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This is my first article that I’ve written for Ebony. I was pretty excited to see this shared on their twitter feed and then on their site… because Ebony is Ebony. Self-care is an area that is really important to me, not only physical but mental, so I was happy to be able to write on this. Thanks to @Dani_Whispers AKA HotelWhisperer for the opportunity.

 

ebony-magazine

Mental Floss: What I Do to Preserve My Mental Sanity

Keep your mind right with these helpful tips.

by Christen N. McCluney, October 6, 2016

Life can be stressful. One of the best things we can do for ourselves is create healthy habits to preserve our mental sanity. Here are things I do that you can try too.

PRAYER/MEDITATION
When I’m having a moment the first thing I do is pray. In addition to prayer, I meditate and use scriptures and affirmations like, “positivity is my new normal,” to get myself through moments. I also use HeadSpace, a guided meditation app, for daily mindfulness and have explored services like Still Going, that offer meditation with a live coach.

YOGA
When I really need a break I turn to Yoga Nidra. It’s guided meditation that leads you into a deep sleep-like state of relaxation. It’s practiced lying down in a dim room with blankets, eye pillows, and other props to make you comfortable. I prefer the studio and the energy it gives, but you can also practice at home thanks to all the Yoga Nidra videos on YouTube.

WRITE
I’ve written for as long as I can remember. In moments of happiness, sadness and everything in between. One of the best ways to release is putting pen to paper. Whether it’s in a journal, on a blog, a letter, or an email sent to self, writing always helps.

BREATHE
Sometimes I don’t have a moment to disappear at work so I’ve turned to breathing techniques to relieve stress. The easiest one is the 4-5-6 pattern. You inhale through the nose for 4 counts, hold your breath 5 counts and exhale slowly through your mouth for 6 counts. Repeat until you’re back to your usual centered, calm self.

Christen N. McCluney is a social media strategist and freelance writer based in Washington, D.C., writing on love, spirituality and wellness.  You can follow her on her blog Simply Christen and on Twitter.

Read more at EBONY http://www.ebony.com/wellness-empowerment/mental-sanity-preservation#ixzz4MYko91VA
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A friend and I always have discussions on how we have so much on our plates in our respective offices because we’ve been labeled as jack of all trades. This label has come from us volunteering to do additional projects, at other times going above and beyond on our regular work, or from just being pretty driven and having leadership recognize that.

From my perspective it’s made me well versed and at times has made me feel like a rockstar. But then it’s also become a distraction because in doing so many things I can’t always focus on that one thing that I REALLY want to be great at. I’ve found that because I am spread so thin in the office at times I really pour my passion into my freelance work, which can be great but again, adds to the “too capable” issue.

I was on linked in yesterday and came across this post from Greg McKeown called “The #1 Career Mistake Capable People Make.” I found it interesting and reading it I had a few “aha moments.”

Here is one of the stand out excerpts from it.

The slightly painful truth is, at any one time there is only one piece of real estate we can “own” in another person’s mind. People can’t think of us as a project manager, professor, attorney, insurance agent, editor and entrepreneur all at exactly the same time. They may all be true about us but people can only think of us as one thing first.

That alone made me think what is the one title that I am striving to have. And also would I be satisfied with just one, or am I happy being too capable.

You can read the rest of the article on LinkedIn, but I’d love to get your opinion.

Tell me your thoughts. Is there such thing as being “too capable?”