A quip I like to refer to that comes from Alcoholics Anonymous is “do the next right thing.” This can be helpful when we are overwhelmed. Things become overwhelming sometimes when we start future tripping and worrying about things that are coming up. When there are just too many things to do, and they start piling up, slow down and do the next right thing.
Because so many of my clients struggle with perfectionism, the word “right” can trip them up. Just do the next thing can be helpful here, take out the word “right,” it isn’t always necessary. But….what if you don’t know what the next thing is?
I learned from a client this week, and she believed she got it from Julie Andrews (point me in the right direction, if you know)–if you don’t know what the next thing to do is…..sit.
I absolutely love this! Anxiety often has us feeling like we need to keep moving, keep doing, and running around. But to retrain our brain, we can just sit. I am a big fan of meditation, which I have talked about before, and this could be a form of meditation. It is mindful. Just sitting and noticing can be so powerful. Clarity will come. And when it does, you will know what the next thing is.
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