Category: Self-Development

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Know Her Self-Development

4 Steps To Take When Overwhelmed with Life

Have you ever felt like you don’t know what tasks you should do first? Like everything is in moving so fast that you can’t keep up? Like you, I am usually overwhelmed with the uncertainties in life ~ especially right now that pandemic is still not over.

Work deadlines..

Passion Projects hunting you already..

House needs total clean up..

COVID-19 is waiving everywhere..

So on and so forth.

And new things to do are still piling up your life.

I have been like these oftentimes but I would just keep ignoring it till it fades away, or I would just think that Aunt Flo is coming to town already. But one thing is for sure, we need to acknowledge these emotions, know the triggers, and know how to address those.

Okay! So this is another personal post of mine that I know no one reads about. Haha! But if you are reading this thank you so much for taking the time. And if you got here because of Mr. Google, meaning to say, friend, we are feeling somewhat the same right now. Let’s try to acknowledge that first.

It has been a week or so that I am feeling a little edgy and emotional.

I thought it was just because of the hormones, you know, girls with PCOS have imbalanced hormones. I think this is one, but other reasons were — I am indeed overwhelmed with tasks, responsibilities, and changes that happened to me recently.


Here’s What to Do When Overwhelmed with Life

I pause. Literally pause in doing things when I feel overwhelmed because I just can’t. Haha! So I made myself some steps to take when I feel overwhelmed. Love that I recently knew how to mind map the things I wanna say/do.

First Step – The ‘Feel It’ Stage

Alright, I just made the stages, okay.. As mentioned, this is just me, I just wanna process my thoughts so if you’re here and you also wanna do this, great! let’s do this together.

  1. I blame the hormones – Of course! Hello, hormones, why imbalance? Hello, Aunt Flo, can you just like go out there already if you’re gonna go out? LOL.
  2. I get sad — really sad. – Just so thankful that I have a very, very patient and loving fiance. Sad for various petty reasons, that made me really messy — inside and out. Kaya we really need to choose someone who’ll accept us during our worst and best. Although sometimes I feel that he is really just being patient ~~ Haha! But of course, it shouldn’t be like this all the time. I make sure that I shower him with love and assurance as well.
  3. I feel the emotion, that overwhelming feeling – And cry. Yes, I have to release it. It’s like actually moving on which has various steps that you need to go through.

So be overwhelmed if you must, cry if you want, blame everything — yourself, shout.. but do these with the thought that you will need to stand up again and pick yourself up. Okay?!

Second Step – The ‘Wake Up’ Stage

Of course, after some time you will also get tired of all the dramas and whatnots. So once you feeling like i-must-get-up-and-fix-myself! Congratulations, you’re done with the first stage. But! Of course, it will still be a lurker. Guard your thoughts.

  1. I confess to a close friend – This can be my best friend Angelic or my fiance, but anyone whom I know will listen to me and would not snap on my face. Here, I just tell her/him the things that are making me upset. I just opened my heart and mouth not thinking what he/she will say or feel. And it’s heaven. If you have these persons in your life, please, take care of them.
  2. I gather my thoughts – After I breathe out all the things that I need to release, I would sit in front of may laptop, or sometimes get a pen and my bullet journal and list down the things that are stressing me out up until the cute ones like putting out the trash bin. I also write anything on this site, or on my secret blog if it’s too personal, and most of the time, reading your bucket list (not your goals) will help you back on track.

    What to do:
    • Make a stress list – list the things that stress you out
    • Make a blog – anything that will clear your mind
    • Read your bucket list – this puts me back on track

Third Step – The ‘Sweat it out’ Stage

Okay, you’re already done with the second stage. You feel so excited to get back on track again like you used to! But! Wait, it’s okay if you go back to the first stage from time to time.

But since you are more aware of your situation, you can already snap the thought out and push for the third stage which is what I can the ‘Sweat it out’ stage. but if you still go back to stage one time and time again, it’s okay. Don’t rush. Just know where you are going.

