3 Powerful Practices to Embrace Your Full Life

How full is your schedule? Do you juggle many things in your day? Do you ever think, things would be better if only there was more time?

It’s pretty common to have thoughts and complaints about having too much to do and not enough time. On many different occasions, I have heard myself whine: “I am so busy!” Only to later wonder why everything feels really hard as I frantically push to fit it all in.

Imagine what would shift, if we reframed our approach to balancing and experiencing full days. What if we considered the way we view “busy” under a new lens . One that is steeped in gratitude.

In an attempt to enjoy the variety in my life, I am reframing the way I experience “busy.” Rather than scrutinizing the term with a negative tone, I thought it might be refreshing to re-define it in a way that is a bit more optimistic and inviting. These are 3 powerful practices that help me reframe the way I view busy, and instead embrace the fullness of my life. Try them out and see if they may be a fit for where you are in your life.

1) Focus

What do you focus on? Perhaps you are accustomed to living in the story that life is hard and there is too much pressure. Or maybe your go-to place is the idea that life is exciting and opportunities exist for you to enjoy a full experience. What we think about, and focus our attention on, influences how much enjoyment we receive.

When we have tunnel vision on everything we must accomplish in the day, and how overwhelmed we are ,  life feels heavy and exhausting. On the flip side, when we focus our attention on enjoying whatever it is we are doing in the moment and feel grateful,  life flows with more ease.

If you find you are overwhelmed or exhausted by the to-dos in your day, see what happens when you focus on what you can do in the moment before you, and on how you want to feel. It becomes more natural to appreciate and enjoy full lives, when we are mindful of where we place our attention. We get to write the story of our lives, and at any time we can redirect our focus to start creating a story that feels good.

2) Self-Care

How we take care of ourselves has a great impact on how we manage and receive experiences throughout our day.

Self-care involves things like regular exercise, nourishing our bodies with healthy food, hydrating our bodies, and getting adequate sleep. It all seems pretty straightforward: maintain the machine you are living in if you would like it to run properly and efficiently. Expecting that we can manage the weight of the world without first taking care of our basic needs, is a tall order. It makes much more sense to take care of ourselves in the best way we can, in order to wake up refreshed and ready to enjoy a new day.

Taking care of our physical bodies is so important, as is nurturing our emotional health. Stop saying yes, if you really mean no. Set healthy boundaries with people you share space with out in the world. If your schedule is full and taking on one more thing will rob you of enjoying your full life, then get into the driver’s seat of your life and only take on what you can happily and successfully manage.

If you aren’t enjoying your life, it’s time to look at what is within your control to turn things around so that you are. Each of us has limited time here on earth. It’s up to each of us to take initiative to fill it with our own unique version of a life well lived.

3) Gratitude

Gratitude has a way of softening some of the most nerve-racking times. Have you ever been stuck in traffic, been late for a big meeting, or felt overwhelmed to the point of complete and total exhaustion? When we approach stressful moments in our day by accepting what is, instead of pushing for what isn’t, the thoughts that are distressing and harmful to our health begin to fade away.

Obviously, it would be much more desirable and responsible to manage time, boundaries and emotions in a way that would assist us in avoiding these stressful situations in the first place. BUT, life is unpredictable and the bumps in the road have a way of presenting themselves at interesting times. These bumps in the road become much more challenging when we get caught up grasping for what isn’t in front of us, instead of embracing what is. What I mean is, if you are obsessing over why you are late, why things are hard or why things aren’t lining up ,  it just creates more chaos and discord.

Instead, take a few deep breaths, accept what is in the moment before you, and bring to mind 3 things you are grateful for. The moment we are in is all we have. So if it feels really hard, regroup the best way you can and start building evidence of why life is a gift. Find the magic in your moments. Focus on including things in your day that makes your heart sing. Live your life through a lens that has you embracing the fullest version of your life, each day you get to be in it.

Receiving the opportunity to live a full life is meant to be a gift, not a burden. It all comes down to our perception and approach to life. See what happens when you add an element of gratitude to your view.

❤ Emily

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Written by Emily Madill. Originally published on The Huffington Post.