What’s Dragging You Down?
By Susan Knight | A look at some of the little things that drag us down and drain our energy over time, and how to get out from under them.
Written by Susan Knight | Seeking Veritas Columnist | Sankarsingh-Gonsalves Productions
As we get caught up in the busyness of life and consumed with daily responsibilities, it’s easy to ignore those areas where things aren't quite right. We tackle our to-do lists and immerse ourselves in routine chores, meanwhile all those outstanding issues are alive and well in the background, subtly distracting us and leaving us preoccupied. Over time, we become increasingly dragged down, our energy and joy slowly being depleted. And oftentimes, it’s the little things that wind up having a big impact on us in this regard.
Bad habits that you feel badly about.
We all have our guilty pleasures that we’re more than comfortable with, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Similarly, we may be fully aware of an area in our life which we could potentially choose to work on, change, or improve, but we’re genuinely content to leave it as it is. Or perhaps we’ve identified an issue we’re dissatisfied with and we’re committed to addressing it, but we choose to put it on the back burner while we focus on other more pressing issues that require immediate attention. These scenarios all have their place as part of living a healthy, enjoyable, balanced life.
On the other hand, when an undesirable habit we wish we could do away with seems to be getting the better of us, it feels far from healthy and enjoyable. A situation like this affects your self-esteem, your confidence takes a hit, and you’re left feeling less than great about ourselves. Pushing the issue aside and ignoring it doesn’t really work, as it’s still there at the back of your mind nagging at you. At some point, that constant nagging at the back of your mind weighs on you and starts to drag you down.
Once you reach that stage where you feel badly about a habit in your life, it's time to deal with it. It might take considerable effort over time to overcome, perhaps with some setbacks along the way, but it’s worth it. Even before you reach your end goal, you’ll feel better about yourself for tackling things head on and putting in the work, and that healthy sense of pride inevitably leads to other gains.
Procrastination.
We've all found ourselves procrastinating at one time or another. We have something we know we need to do, and we just keep putting it off. We delay, postpone, and reschedule while making excuses to justify why we’re not attending to whatever it is we should be taking care of.
Outwardly, you’re focused on other activities. Inwardly, however, the issue you're ignoring is there in the back of your mind, poking, nudging, and nagging at you. This preoccupation can even wind up interfering with your concentration and detracting from whatever you're actively doing, ultimately compromising your ability to enjoy the present moment.
The solution to procrastination is action; you need to break through the inertia to get things moving forward. If there's something you're putting off, come up with a concrete plan to deal with it. If at all possible, schedule the task for a time when you know you'll be fresh and well-rested, rather than when you’re already worn out and mentally fatigued. If it's a large task, make it less daunting by breaking it up into smaller chunks; and then focus on completing that very first chunk. Getting through that first chunk successfully will give you a sense of accomplishment, and you’ll have generated some momentum to help you follow through with the remainder of the task.
Regret over the past.
A fundamental aspect of life is making mistakes along the way. Some of these mistakes will be minor, some will be more serious. Some will have lasting consequences we can’t escape from. Whatever the impact of our mistakes, one fact remains constant: past actions cannot be undone.
When we become consumed with regret over the past, we do ourselves a huge disservice by allowing the past to cut in and steal from the present. The events of the past aren’t changed in any way, but that preoccupation and rumination robs us of joy, energy, clarity, and confidence in the present. It’s far more constructive to acknowledge the missteps, take responsibility for them, and learn from them. From there, you can leave the past behind and commit to doing better in future. In practice, this typically requires a reassessment of beliefs, an alteration of thoughts, and a change in perspective, all of which require conscious effort and work. But it’s work that has an opening-up effect and leads to a healthier, brighter place, as opposed to the dark, shutting down effect endless regret has.
When you start to let go of the things that are dragging you down, the effects are far-reaching. You find yourself feeling clearer and sharper mentally. You feel renewed and recharged emotionally. Spiritually, you feel revived and more tuned-in. Physically, you feel lighter and more energized. And when this kind of change occurs inwardly, it has an uncanny way of setting the stage for positive changes and pleasant surprises to occur outwardly across all areas of your life.
About the author: Susan Knight | SGP Featured Writer | Contact the author: @ http://skfreelance.com
Susan is a writer, certified health and wellness coach, and author of Living Well: Self-Discovery, Connection and Growth
