S.R. Crawford's Blog, page 58

Podcast: Let Yourself Be Seen

Who are you showing up as in this world? Are you wearing a mask? Well, it’s time you let yourself be seen, truly seen, once and for all…

Click to play!

https://srcrawfordauthor.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/let-yourself-be-seen.mp3

 

Please follow my podcast on whichever platform you enjoy (Spotify, Apple, or other). And rate and review on iTunes to help the podcast be seen by more people like you. Thank you!

Video: The Introverts and Anxious People of the World

Are you an anxious person or an introvert and feeling lost or alone in the world? Then this channel is for you!

We will be going through more ways to be the best you, despite your anxiety, fear, or being an introvert in an extroverted world.

Click to play!

 

Subscribe to join the Mindset Managed Crew!

 

How to Do a Mid Year Review

It’s not too late to go over the past 6 months and review what worked and what didn’t. It’s not too late to revisit your goals and have a reset.

I believe that we can reset, review, revamp and refresh as regularly as we need to. Yearly, seasonally, monthly, weekly, daily! It’s up to you. It’s just about taking control of your life, being aware, and being intentional.

So, here’s how to do that at the halfway point of 2019…

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How to review your first 6 months:
Accountability

There is no mid-year review without accountability. This isn’t about blame or beating yourself up for what you may have fallen short on. This is about taking responsibility and saying (kindly but honestly) that this didn’t work, this did, I could do better with XYZ.

So now, take a moment to write in your notebook a reflection of what your first 6 months were like and how you felt. Be honest, be fair, be reasonable. Write what didn’t quite work.

 

Environment

Where did you spend most of your time? How did this place make you feel? Who were you around? How did they make you feel?

Knowing who and what drains your energy versus what improves it is key to note in your 6-month review. Get clear on your environment and note what adjustments to make so that you can feel happier and healthier in your environment going forwards.

Check out my podcast on your environment and mental health here.

 

Habits

This is all about becoming a person who gets things done. Someone who doesn’t just speak about new years resolutions without taking action. You want to be that badass b*tch who actually sets goals and smashes them!

Goals are achieved through habits. Having a routine, a natural ability to do what you want to do.

So, look at your habits over the past 6 months. What do you do with ease? Could you tie new habits to old ones for habit batching? e.g. When you wake up and reach for your phone, you put your book over your phone so you read first thing instead (or as well!).

Make your new habits easy, by shifting your environment. Like the book on the nightstand thing. Like having your exercise bike up and ready to use. Having the cupboards full of healthy snacks, not fatty ones. Having your clothes laid out ready for you; exercise clothes ready for a work out. And so on…

 

Specifics

In order to review and set new goals for the year, you need to be specific with yourself. When were you specifically doing well? When weren’t you? How long did you keep up a habit or goal before you quit?

Muchelle B (a YouTuber I recommend you follow), said it’s a great idea to check on your social media to do your review and see what you’ve done and when it looked like you were happiest/thriving.

Now get specific about new ones. I will do XYZ for X weeks to try it out for my life. I will have X finished before Y time. It will take me X months to complete my Y project.

 

Adaptability and failure

When doing your 6-month (or yearly or monthly) review and reset, you need to be realistic. Failure happens! You don’t just set out to acquire a new habit or goal and just complete it with no setbacks. That’s just not how it works.

But what you can do is be adaptable. When things don’t work, ask yourself why. Was it a fault of your own? Did you go at it wrong? Did you give up too soon? Was it the wrong goal or habit for you on an authentic, personal level?

Get clear in this and see failure for what it really is: inevitable, fixable, redirection.

Be adaptable and make changes where needed. Analyse the data and make adjustments accordingly.

 

Goal ideas for the next 6 months:
Health and Self
Physical:

Lose X pounds
Be able to run/jog X minutes
Be able to lift X weights
Complete an active event/race
Fit into size X trousers

Mental:

Be less anxious in X situations
Keep a journal regularly
Have a personal self-care toolkit
Have a relaxing, meditative practice/routine

Emotional and Spiritual:

Journal through my emotional triggers/ emotional wounds ( Life Gunk Journaling workbook )
Develop spiritual practices for self-knowledge and healing
Feel closer to myself and a higher force

Social:

See my friends every week
Go to a new event
Meet new people who are more like me
Spend less time in the house

 

Career and Self-Development

Read 12 more books (2 a month)
Ask my boss for more responsibility or a pay rise
Ask if I can work from home 1-2 days a week
Start a blog
Get a new hobby (yoga, singing, scrapbooking, photography, painting)
Learn a new skill (languages, instruments, crafting, cooking)
Get a business plan together and take the first step

 

Life skills

Learn to cook 5 new recipes
Have a complete house clean and clear out (donate unwanted things!)
Track my finances
Develop a new income stream 
Meal prep for the week
Get a budget together (weekly, monthly)
Get a day planner and actually use it
Organise: wardrobe, notebooks, apps on phone, files on the computer, photos, etc.

