Lindsay White
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Hi everyone! Thanks for joining me in this evening edition of Manic Monday. I usually like to post my Manic Monday anecdotes early on Monday mornings so they offer a bit of inspiration, or at least a laugh to get the week started. But today’s Manic Monday is coming to you a little later as someone I loved needed my help this morning. And in true Manic Monday style, that meant that the days agenda needed to change. Spending some extra time with a loved-one who needed me this morning, reinforced a valuable lesson that I wanted to share with you. I think it’s actually really applicable to Manic Monday’s as this is often a time when we feel anxious, overwhelmed, defeated and alone. In slowing down and spending the time needed this morning, with my loved-one, I realized that there’s a few important steps we can take when we feel like the world is crashing down on us and we just can’t take it anymore.
Just Say It
I need help. These three little words carry with them a thousand pounds of weight. Saying “I need help” might just be the hardest thing to do when you feel like you’re carrying the weight of the world. I know, because I’ve been there. We think we can handle it. We think we can push through it. Truth is, we don’t actually have to. Asking someone you trust and love, just like I was asked this morning, is the most important first step. You don’t even need to say “help”. You can say “I need a hug” or “Will you hold my hand?” or “I need a moment.” Any of those phrases will do.

Just Breathe
Seriously. Just take three deep breaths, right into your belly and then exhale. Do three more if you need to. Just give your body a little oxygen, and a little time, and trust me, you’ll feel a little calm start to creep in.

Be Present
Just focus on what is happening right in that very second. It’s called being present. So often we live our lives completely in the future, worrying so much about the 100 things on our to-do list, and the 800 emails in our inbox, and we don’t worry about what’s happening right now. Just stop and just BE!!

What’s Important Right Now
The very last thing to do, once you have you anxiety a little bit under control, is to think about what is the one thing you need to do, right now. You’ll have to be careful, because the 1000 things on your list will try to creep back in, but stay with it. What’s the 1 thing you NEED to do right now? I have a feeling it has nothing to do with returning and email or cleaning a bathroom. Here’s a hint, it lIkely it has something to do with your own health and mental wellness. Do you NEED to just keep breathing? Or maybe you NEED to get outside and take a walk? Could it be possible that you NEED to call your best friend and have a good cry? I’ll wager I’m pretty close with these suggestions. It doesn’t have to be something big, actually the smaller the better. Just trust you gut, do what you NEED to do and everything else can wait.

And if you can’t figure out what you NEED in the moment, it’s ok to do a rinse and repeat with the breathing and the being. Truth be told you’re likely feeling the anxiety because you don’t do enough breathing and being, so an extra 5 minutes of quiet calm and extra O2 is what you need. Just stay right there with it and the right next step will come to you.

In the end, what you may need, and what my loved-one needed this morning, was some time, some love, and the presence of someone they deeply trusted. I was honoured to be that trusted person this morning, who could support the being and the breathing until my loved-one was ready to connect with the one thing they needed. I’ve been that person in need in the not to distant past (JU) and I’m so glad that I could pay it forward this morning. I hope this little Manic Monday post helps you to ask for help, find a little calm, or provide some support for someone who needs you, when they feel like the sky is falling. And most of all I hope you have a great week.