By: Lisa Freeley
We all know the feeling. Spring break gave us a blissful taste of Summer but now it's time to wake up and revive your routine. It may feel a bit like a slap in the face, but there are still ways to appreciate the Springtime and maintain a mindful and productive headspace with Summer just around the corner.
Personally, I have always used the future as my primary motivator for getting sh*t done in the present. The future is a beautiful thing. So much opportunity and potential for growth lies in the future. If I am ever struggling or generally feeling low, I try to imagine aspects of my future that I can look forward to. Whether that means planning a day trip with friends, setting goals for myself, or simply looking forward to the next three-day weekend, there is ALWAYS something relaxing and rewarding that awaits you.
A productive habit that goes hand-in-hand with this is goal setting. Without goals, the day-to-day routine of life can begin to feel rather pointless. Sometimes I get caught up in this feeling and the mindset that my everyday actions have no meaning, which often leads to a depressive mindset and a complete lack of motivation. This is why it is so important to remind yourself of what you are working towards. For some, their goals are set out and clear in their minds, however, if you are like me, you might have difficulty with this. If you are struggling to figure out exactly what your goals are, I recommend journaling or designing a vision board.
Over the summer while cleaning out my family’s basement, I found a vision board that my mother’s friend made for her in college. It included her goals for where she wanted to live and work in the future, representations of her current and sought-after lifestyle, and imagery of various aspects of life that brought her happiness. This summer I plan to make a similar board for myself, as I feel that creativity and valuable ideas can sometimes get lost in a cluster of thoughts. Creating something concrete and admirable out of your ideas can help you see them from a new and more optimistic perspective. This can also be accomplished through journaling. Any strategy that helps you to visualize yourself and the direction you wish to go in life will help you set goals and go through each day with a sense of purpose.
My last piece of advice for bettering your mindset and overall productivity is to work on improving your internal dialogue. Negative self-talk is something that I am still working through myself, and simply speaking to yourself with kindness and compassion is so much easier said than done. One major way I have been able to combat negative self-talk is by recognizing those thoughts and contradicting them in that moment. This can be tricky because I tend to bully myself in my mind almost subconsciously, but whenever I start to notice these thoughts, I recall a time when I felt confident and sure of myself and counter the thought with three self-assured statements that I know to be true. Another way that I work against negative self-talk is by listening to podcasts. I have recently started listening to “Anything Goes” by Emma Chamberlain and have found it difficult to think negatively in general when listening to someone speak positively and thoughtfully about life. I would recommend podcasts to anyone who struggles with negative thoughts as this is a productive form of entertainment that can easily be incorporated into your daily routine.
There are plenty of effective ways to improve your mindset, but these have personally been instrumental in my own mindfulness journey. That said, you must nourish your present self in order to fully enjoy and appreciate whatever the future holds, so be kind to yourself and set goals for yourself because your role in the world is important and you have the power to create meaningful change.