When was the last time you enjoyed the harvest?
And I don’t mean the strawberries you picked yourself…
When was the last time you paused to not only rejoice in your successes but also to consciously enjoy the feeling? (Yes, you are allowed to be happy!)
How often do we rush straight on? Well-known “mental slave driver sentences” usually start with “but” and continue with …
“That’s not a success, it’s a given!”
“That can be done even better”
“I’d better not rejoice too soon” (the killer phrase! Satisfaction impossible!) or
“No time for sentimentality, there’s too much else waiting on the list”.
But especially after a longer phase of stress, for example when you have put a lot of energy into something – and it is finally finished – the phase of relaxation is super important.
And if you have successfully completed something after a challenging period, you can combine this relaxation phase wonderfully with the conscious perception and enjoyment of the feeling that arises when your success bears fruit. Yes, you deserve the break! – Five minutes, an hour, half a day, maybe even a whole day or more.
When we become aware of our successes and appreciate them, our sense of self-efficacy and control increases and we practice self-care – all important factors in our well-being.
So enjoying the harvest not only ensures that we recover – but we also reward ourselves for our efforts at the same time.
What are successes?
In the end, whatever you define as such. However, experience shows that we are quite strict with ourselves – so also appreciate the little things, such as the exercise session you got up to (enjoy the good conscience and relieved feeling afterwards), the healthy meal you prepared for yourself with love (take the time to eat and feel how it positive it is for your body) or the chores you set out to do and completed.
Of course, this also includes bigger projects you worked on for a longer time or things you did for other people.
I’m sure you also have a list of several items every day.
When and how to pause?
A daily review in the evening has proven to be very useful.
In any case, you should bite into the apple of your success when it falls into your hands – i.e. whenever you are happy that something has worked out or that your work “pays off” – regardless of whether this happens in material or immaterial currency 😉
What are you proud of today?
This is to your accomplishments!
Be kind to yourself and take care,
Birgit
Oh and PS – regarding the killer sentence above in the text: yes, it will pass – successful phases will always be followed by lean periods. But that is not an argument for not enjoying the high phases! On the contrary – what a pity it would be if we missed the chance to take the momentum from the wave of success with us in order to get through the lean periods better? That’s like not wanting to eat any more because you’ll get hungry again anyway.