Time to stop relying on your external environment

We can all be guilty of looking outside of ourselves for reassurance and gratification, particularly those who are extroverts as they get energy from interacting with others. We place importance on being acknowledged by others, being recognised for our contribution.

This boost can come from office banter, praise from our boss, a colleague asking for help in our field of expertise, working in a fun, vibrant environment - the list goes on. I'm sure you can think of several ways you get a kick out of your external environment.

So working from home is messing with our sense of gratification (among other things), impacting how we feel about ourselves.

If we're not getting our kicks from our current environment, we need to learn how to self-generate that same feel good feeling. This is a very useful life skill anyway - relying on a confidence or positivity boost from someone else isn't an empowered place to be, and you're probably doing it more than you think.

If there was ever a time to learn how to create this sense of gratification WITHIN ourselves, it's now.

Two simple ways to create that same buzz, without input from others:
1) use a memory where you felt the way you want to feel. For example, if you want to feel valued, think of a time in the past where you felt truly valued. Create a picture of that event in your mind. See what you saw, hear what you heard and feel what you felt when you felt truly valued. Multiply that feeling by 10.

As I've shared with you before, your unconscious mind doesn't distinguish fact from fiction, it simply absorbs information. So you using an old memory to trigger a new experience of feeling valued works just as well. You'll feel it.

2) Set clear intentions for each work task/ interaction and then check how you got on. For example, you need to write a proposal. You set an intention that you want it to be bold and intelligent. You write it with those intentions in mind.

When you're done, you'll be more aware of how you've managed to make bold statements and how you've used your knowledge to draw elegant conclusions. Pause and notice your own work.

The smaller the task, the better. Clear intentions + clear outcomes = plenty for your mind to be pleased with itself about.

I hope this helps you to practice generating your own feeling of self-worth. While the world is distracted, it's especially important we can boost our own sense of wellbeing.

I'd love to hear any other strategies you use.

P.S.  In short, we're looking at more ways to positively manage our minds during a challenging time. And thank you to my friend N for inspiring the theme of this blog :).