00:09
Hi, this is Katie, and thank you for joining me on the Creating Your Sanctuary podcast, and this is a podcast about creating those little moments and space that support you.

00:19
And today I wanted to talk about considering what you're focusing on right now.

00:24
So focusing could go either way.

00:27
It's a really good thing when you want to achieve certain projects or tasks and get them done.

00:33
But also we can ruminate and we can kind of cycle, I guess, or go over and over, that's what ruminating is, of just thinking through something so much that it's not really helping us step forward, that it could help us in a different way of moving past it and process, well, processing it and then moving past it.

00:59
But when we just are kind of sitting in it and going, well, this is bad, and this is stressful, and this may not work out, and what if this happens? Maybe that's not what we want to amplify.

01:12
So considering like, what are the sources of information that you're receiving about this topic, whether you are putting that project together and you're doing research and you're trying to just organize your thoughts and go, how am I going to tackle this problem or project?

01:29
Are these sources actually helping?

01:32
Are these, um, you know, organizing it into like a step by step that you can do? Is it being fruitful with alleviating some anxiety or is it actually making it a lot more stressful?

01:45
So, what you see, you know, maybe you're going through how to videos on YouTube, are those, um, actual videos helping you or are they using some scare tactics to make things worse?

02:01
Like, I'm all for getting the honest truth out there of, like, maybe, you know, look out for these kind of security things, computer devices or whatever.

02:11
Um, but also there are steps you can go through to keep yourself safe as you can in running updates and moving on.

02:21
Like, you can't just sit there and focus on,

02:25
what if this bad thing happens in 5 minutes or an hour or every day waking up that way and going, what if this happens today?

02:35
We need to actually live out our lives and experience joy and understand that we can have warnings that come at us and then we need to deal with them and see like how likely is it going to happen to me.

02:51
And then consider like, what are you communicating to others?

02:54
It can help to talk to others about things, especially, you know, I'm always open to my family members coming to me and asking if, like, this is a scam or is this legit, especially those who need help in that area.

03:12
And I'm like, yes, you know, come to me.

03:15
Let's talk about it.

03:16
Or are you talking about things just to bring them up over and over to try to alleviate your, um, anxieties, but it's still not getting there?

03:27
And I'm not talking about like, like you're going to get over a lot of really huge societal issues.

03:36
It's, I'm not talking about that.

03:38
I'm talking about like more immediate things that if you can control them.

03:44
So in that locus of control, right?

03:46
Your circle of what you can control, if that's all you can talk about, and if it's all you can really focus on, and it's a really, it's can be a very big deal for you, but your brain needs rest.

03:58
Your brain is allowed to relax and know that you can deal with whatever comes up in that interaction.

04:07
I'm thinking a lot of some family members who traveled recently and there's just so much anxiety over traveling.

04:13
There's just so many variables and like who you're going to come across and what is going to happen and it's public, right?

04:21
You don't know who is going to be sitting next to you or.

04:24
who, um, is going to go through security at the same time as you, like all those kinds of things.

04:30
There's so many variables.

04:32
You just can't account for all of them.

04:35
And if you just focus all your time on, like, trying to play out those scenarios, you're going to bring yourself out. And so what can you communicate to somebody to, you know, talk it through, because it very much does help to verbally process with someone to talk about, like, hey, I'm anxious about this flight that's coming up.

05:00
But if that's all you're focusing on every single day, it can be very hard for yourself to have a break from everything and to experience the good things going on around you.

05:11
So, Consider shifting some of these things.

05:16
So considering what sources are you taking in, consider shifting, like how much time that you're focusing on this.

05:24
Consider, shifting, like how you're communicating this to others, because it's also possible, if you're communicating to others, they might amplify you even more and bring up more anxieties, that you just, again, it's out of your control.

05:39
Um, and sometimes it's best to go in more relaxed and going, I can deal with whatever comes up, then to like try to, again, play out every scenario.

05:52
So, Consider some of these shifts because in the end, what you focus on is what your brain is trying to process and trying to sort through.

06:09
So how can you be kind to yourself?

06:12
and think about,

06:14
Maybe refocusing on some other things.

06:17
So yes, I have this trip coming up, but maybe I can refocus on, well, how is my garden doing?

06:23
Um, right now because that I can control and prepare for the trip ahead, right?

06:30
Because it's going to need some water.

06:32
It's going to need some care and you're also going to come back and you're also going to need to take care of it when you get back.

06:38
So maybe shift your focus a little bit.

06:42
And also, if there's like important things you do need to focus on, then concentrate on those things, the things that make you happy, the things that, you know, If you're learning new languages or about art or about music or something, like those are the things that you can focus on and that you can amplify in your life and bring some joy.

07:06
So however you're Creating Your Sanctuary right now.

07:09
Whatever you're focusing on, consider focusing on the things that bring you joy and know that that's enough.

07:18
I'll see you next time.