No, it’s not super strength.
(Are you still on a high from Hidilyn Diaz’s Olympic gold medal win? I know I am.)
The same night that Hidilyn was going beyond what she thought was possible, I was having a coaching conversation.
My client* shared that she had initially scheduled a session to deal with her feelings of overwhelm around work. During our last conversation which took place a few months ago, she told me that her to-do list was so long, her self-care practices became another burden that she no longer took any pleasure in them.
This time around, when she explained what was happening at work, we concluded that “a virus of overwhelm” had actually infiltrated the office—even if the output being produced did not match what the team was feeling (i.e. productivity was actually underwhelming).
But before she got on the call, she had a realization.
It was: I CAN CHOOSE HOW I WANT TO FEEL. (Or as she phrased it: I DON’T HAVE TO BE OVERWHELMED ALL THE TIME.)
Choosing consciously is the superpower you may have forgotten.
Instead of taking on other people’s overwhelm and anxiety, you can choose to say, “not my story.”
Instead of allowing worry to take root in your heart, you can choose to surrender the outcome and know that whatever happens is here to support your growth.
Instead of being led by your moods, you can choose to act differently—to smile, to take one small step even if you don’t reallyreallyreally want to, to listen, to help, to laugh.
Instead of reacting with anger, choose to pause and listen with curiosity.
Instead of being fearful, choose to be led by your values and the belief that you are always generously supported.
I may never come close to lifting what Hidilyn has carried (not only the actual weight but the pressure of her own and the country’s expectations). What I can do is to consciously choose how I want to act and respond. I can choose to, in my own way, help you lift the weight that you carry. I can choose the stories that serve me instead of taking on those that aren’t mine. I can choose to accept my present reality rather than fight or resist it.
But how do you do that when it’s so much easier to succumb to your feelings rather than to pause and choose differently?
What helped me the most is a regular meditation practice. Meditation quiets my mind and builds my awareness. Meditation reminds me to pause and consider my thoughts before I act. Meditation connects me with my intuition, when I am listening and being.
It’s not easy especially when you start. I remember applying my overachieving self when I first meditated. I couldn’t imagine the benefits and effects of just sitting and breathing normally. After years of meditating, I have learned to appreciate the pause, the quiet, the awareness, the connection—and how it helps me remember this hidden superpower of conscious choice.
If you have been struggling to start this practice, we have simple meditations as part of the Tiny Self-Care Retreat. They are guided so you will be led back to the present moment through our voices. If you’re ready to act differently, join The Tiny Self-Care Retreat to start, in a very subtle way, changing your life.
Photo by John Arano at Unsplash.
