Do you feel there is always too much to do? Do you have a long ‘to do’ list or does your inbox never end its demand upon you?

Do you believe that in order to succeed you must ‘do’ or ‘take action’? Whatever your lifestyle, the demands of a fast pace life causes so much pressure that anxiety and stress creeps up on us before we know it; we crash and may not know why. To have more to do than you think you can manage is stressful and anxiety provoking especially when you are in the danger zone of knowing that you’re not going to get everything done.

Paying attention to our feelings is important as they inform us what’s truly going on. Remember, we are human beings, not human doings. We need to tap in to our inner world and reflect and listen to what’s going on. Perhaps you are putting others needs above your own. Perhaps you believe you should meet the expectations of bosses, lovers or friends.

Discovering what sits in our history informs us how we relate to others as adults. We internalise the messages from our childhood given to us by our caregivers and teachers and that means although your boss, lover or friend may not seemingly place demands upon you, you may be placing the demands upon yourself. Once you know this, you can begin to take ownership over your responsibilities and that would mean you might have to make decisions.

Realising that you can’t have it all and that something has to give is a start; it is the beginning of taking care of yourself. Take ownership over your decisions even though they may be hard ones and don’t let a bad day dictate your behaviours and then feeling frustrated and upset about it. Spending time in your human being-ness and reflecting on your feelings and thoughts, you can discover your dogmatic beliefs and begin to challenge them.

You might want to have an incredibly productive day, but that’s a preference – should you therefore be disappointed if it doesn’t happen? If it was simply a preference it means it wasn’t compulsory – so don’t spend the night depressed over your shortcomings.

Spending time alone, resting, meditating or simply slowing down means more room for our inner world to express itself. Don’t leave it until you become ill because if you don’t listen to yourself, becoming ill is your bodies way of demanding that you do.