Calming Chaos

Altering Perspectives

“Life is about perspective, and how you choose to view something.”

— Whitney Wolf Herd

Many times, we go through life, viewing things through only one lens. One point of view. We walk around with this perhaps tunneled vision of situations, people, things, and our lives.

When we choose to only see what lie in front of us, or allow our physical circumstances define the reaction we give, it can alter our mentality in a positive or negative manner. When we choose to wander through life-with this one view point, this one perspective- we then shield ourselves from the optimism that could be.  

The specific perception that is held toward something that is occurring, and the physical thoughts that trigger a specific response, can define how the day will unfold. It can alter your mental state, and then create a negative ripple affect that keeps you from allowing that inner flame to flourish. The perspectives you have to specific circumstances, whether within or outside of your control, are the foundation to how you view things on a daily, monthly and even yearly basis.

Perspectives mold who you are, and how you respond to things as you move through life.

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To put it into simpler terms, let’s think about time. Time is an essence of our very own existence. It is how we keep track of the days, minutes, hours, and years.

So, let’s look at it this way:

Say you wake up during the week, it’s your typical work week and you wake ready to tackle the day. At this point in life, you probably have some sort of a system-or routine that you follow regularly.

You may get up at a specific time to give yourself that ability to get ready (shower, do your makeup, your hair, whatever it may be). Then maybe after you accomplish that you rush into the remainder of your morning routine before you must get to work, to school, or wherever you have to go for the day.

At this point, not only are you rushing to get yourself ready, you are also trying strongly to encourage fluid movement throughout the timeframe of the day that you carved out for this.

Say you then look over at the clock and you notice you only have 30 minutes left before you have to leave. This may cause disarray or a sense of feeling rushed, because in the midst of all the morning time hustle, 30 minutes may seem like a very short amount of time.

You may then start to rush yourself and start scrambling all around the house making sure each item on your to do list is checked off. Feeling within these moments that you simply don’t have enough minutes in the day.

While this is happening, that clock is counting down. Your thoughts become rushed, your body starts to react negatively and your day may then be thrown off.

In this specific situation, 30 minutes seems like the shortest amount of time possible right?

Let’s look at it in another way:

Say you perceived this exact scenario through a different lens, such as having half an hour left of a class your taking, or a half hour left of work that simply seems to be dragging on and on, that same amount of time may seem like the longest time possible.

Both are the exact same amount of time- different situations- yet the thoughts and emotions behind each are extremely and relatively different.

In one occurrence 30 minutes wasn’t nearly enough time to get things done, but now, it seems like the longest amount of time one could ever fathom.

This goes for anything you experience, see, or do in your lifetime. That is a perspective.

What you can see now, is that perspective to these situations that happen throughout your life, is everything. How you see the circumstance that is unfolding right before your eyes, can alter and change how the day unfolds- as well as contributes to the emotions you have in response to it all.

How you perceive a circumstance that is happening can and will entirely alter and shift how your day, and your life goes.

Let’s backtrack; amidst the hustle and bustle you already feel with 30 minutes left on the clock, what if in comparison to feeling rushed in the mornings, or going into the day simply rushing through the motions, and believing that 30 minutes just simply isn't enough time.

You instead choose to;

• Shift and alter the thoughts, feelings and perspective you are having in that given moment to something more positive.

You can then calm those moments of what initially seemed to be chaos down and create more fluid movement throughout the day as these situations occur.

Balance in life and a new perspective can and will allow you to start perceiving time, as a friend, instead of a foe.

When you start to take these steps to transition your mind into savoring each moment, and then breaking it up into a way that is beneficial to you, it can then shift and alter, entirely how the day moves forth.

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Now, this isn’t' to say simply ignore your deadlines, drag your feet in the mornings and go slower during times that are usually more rushed.

But it is saying that compared to perceiving that 30 minutes as “not enough time” and creating a ripple affect of chaos to follow, that you should instead perceive it as more than enough time. And then choose to break up your day, or your morning routine into specific time increments- that will allow you to move through these tasks more fluidly, more peacefully, and in a manner that is beneficial to both your body, and your mind.

Here are some examples for how to break up morning routines, to calm that chaos, and ease into the day with positivity and confidence:

Here’s an approach you can use;

Break the things you still have yet to do into time increments that are manageable.

For example;

1. a. Give yourself 10 minutes to eat.

   b. 10 minutes to make coffee and organize lunches, (or vice versa).

   c. 8 minutes to brush teeth and get dressed.

   d. And the remainder of that time you have left, utilize it to organize your things, regain your grounding and tackle the day in a different way.

By taking that half hour and breaking it into separate increments, it allows you to have a more positive perception of time, a more positive perspective about your day, and will bring forth a sense of calm that may not have existed prior.

It also then creates a better sense of balance, because you are taking away that uneasiness, and are allowing yourself to ease into the day with confidence and stride.

When you break up tasks into time increments, it makes things more manageable.

When you shift your perspective and your approach to different daily tasks, or encounters. You allow yourself a better sense of alignment, a stronger mentality, and a more confident sense of pride.

“Nobody should feel overwhelmed first thing in the morning. When you make tasks more manageable, and create a system that works for YOU, it will bring forth a stronger sense of control and relief that didn’t persist prior.”

Changing your perspective to moving into things more fluidly, can alter and shift the way you perceive high stress situations as time progresses. Daily mindful practices, a good fitness regime (if that’s your thing), a healthy balance in life, and a positive perspective, will only set you up for success.

~

Give your mind a chance to rest. Take a breath, slow down, and alter the way you perceive things moving forward. Make daily tasks more manageable, and move forth with confidence and stride. Not only will your future self thank you, your present self will feel more optimistic, complete, hopeful and calm going into each new day.