My life as a new karate studio owner has been crazy busy, whenever I have any down time I look for more things to do to help my business. Therefore, some of my training has taken a cut as I don’t get around to training as much as I used to. So sometimes at the end of the day I feel unaccomplished in my own physical abilities, even if it was a technically successful day at the studio. I’ll feel defeated because I don’t feel as on top of my skills as I’d prefer, even though I had taught a full day of classes where I demonstrated plenty of techniques.
I get in my head thinking about how I should just accept the fact that I can’t train as much as I want to. This makes me sad, which makes me want to just leave the studio as soon as possible and get to bed. Battling my depression has been a lifelong journey, and I have to carefully monitor my thoughts so as to not defeat myself. What I’ve found that gets me motivated again is reminding myself that everyday is a new day. I’ll make a plan to myself that tomorrow will be different, and I can find time to take a few little breaks to practice. I’ll practice kicks for 30 minutes, or do a yoga video, or just take the time to practice something I enjoy.
It’s important to start each day with a fresh mind and an optimistic attitude. Of course this is easier said than done, and there are some days I’m just so low I can barely make myself eat throughout the day. This is the reality of depression, but luckily for as many low days there are usually high days. Whenever I have a low day, or even just a busy day where I don’t feel personal accomplishment, I try to focus on what I can do tomorrow to make it better. We owe it to ourselves to have a schedule that keeps us happy and healthy, having a balance of work and fun.
