference between commitments that are fulfilling and those that cause stress. It’s important that we learn to say no! Change the way you look at your job. One specific task may skew your perception of your entire job. Having an honest conversation with your boss or coworkers can lower stress and lead to change. Prioritize!
Things That Clutter—Stuff
Material things—your stuff—rob time and attention from life’s essentials. Recognize the difference between needs and wants, and narrow the list to things that are essential.
Reset | Refocus. Live frugally! Change your relationship with stuff. See it for what it is. Buy only what is practical and functional. Acknowledge that material things don’t feed your soul. Things that enhance your well-being are usually free. The happiest time of your life was likely when you probably had less stuff—childhood or college days.
Less Stuff/Less Stress
Leisure. We should schedule time for activities that enrich our lives—exercise, meditation, reading, enjoying nature, and praying.
Slow down. Appreciate the people in your life, the world around you, and the arts. Slowing down will improve relationships and rejuvenate your soul.
Organize. Take 10 minutes to empty a closet or a drawer, or organize your desk. Put back in only the essentials: discard or donate things you no longer use. Be content with things you have.
Reset your life! Refocus and restore priorities that continually serve your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
