How to be kind to yourself when life is too busy

As the summer is gradually fading into autumn, have you noticed the trees changing colour, or is life so busy that you just don't have time to notice your surroundings? Perhaps you feel a bit like the proverbial hamster on a wheel, spinning round and round, wishing you could 'get off' in order to catch up with yourself for a few minutes?

If you do lead a busy lifestyle and often find it hard to feel like you are in control and coping with all that life throws in your path, here are a few suggestions on how find more time for yourself.

Focus on your key priorities - in order to have the right balance in your life, you need to decide what is essential and important and what is not. So decide what you need to achieve without setting yourself unmanageable deadlines.

Differentiate between what 'must' be done and what 'needs' to be done - who is telling you what needs to be done? List your tasks in order of importance and ask yourself what is the worst thing that can happen if it doesn't get done.

Say it as it is - do you know what messages you give out to other people around you? Do you decline offers of help when you could probably do with some assistance  by saying you are fine?

Be kind to yourself - good friends support you during tough times rather than criticize you, they don't point out your mistakes but encourage you to move on, having learnt from the experience. So when you start to criticise yourself, ask yourself what you would want your best friend to do and then do it.

Believe that you deserve more than you think you do - do you recognise your own self worth? How often do you put your own wishes last behind your friends, family and work colleagues? Tell yourself you deserve some time to yourself and then plan to make it happen.

Is the grass really greener on the other side? - sometimes we are never able to be content with what we have and want more of what others have. We set ourselves ridiculously high expectations and when we don't reach them, we become frustrated and angry.

By adjusting your expectations of personal happiness, focussing on being more content and asking for help when you need it, you too can feel less of a hamster on a wheel and more of a cat, asleep, enjoying the autumn sunshine!