Are you struggling to get back into the swing of things after Christmas and having some time off?

As I started preparing to return to work, I noticed my mind automatically started spinning and worrying about what had to be done when I got back to the office. I felt my muscles tensing and the overwhelm was beginning to bubble. I was losing focus even before I’d started!

My wonderfully organised colleague expressed the same feelings of overwhelm and was finding it tough picking up her thought processes. My heart sank. “Oh no, not overwhelm already!” My advice to her was “just pause; we’ll make a plan together”.

So I took my own advice!

I paused, re-centred my energy and cleared my thoughts.

I realised in that moment that I had a choice: to stay in the low energy and negative mindset, or choose a higher energy state by smiling and being more intentional about my thoughts and feelings.

I chose the latter of course.

I was reminded again, that it’s so important to connect with others and be honest about how we’re feeling. We’re all doing the best we can, and sometimes we just need a boost or reset from others around us.

So I power-walked to work on my first day back, and smiled the whole way. I chose to be deliberate with my thoughts, and opened my heart to a new day.

I know that every day I have a choice to show up, to be heart-centred and to smile. It’s the only way to re-gain focus and clarity and to get back into the swing of things again after a few weeks away from the office. I guess I surrendered to what is.

I feel so much calmer about what lies ahead and all the things I need to get done now that I’m back in the office.

My advice: get out of your own way, connect, and smile. Welcome to a brand new year!