So the ‘Sweat it Out’ Stage is your ‘Action’ stage. Basically you will now go to the battlefield — between what you have to do and your emotions. You can do this!

  1. Pray – Usually in this stage, I pray and listen to worship songs. It soothes me and gives me a clear mind.
  2. Focus on your ‘Stress List’ – Remember the Stress List that you made on stage two when you were gathering your thoughts? Here, sorry to say but you need to face them again. Huhu! But you can do it!

    Tips to get your ‘Stress List’ Done
    • Write your Stress List on near your study table/work table – This will help you see your stress list and will stress you even more! Haha! Kidding aside, this will help you to be reminded of the list that you need to overcome for you not to be stressed. Okay?
    • Once you have written all your stress list, categorize them base on your stress level. Personally, I put level 1-10, Level 10 being the highest. something like that.
    • Begin with the Level 10 – I know it’s so hard! I mean, ‘The one thing that I have been dreading to do for the past weeks or months, gagawin ko na? Ayaw!!’ Same, same. usually, ganyan ako! Haha! It will take a lot of courage but, we can do this.
  3. Clean up, Glow up – ‘Aayusin ko pa nga ang Stress List ko tapos paglilinisin mo ako?!‘ -I know I’ll hear you say this but yes! I encourage your to clean your room, maybe fix your study table just so while doing your stress list, you’ll be stress-free with your surrounding and will feel great and a little better.

Fourth Step – The ‘Let’s Celebrate’ Stage

Personally, I celebrate for each ticked stress list item that I was able to do. Yes! Of course it took me a lot of courage, sometimes cries, to really do what needs to be done so I need to celebrate!

  1. List the little things that makes you happy and award yourself with those after each success, big or small 
  2. Really celebrate! Be intentional of the celebrations that you will do, like really feel that you are happy that finally — you’re done with that one item on your stress list!
  3. Thank God of the everyday blessings that you are encountering each day.

Next Steps

  1. Do the ‘Five Minute Journal’

    Will be starting this ‘Five Minute Journal’ starting this August 1, 2020. There’s a notebook for this but I prefer to use Evernote. Basically the five minute journal is your morning and evening journal of your blessings each day. Here’s the template.
    • Morning Routine
      • I am grateful for…
        1. …
        2. …
        3. …
      • What would make today great?
        1. …
        2. …
        3. …
      • Daily affirmations
    • Evening Routine
      • 3 amazing things that happened today
        1. …
        2. …
        3. …
      • How could I have made today even better?
  2. Get physical

    If there’s one thing I wish I can do consistently that is to exercise even for 10 minutes! But of course, let’s keep reminding ourselves on this.
  3. Pray everyday

    It’s so nice to share our daily lives to the One who makes everything possible. Let’s pray every day.

Pia’s Thoughts

Sometimes we get so overwhelmed with the things that life brings but let’s try to look for the beauty from the good and bad.

Happy that I get to share just some of the things that I usually do when I am getting overwhelmed with everything. Note that this is a personal post. It may or may not work for you.

I also suggest you go through my friend’s blog, izzaglinofull.com. Super love her blogs about systems and personal development.

How about you? What do you usually do when feeling overwhelmed?

We’d love to hear from you!

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Know Her Self-Development

How to Break the Mañana Habit (Mamaya na Habit)

The reason why I made another blog, visitmanila.ph, was I always wanted to have a personal touch to this baby, piathought.com. So here’s another personal blog about my current struggle — the ‘Mañana Habit’ (Manana Habit) or in tagalaog, the ‘Mamaya na Habit’.

I think we all feel lazy sometimes to do things that we really need to do, right? Just thinking about it maybe makes you feel.. tired already. Or, is it just me? Haha.

This month of May has been so overwhelming that I feel so sluggish most of the time, too tired and lazy to move and do what I needed to do. Sad to say, I can’t fight my little demons.

