When we forget to treat our needs as equal to the needs of others in our lives, we become stressed and frustrated. We prioritize their needs over our own and shortchange things like rest and relaxation. We also neglect enforcing our boundaries which puts on the highway to exhaustion.

Becky and Diana discuss the tricky areas of honoring our time and our money.

Diana reminds us that money is an exchange of energy. And it’s easy to find ourselves in debt, overspending, or giving our money to others. When we’re not mindful about money matters, we feel drained.

Becky shares her struggles with managing her calendar (aka her time). She forgets to do things like schedule enough times between clients and allow time for rest. When we overcommit by doing too many things or by not taking breaks, we can feel frustrated and overwhelmed.

Becky brings up a favorite Uniquely Brilliant discussion topic: Essentialism. She’s reading another book relating to essentialism: 4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. The concepts in the book echo the concepts of Essentialism: setting priorities, saying no, and enforcing boundaries.

Some tips on putting our needs first and equal:

1. Establish boundaries. When we set and enforce boundaries around the time we want to spend communicating with others or on social media, it helps us maintain our positive energy.

1. Ask for help. It’s important to be bold when we ask for what we need. If we need to reschedule an appointment, ask for it. As Diana mentions, oftentimes we don’t even know what our needs are and that’s ok! When we figure them, it’s okay (actually, it’s critical) to put our needs at least equal to the needs of others in our lives.

Additional Uniquely Brilliant episodes on essentialism:

Episode 130: Essentialism and Coronavirus

https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/show/uniquelybrilliant/id/13999148

Episode 88: Essentialism

https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/show/uniquelybrilliant/id/5585187

©2022 Cronecast Podcast Network | Music ©2015 Max Brodie

On today’s episode of Uniquely Brilliant, Diana Bader and Becky Berry discuss the March Slump. 

Diana begins this episode by reminding us that two years ago at this time the whole world was shut down because of COVID, and our feeling that we’re in a slump could be a trauma response.

The pandemic and the response to it are different now, but not completely different. Masks, boosters, quarantines - change constantly.

Becky and Diana point out that everyone has a different comfort level with how to approach the world today. While Covid is still a big threat, Diana points out that there are equal threats to those who are immunocompromised that are rarely mentioned. 

Becky points out that because of the strangeness of our last two Marchs plus  now, it’s easy to lose our sense of agency. We can forget that we can impact our own lives by the choices that we make. 

The unpredictability of the weather in March adds to the slump. The temperatures and weather are all over the place: it can be 80 degrees one day and snow the next day. 

Diana and Becky share their strategies for maintaining their equilibrium. The overarching strategy is to go with the flow of the weather. Diana takes advantage of sunny weather by pursuing outdoor activities. When it’s cold, she stays inside and cooks. 

They also touch on the power of doing activities that soothe you. They go deeper into the power of soothing in Episode 146. 

Full link to 146:
https://uniquelybrilliant.libsyn.com/episode-146-soothe-yourself-by-grounding

We can empower ourselves by:

• Picking our battles by choosing what we think about and focus on
• Looking our emotions in the face and accepting them and choosing whether to surrender to the current circumstance or rise above them
• Staying in the moment
• Distracting ourselves with something that makes us feel lighter - listening to music, watching tv, reading, or cooking
• Changing scenery - going outside, taking a drive, taking a walk

When we purposefully choose what we focus on, we feel a greater sense of agency.

©2022 Cronecast Podcast Network | Music ©2015 Max Brodie

In this episode of Uniquely Brilliant, Becky Berry and Diana Bader discuss ways to approach the smorgasbord that is life.

Diana starts by discussing her recent experience on a cruise where she learned cruises no longer put out smorgasbords of food like they did before COVID. She draws a parallel between choosing from a smorgasbord and choosing priorities and goals that allow us to enjoy the smorgasbord of life. 

Becky brings this back to essentialism, since essentialism is about focusing on solely the things that are essential to our lives. 

Additional episodes where Becky and Diana discuss Essentialism:

Episode 88: Essentialism

Episode 130: Essentialism and Coronavirus. 

They also discuss the importance of delegating tasks so we aren’t taking on everything that’s thrown at us. Diana points out that in order to delegate, we must be able to relinquish control of the task. This also requires asking someone we trust to follow through with the task.

Becky shares her struggles with wanting to provide instant answers to everyone. She reminds us that we do not always have to answer questions immediately. It’s critical to ask when someone needs an answer so we can figure out where the request fits in our priorities. 

Diana and Becky observe that our priorities change throughout time. So, we may find that things we put on our plates even a year ago are no longer critical to us.

It is important to constantly query our options and evaluate what we can let go of that’s not important to us and what we can delegate.

When we like something, it’s okay to try it or taste it. And, if it’s not to our taste, we don’t have to do, wear, or consume it. We can think about our priorities, and choose to put it down. 

Diana shares that many of the things she procrastinates on are frequently things she can turn over to someone else.

Becky and Diana wrap up by reminding us that it’s okay to ask for help and stress that it’s critical to our mental health to know when to ask for help. And, if the people we ask can’t help us, we can ask them to refer us to someone who can. 

©2022 Cronecast Podcast Network | Music ©2015 Max Brodie