Some days are just hard. You feel weak, exhausted, mere discipline doesn’t work and you start to feel overwhelmed when thinking about all the stuff that needs to be done.
This will just make you feel weaker, more stressed and you will do even less.
Time for the 3-minute Challenge.
The goal is to get up and do something for 3 minutes. Set a timer. After 3 minutes you can stop and rest.
Start with tasks of basic self-care.
Take 3 minutes to brush your teeth and freshen up a little.
Take 3 minutes to make a sandwich.
No need to finish the tasks. Whatever you accomplished is already plenty and you can congratulate yourself for that.
When you have covered minimum self-care you can add stuff that is really necessary. Maybe use 3 minutes to get some of your dishes done. Leave other things for other days.
Whatever you need to do, prioritize, then use your 3 minutes, then go back to resting.
If you feel strong enough you can do more than 3 minutes, but don’t make it your goal!
Difficult days often mean a limited amount of energy. By using it in small portions with breaks in between you can make sure that you got the necessities covered.
Use your resting time for things that lift your mood (baby hippo videos!), help you relax (weighted blanket), encourage you (write with a friend). Find support.
These days happen, sometimes there are several of them in a row and you wonder, if it will ever get better. It will. It needs some time and patience, some grace with yourself, self-love and self-compassion.
Maybe these days are not meant to be productive. Maybe you can find meaning in the acts of grace towards yourself, in your growing compassion for yourself, in the depth you are creating when you embrace your weakness; that’s a strength that surpasses what you can do if you only have strong days. 3 minutes of activity from a place of weakness weigh so much more than an hour of work when you are feeling awesome.
Embrace the weakness, but don’t surrender to it. Find a 3 minute rhythm for the two of you and dance with it through your day. You are leading.
Leave a Reply