A funny thing happens around this time each year (and no, I’m not talking about Valentine’s Day).
I call it The February Freakout.
It’s about now that the limitless feeling you had in January starts to fade and you start questioning the brilliant ideas you had for the year ahead. Good intentions are abandoned along with the goals you set for yourself as real life gets in the way.
You may be feeling the impact of a quiet January in your business, the Christmas bills are coming in, client and family demands are starting to overwhelm you and panic sets in.
Are you feeling it? If you are, you are not alone. This is happening to women all around you right now.
Here are some tactics that you can use today to calm your February Freakout:
ACTION IS THE ANTIDOTE TO ANXIETY
Small actions do count. Some days we can do the hard things, other days it’s all we can do to just deal with the low hanging fruit. Small steps in the right direction are still going to get you where you want to go.
When I am spinning out (and I should say that, yes, this happens to me too!) I empty all the swirling thoughts in my head onto paper. Also known as a Brain Dump. The action of catching all those thoughts instills instant calm.
I then pick a simple, 2 minute task on the list and I do it. I build momentum doing small, easy tasks until I feel ready to tackle some of the chunky, more challenging things.
PUT YOUR BLINKERS ON
Stop looking at what everyone else is doing – comparing yourself to them is a pathway to a full blown freakout.
February always brings an increase in people promoting their service offerings. This will continue all month long as people are back in selling mode after the holidays.
It doesn’t mean that you should keep quiet if one of your competitors is promoting something “similar” to you. No one else is you. The great ideas you had for your business are still as valid as they were before you knew what they were up to. There is room for everyone.
SIMPLIFY
Where are you making things harder than they need to be?
I could write a book full of examples of overcomplicated business ideas that went wrong… and I could write another BIGGER book of examples of super simple ideas that went right.
Look for ways to make life simpler across all aspects of your business and life. Are you doing things that could be done by someone else (even temporarily)? Does a particular task need to be done at all? Where are you striving for perfection when “done” will do?
TALK ABOUT IT
A horrible hangover from the last few years has been reduced human connection. When you are alone in your work cave, it’s easy to remain inward looking and catastrophize our circumstances.
I went to a business retreat a few years back at the end of February and every single woman there ended up in tears at some point. The relief of being able to talk truthfully about what was happening for them with other women who “got it” was enormous.
Reach out to your business bestie and download over a coffee or wine. Sometimes we just need to feel heard. And if someone reaches out to you, take the invite, even if you are not feeling so great. Often when things feel bad for us, we can feel better by helping someone else.
Take a deeper dive into the February Freakout in Episode 45 of Your Business Boost podcast which you can listen to here: https://www.michellebroadbent.com.au/the-february-freakout-episode-45/
AND
If you need tailored solutions and ongoing, practical support to move your business forward, I’m here for you. With my 90 Day Business Boost, I’ll dive into your business and work with you to create your roadmap and support you to supercharge your plans in 90 days. Drop me an email michelle@michellebroadbent.com.au and let’s have a chat about how I can provide you with the structure and support to end your overwhelm.
