Living one day at a time is possible.
When Life is overwhelming
There are times in our life when things seem tough and overwhelming. It could seem like an uphill task just going through life. Tomorrow seems more difficult than today. Many of us may have gone through such situations in life.
It is in such situations that the principle of living ‘one day at a time’ really helps.
9-step technique
I have tried a technique that worked for me and I wanted to share it with you. Here are the steps:
1. Get a desk calendar, the one in which you can tear off the page for each day.
2. Wake up in the morning, tear off that day’s page.
3. Hold the page in your hands, close your eyes and imagine that you are borrowing this ONE day from the Universe – just that ONE day.
4. Keeping your eyes closed, visualize how you want the day to be. Thank the Universe for having given you that special day.
5. Live that day to the fullest. Give it all you have got. Let what you do on this day make you proud. Allow the challenges to come in. Do your best.
6. Before you retire for the night, close your eyes and replay what happened in the day. All the things you did that you were proud of will make you smile. Try letting go of things that upset you. It is okay. After all, the day is getting over, anyway.
7. Thank the Universe for giving you the opportunity to live the day. Thank all the people, events and circumstances that supported you on that day. Try forgiving people who were not supportive.
8. Consider what made you inspiring on that day. What strengths of yours did you use that day? How resourceful are you? What did you learn that day? What are you learning about yourself?
9. Before going to bed, give the day back to the Universe. It belonged to the Universe, anyway. You had only borrowed it. You may now discard the page.
Repeat the process the next day too. Continue until you gain control over your life and for as long as you want. You could find it useful to do this exercise on a daily basis as part of your life.
Get off the anxiety train
When I tried this technique, I was able to get off the anxiety train. When we are faced with an overwhelming situation, viewing the weeks, months and years ahead could make it much worse.
My Quote #238 says, ‘Sometimes it helps to focus only on the first few stairs and not look at the whole staircase.’
Looking at what that ONE day offered in terms of opportunities and challenges kept me focused. I did not have to worry of the weeks, months and years that lay ahead.
Those days were not even with me. They were with the Universe.
As a Coach, I help provide an external perspective that can alleviate anxiety and stress. Interested in bringing a sense of calm into your life? Contact me at [email protected].
