In this episode, we delve into the common challenge of avoiding difficult tasks, and we examine the emotional and practical barriers that keep us stuck. Often, when we find ourselves putting off getting on with the tricky things, we give ourselves a really hard time. However, it’s not as easy as just telling ourselves to get on with it! Being kind to ourselves helps us to recognise that our emotional capacity may be at breaking point. Once we can do that, we may be able to work out what one thing we might be possible to do, rather than thinking we need to complete the whole list.
During this episode we share personal stories, psychological insights, and practical strategies to manage overwhelm and foster kindness towards ourselves.
Tackling the hard things one step at a time with kindness towards yourself makes a significant difference. Resilience is built in small acts of compassion and realistic planning.
Key topics:
The complexity behind procrastinating on small but accumulative chores, like managing subscriptions or booking travel.
How cognitive load and emotional capacity influence our ability to tackle tasks.
We use the metaphor of a \"bucket\" to describe our mental capacity and how it's overwhelmed by stressors.
The role of self-compassion and kindness in overcoming feelings of shame and failure.
Practical strategies: breaking down tasks, scheduling focused time, and managing expectations.
The impact of age, technology, and environmental factors on our capacity to do hard things.
The importance of recognizing and sitting with discomfort rather than avoiding or resisting it.
The power of incremental action—doing one thing at a time—and the mental shift from urgency to kindness.
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