 

Remember, you are able to reset, refresh, and review at any given moment. It’s down to you! Get a notebook and get reviewing and planning. But don’t get stuck there. After that, get to doing! Act on your new information and make the rest of the year count.

Best of luck! Let me know what your goals are for 2019 in the comments or on social media!

You may want to read my post on goal setting from earlier this year here.

Video: How to Get Out of a Low Mood

How to get out of a low mood when you feel stuck and lost in it…

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Today, I’m sharing actionable advice on how to better your mood when you feel low. It can feel horrid, like it will last forever, but with my guide and FREE workbook, we can fix that soon enough…

FREE workbook download here: The Low Mood Workbook

 

Every week on Wednesdays and Fridays, I speak about self-discovery, personal growth, and holistic health for anxious introverts (like myself!) with tips, tricks, and advice to live your best life.

Click to play!

 

Subscribe now to join the Mindset Managed crew for weekly inspiration!

 

I appreciate you all, thank you!

How To Get Out Of A Low Mood

When you’re in a low mood, it can feel like it will last forever. You get frustrated with yourself because you want to have a good day, or get things done, but your mind is fighting against you.

Well, if you’re like me and you’ve recently gone through a low mood (or are in one now), here are some tips that have helped me…

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Move your body

The first thing to do is to physically get up and move your body. Sitting dormant and tense in your low mood will only make it worse. Staying in bed or rotting in front of the TV is feeding the low mood.

Instead, step out of it by keeping busy and doing something physical.

Go for a walk or run
Stretch
Hit the gym
Lift some weights
Clean the house
Have a dance party!

 

Change your environment

Similar to moving your body, you can sidestep a low mood by changing your environment. As I said, sitting in the same space as the low mood will make it worse, so physically take yourself out of that space and you’ll soon see you feel a little better.

Walk, go to the library, go see a friend, or even just go downstairs or outside. Do whatever you can, but remove yourself from that space. Look for a healthier space, too, if you can. One that’s clean and orderly and inspiring. Fresh air would do wonders! If that’s not possible, make it so! Get to cleaning and organising!

 

Figure out the why

Taking the time (after moving away and taking a break) to figure out the reason behind the low mood is the key to feeling loads better. When you don’t know why, or you don’t face it, you are allowing the mood to grow and continue to affect your day. Instead, take control and get to the root of it.

Has something happened? Did someone say something? Did you not get enough sleep or energy-giving foods today? 

What’s going on? What’s this about?

(Use the resource below for help working through this)

 

Talk it out

If the low mood was brought on by a situation involving someone else, talk it through. I know that when we have arguments, we can often just hide away from resolving it and just wait for the other person to apologise.

From personal experience, I know that this doesn’t serve us, though. We can wait forever for an apology that isn’t coming. Instead, take your happiness and wellbeing into your own hands by stepping up to be the better person and fixing it.

Gently, fairly, and appropriately approach the situation when you have a better perspective of it and communicate your thoughts and feelings; then listen to theirs to resolve it.

 

If it wasn’t to do with anyone else, it is still important to talk it through with someone. Get a trusted friend or loved one to walk through it with you. A problem (or mood) shared is halved. Tackle it together and get some perspective.

It’s also crucial to talk it out with yourself. Not out loud, really, but in a journal or something that suits you. Take the time to work through it and reach a conclusion and new way of thinking that fixes the mood. (And can potentially be referred back to later.)

 

Replace the thoughts

It’s important in low moods to replace your negative, low, self-deprecating thoughts with fair, true, kind ones. Take the time to challenge your thoughts, find the truth, and replace them with something helpful, useful, and meaningful.

(Use the workbook below to do this on the worksheet provided)

Low moods aren’t a life sentence or even a day’s sentence! Learn what you need to learn, then work on getting yourself out of that headspace.

Good luck x

 

Download this FREE workbook to help guide you through fixing your low mood: The Low Mood Workbook

And for deeper self-reflection and working through tough emotions, check out the FREE Life Gunk Journaling workbook

 

If you need any help in bettering your mental health, or better coping with anxiety, depression, and stress, then my book “You’re As Mad As I Am” may be for you. Check it out here, and download a free sample to see what it’s all about.

If you want to hire me to write about mental health (or other), then don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Podcast: We Are A Product Of Our Environment

We are a product of our environment. If you are suffering or something is wrong, look to your environment. In order for a flower to grow, it must be planted into the right environment and nurtured correctly – the same goes for us…

Click to play!

https://srcrawfordauthor.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/we-are-a-product-of-our-environment.mp3

 

Don’t forget to follow my podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! And rate and review if you enjoyed!

Video: How to Combat FOMO and Jealousy This Summer

FOMO (the Fear Of Missing Out) is a horrid feeling. Feeling like you’re being left behind or left out of an experience. Jealousy is the green-eyed monster that we all tangle with at times, but the emotion isn’t good for us to sit in.

Here are my tips on how to combat the fear of missing out and kick jealousy to the kerb…

Click to play!

