Hijacked by Work or Family? How to Get Your Life Back

Hijacked by Work or Family? How to Get Your Life Back, Suzie Doscher, Life Coach

by Suzie Doscher

​It can happen without you even noticing. Suddenly your life no longer feels like it is your own. Overwhelming work demands, busy family schedules, even modern technology add stress by making you accessible 24/7. Environmental issues that deplete your physical wellbeing end up as priorities, while you and your own personal life, values, beliefs, thoughts, wishes and dreams come in second place - if not third.
In short, your attention ends up being stretched in too many directions with no time left to think about yourself.
Ask yourself the following questions to help you get your life back in balance:

1. What happened to trigger this feeling? For example, did you change jobs, get a promotion, move to a new house or new country and fall out of your old routine?


2. Which part of your life feels the most neglected? Think of the all the essential parts that make up a successful life: health, your career and purpose, finances, living space, friends and family, recreation and fun, personal growth and development. Make a list. Writing things down can be more powerful than just thinking about them. If necessary, ask your friends or family to help you by telling you what they observe is important to you. Often they can see more from the 'outside.'


3. If you could choose only one area from your list to put all your energy into, which one would it be?


4. If you need some extra help, you can ask yourself these questions:
   a. What is the one thing that is really important to me in life
   b. What do I need to have in order to be ME?


5. Regarding your choice in #3 above, ask yourself:" What price am I paying for neglecting this?" What is suffering - is it your health, your family, your soul, your own personal growth or your home?


6. What one thing could you do that would make the biggest difference to you now? Would it be getting some exercise, chatting with a friend, cleaning your flat or getting a little more organized in an area that is important to you?


7. How can you find time to take some action towards change?


8. What might you need to say 'No' to? For example, saying 'no' to an offer to go out when, in fact, what you need is time for yourself.


9. Who could you talk to? Whose assistance would be helpful?

Remember to allow yourself time and patience to turn this around. Be kind to yourself as you learn to make yourself a priority. You might have to start with only five minutes per day, or every other day until slowly you can carve out more and more time for yourself. Aim for 30 minutes per day. Accept that if you do not take care of yourself, nobody else will either.
​
"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."
- Thomas Jefferson

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