Last night on our family Zoom call, I decided to get everyone to do a scavenger hunt. I gave them a list of items they had to go and get and bring back to the call. They all did very well and brought things like an empty toilet roll, a wooden spoon and something red. It was fun and a good laugh as everyone scrambled around their house trying to collect all the bits and pieces.
Many items were close by but for some they had to go and search and think at the same time – something they’ve had since childhood….not often to hand but they appeared with things, a sharpener, a toy or a teething ring. My husband pulled a photo of his parents up… not quite what I imagined, however, there were no rules saying it couldn’t be. Many interpretations of the same item. The idea is not to think too much and just get the items that pop into your mind. Something stripy – get a stripy shirt, for a button, show the button on your jeans. It’s simple things, next time, I’m definitely going to ramp up the difficulty rating!
This game got me thinking about life in general and how we often look for the complicated in life, rather than keep things simple. Our life’s journey throws up many situations where we are not sure of the answer. We hunt through our brain, just like the scavenger hunt, trying to find answers that fit the situation. But more often than not, we find ourselves looking for the complicated.
We may encounter issues when the answers are inside us already, we may feel unsure or uncertain over decisions, but stop and ask yourself what you are looking for and then wait and see what answer comes to you. Your answer could be so obvious but you think it has to be something grand or elaborate rather than a simple solution.
Here are four things to think about to help you find the answers you are looking for:
- What would you say to a friend? – If your friend came to you and described the same problem or issue you are having, what advice or help would you give them? What would be the first things you could grab from the storage shelf in your mind to help them? The likelihood is it would be simple and straight forward.
- Write it down – Write down the question and spend a few moments thinking – answers can take time to form, but your gut instinct may kick in straight away. If you need more time, write it on a bit of paper, stick it on your fridge, maybe now isn’t the right time to make the decision but when it is, you’ll have an epiphany!
- Be like Dorothy from The Wizard of OZ – get your friends to help you out, each friend will likely bring a different perspective, idea or thought. This can give you the answer you are looking for, or it can lead you to the actual answer for yourself.
- Take the decision that will give you the best outcome for you right now – Nothing is a lifetime decision, what serves us now, may not work for us in 4 weeks time or in 5 years. Do what you feel/think is right for now. Then when another crossroads appears, take the same stance – decide for now.
These are not revolutionary ideas, but are ideas to help you get out of your head and keep things simple. I trust my gut, and follow that, but when an answer doesn’t come to me immediately then I know it’s about timing or I’m just complicating the uncomplicated! If you take a step back and apply the above, you will get to the answer you are looking for.
Some decisions or problems can be solved quickly, without much thought and we make these many times a day. For others we need to go on a scavenger hunt in our mind to find the solution. We may pick out something and it doesn’t quite fit the issue we have, but we can tweak it and adapt, giving us something that will work in that moment. If we think too much about it or over complicate it, then it will seem impossible. Not everything has a right or wrong way, if it’s personal, then the answer has to sit well with you, if you do something that doesn’t feel right then clearly it isn’t the solution for you.
As you go into your week, look at some of the decisions you have to make or the problems you have to solve and if the answer don’t come to you straight away then try the above and take the uncomplicated route!
Take care and enjoy your week. Stay safe, be kind and look after you! 😍
Love Emma xxx
Wellbeing with Relaxing Lavender 