So, instead of being productive, I just slack off, and put everything to my ‘mamaya na’ bucket that eventually leads me to one of the worst Filipino traits, the ‘Manana Habit’.

Although, I can say that I am a very focused person, sometimes (most especially now that I have many things on my plate), I feel irrelevant, overwhelmed, not knowing what to do first, and that feeling of failing the people around you because you always put things off.. It sucks, you know.

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What is Mañana Habit or the Mamaya na Habit?

Mañana Habit, is a Spanish habit term for people who procrastinate. These are the people who always put things off. Manana in Tagalog is ‘Mamaya na’. It is noted as one of the worst Filipino traits.

Manana Habit History

Where does the Manana Habit came from?

Tracing it back to its origin, the manana habit as defined by Jose Aguirre is something that we learned from the Spaniards. The word “Manana” means tomorrow or “a specified time in the future” which signals the act of delaying an action or basically known as procrastination. – Pressreader

Why is the manana habit a bad Filipino practice?

Manana Habit is considered a bad Filipino practice because this affects the mood, decision power, and most of all, this is dangerous once this becomes a habit.

Here are some of the things we have to do if we feel like putting things for later or you’re one of us who always want to say ‘mamaya na’.

1. Check your Distractions

There’s this one guy whom I was talking with randomly during my trip in Zambales, that I cannot forget, not because I like him (LOL) but because I learned something from our discussion. He shared that he was in Zambales because he wants to start anew. He felt so guilty about not living in the ‘now’. Like he always put things aside thinking that there’s still tomorrow.

I stopped and actually thought, ‘Hey, we are exactly the same’. It’s like I am hearing my own words. Haha!

And he was right.

He said he has been putting off everything that he knows is important because he was so ‘busy’ playing online games. It was just changed after his work and relationships were already struggling. Same.

Currently, I can say that I am no being addicted to PUBG. It’s an online game, you know, people shooting people. Haha! Anyway, it’s been a month since I started playing and boy, I can say that I am one of the game addicts. Not proud.

I think this is the very first thing to do. We should always check what surrounds us. What are our distractions? What’s keeping us from getting our goals? What are those that make us wanna slouch in bed and put things off?

Maybe it’s the Netflix? Facebook? Youtube?

What to do:

  • Make a list of the things that you are putting off. Technically the things that stresses you out.
  • For each item on the list, make another checklist on how to get those items done.
  • Keep moving! Block your day for these ‘stressors’ and get your body moving.

2. Note that it’s Okay Not to Be Okay

After knowing your distractions on what hinders you to take action, maybe you’ll feel worse because you already acknowledged that you have these distractions and you are allowing these to control your life but take note that it is okay.

You are just human and it’s part of life.

I think it’s actually even better to be sad about knowing that you fail because of things than taking no actions at all and just wait for things to come and go.

So, cheer up! You can do it!

Read Also: 4 STEPS TO TAKE WHEN OVERWHELMED WITH LIFE

3. Recheck your Goals

If you want an instant boost, and if you still don’t have a goals list or bucket list, I suggest you better make one now. It will honestly help you move forward and will constantly remind you of how far you have gotten already and how you should move forward to your next goals.

So after checking your distractions and identifying them, next is you go back to your goals.

  • Revisit your goals – Look for goals that you think you have done already. Better if you can write a short sentence about it.
  • Add something new. Something that excites you.
  • Edit the old ones, and even delete the goals that you think are not suitable for you now. That is okay.

3. Write the Things that you have been Putting Off

We feel bad and stressed because we know we have been putting off things that we know we need to finish, right? After knowing the distractions, rechecking your goals, get a piece of paper, or open your online journal, and be brave to write the things that you have telling ‘Mamaya na’, or ‘Bukas na’.

Just write whatever that you have been putting off. Personally, this require courage to face everything. Haha!

Make that list now!

4. Take Action

Even if you know all the distractions already, you made another whole set of new goals for a new you but you didn’t take action, you will still feel overwhelmed.

So, get up, check your to do list and take action!