 

Don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe to my YouTube channel if you enjoyed this video! Thanks

How Gratitude Changes What We See

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The world looks entirely different when viewed through the lens of gratitude. We spend so much of our time complaining, seeing only the bad, and wishing things could be different.

If only I have more money, then I’d be happy.

If only I had a husband, then I’d be happy.

If only I lost one stone, then I’d be happy.

If only I had the car, the clothes, the house, the kids, the aesthetic to share on social media, then I’d be happy.

 

We’re putting our worth and our happiness up for debate. We’re attaching terms and conditions to what a good life looks like. We’re all making a mistake.

Yes, it is true; we all have a natural negativity bias. (It sucks!) We are naturally, biologically wired to see more bad than good; to focus on the negatives. But this is no excuse. We are all able to actively rewire our thoughts and shift our focus.

We can choose to see the good.

This is where gratitude comes in. By choosing to be grateful for what you have, do, feel, see, or whatever else, you are actively shifting your focus. You are saying, “I know I could worry about this or that, but I’m so grateful for these other things right now and that’s more important.”

 

Why practice gratitude?
Brings more goodness into your life

If you are grateful for what you have, you are in the right headspace to attract more of it. If you hate yourself and everything you have, your ungratefulness will not then attract better. Instead, it will bring more of what you don’t want. Simple, right?

“What you appreciate, appreciates.”

“What you focus on, you attract.”

“Where your mind goes, energy flows.”

 

Makes others feel good

Remember that time you did something for someone and they weren’t grateful? Yeah, it didn’t feel good, did it? The same goes for the universe (or God or whatever else). They don’t feel good when they give you things and bring you goodness but you’re not grateful for it.

Your friends, your family, and your universe will appreciate it when you are grateful for the things or situations that they give to you.

 

Shifts your focus

As I said, when you are in the space of gratitude, you aren’t feeling sadness, scarcity, anger, resentment, or jealousy. You feel abundant and joyful. Actively choosing gratitude is choosing to shift your focus to see the good, and once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

Gratitude is a practice, but over time, it becomes a natural muscle that’s used again and again to see the good over the bad.

 

Makes you feel good

It feels good to see the good. It feels good to finally see the truth of your life, your circumstances, and yourself.

 

How to practice gratitude:

Make it a daily practice: each morning or night, list three things that you’re grateful for (try not to say the same thing each time; take your time to feel the gratitude, too)
When something good happens, thank someone: the universe, God, your mom, your partner, your boss, your friend; anyone.
Appreciate the little things: take some time to notice the little things in your life that are actually a big deal; your health, your pet, your bookshelf, your partner’s hugs, the sun shining, the birds singing, the tap giving you water…
Be mindful and aware: appreciating the little things takes a certain amount of mindfulness. Mindfulness is a great tool for calm and perspective. Be aware of what’s around you, what you feel, what you see and hear. Be mindful and I promise that you will feel grateful for the small things.
Keep a journal: expert gratitude practitioners will keep a gratitude journal; you can just jot down three things you’re grateful for at the end of your regular journal entries. Documenting it helps you to look back to find the good when you’re in a low place.
Do it with a buddy: like at Thanksgiving when everyone says what they’re thankful for, get a buddy and each day, take 5 minutes to say what you’re grateful for.

 

Today, I am grateful that you found this post and read to the end. I am grateful that I have the ability to write for you all each week.

What are you grateful for?

 

Watch my video on Gratitude here

 

xx

Video: Halfway Mark – Intentions, Reflections, and Mindsets

We’re halfway through the year now that it’s July, so it’s time to look back, check in, reflect, and readjust. How’s your year been going so far?

Click to play!

 

Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already! That way you can officially join the Mindset Managed crew and get notifications.

Thanks!

 

If you need any help in bettering your mental health, or better coping with anxiety, depression, and stress, then my book “You’re As Mad As I Am” may be for you. Check it out here, and download a free sample to see what it’s all about.

If you want to hire me to write about mental health (or other), then don’t hesitate to get in touch!

 

15 Questions to Ask Yourself for Self-Discovery

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Who and what did I want to be when I grew up?
Who do I feel the most joy and acceptance with when I’m with them?
What are my greatest accomplishments?
What makes me happy?
What makes me angry, sad, or confused?
What do you spend most of your time doing?
What do you think you’re good at? (Be honest)
What makes you feel embarrassed or ashamed?
What does your inner voice say to you on a regular basis?
Who are the people you spend the most time with?
What are your dreams for your life and yourself in the future?
What could you do today to improve your life?
What would I change about my life if I knew I didn’t have long left to live? Or if I knew I couldn’t fail? 
What are my deepest fears and regrets?
What does my ideal self look like, do, say, wear, love, work for, own?

 

It is so empowering to know yourself, so take the time to truly get clear on the answers to these questions. It can be life-changing, and it will definitely shape your mindset.

 

Download the Life Gunk Journaling workbook for a more in-depth analyse of yourself and your deeper emotions and beliefs.