But if you still don’t know why you keep on delaying things, you may want to enroll in OCCI’s FLEX and ALC. It’s like a leadership training but not your ordinary leadership training. I promise!

5. Make a Daily To Do List

Being a list lover, I think I tried many strategies already including bullet journal and the traditional notebook to do list and online to do list.

Whatever strategy that you are using that is fine provided that you have an active list that you can check everyday.

BONUS

  • Try the pomodoro technique – The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. Each interval is known as a pomodoro, from the Italian word for ‘tomato’, after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo used as a university student.
  • Learn to say No – I think the whole message of this Manana Habit is that your capacity is only limited and you should also say no if you know it will not contribute to your goals. This decreases the chance to put off the important things to do.

Pia’s Thoughts

If you think you are one of those (us, I mean) who procrastinate a lot or if you tend to delay things with all your ‘mamaya na’, I pray that you overcome this as this will make the quality of your life a little.. low.

Know your goals and your priorities and everything will follow. If you feel you have the Manana habit, focus on acquiring habits that will eventually stop you procrastinating things.

We can do this!

Related Topics: Mañana Habit, ano ang mañana habit, filipino manana habit, mamaya na habit, mana habit, maña habit, mañana habit example, manana habit in tagalog, mañana habit meaning, mañana habit of students, manana habit tagalog, maniana habits, manyana habit, what is manana habit, what is mañana habit

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Know Her Self-Development

3 Easy Steps on How to Start Your Day Right and Be Productive

Have you ever felt feeling guilty at the end of the day because you think you never did anything productive throughout the day? Well, I guess you never did plan for your day. Always remember that famous quote, “Time is gold”? 

Yes, it still and will forever be one of the best quotes in life that we have to live by. And I am pretty sure that by starting your day right together with handwork, self-discipline, and perseverance, you will feel that you fully maximized your time for the day. 

So, here is my step-by-step process in utilizing my time and I hope this will help you as well.

RELATED: Top 5 Ways to Break the Mañana Habit (Manana Habit)

3 Easy Steps on How to Start Your Day Right and Be Productive

These steps are super easy but powerful. And if not taken seriously, you will not achieve the desired outcome.

1. END YOUR DAY RIGHT

Maybe you’re thinking, “Wait, we’re talking about ‘starting’ here, not ending!” 

Yes, you are right!

But in order to start your day right, you also have to end it right. Agree?

Ending your day right means writing the things you have accomplished for the day before you go to sleep.

With this, you can monitor your progress and see how well you have done for the day. After looking back on the things you’ve done, write down as well the things you needed to do for tomorrow.

You can now anticipate the things that you have to prioritize for the next day.


2. START YOUR DAY RIGHT


As much as possible, don’t oversleep/undersleep.

Sleeping for 9 hours or more will make you feel very unproductive throughout your day.

Sleeping under 8 hours though will usually make you feel a little agitated, thus being unproductive throughout the day.

Why not challenge yourself to exercise waking up a bit earlier than usual?

After saying a little prayer and stretching a little bit, and open your journal and review the things you needed to do for the day and schedule your time.

Exercise your thoughts because it will drive your day!

If you think you are lazy on this day, you will really be lazy and will not do anything productive. Shift your mind to see things positively and you will see your dreams coming true.

3. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT PROGRESS

I am pretty sure that for a couple of days, you may feel very lazy coping up with your schedule.

Don’t worry. We all experienced that in one way or another in our life.

But practice makes progress and daily progress is a sure way to hit the goal! Make your schedule a habit. It really feels good seeing your To-Do things written in your journal were all ticked out at the end of the day!

PIA’S THOUGHTS

Every one of us already felt that we need to be more productive and that time should not be wasted, and we have to succeed in whatever goals we have.

I still suggest to open your mind, see the bigger picture, and try to not pressure yourself and beat yourself each time you fail.

Every day is a new day to live life to the fullest, to live the life you really want, to live with your maximum potential.