If you’re human, then you know what it’s like to have a “down” day. Here are 5 tips to help you get over the hump when you’re dragging along and it’s really hard to get yourself to practice!
Here’s a brief summary of what I talk about at length in the video:
- LISTEN to yourself, and ASK yourself what you really want.
– Honor your feelings. Respect your mood. STOP pushing yourself around, and stop “should-ing” yourself!
– Use my “3 Magic Phrases” to let yourself off the hook.
– Go deep and ask yourself “Do I really WANT to practice right now? What Do I really want? What will practicing get me that I really want?”
– If you discover that you absolutely don’t want to practice right now, then don’t! But respect your freedom to make that decision for yourself, and don’t fall into the guilt trap afterwards. Decide to take care of yourself with whatever you decide to do instead. - Let it be short!
Sometimes, the hardest part of practicing is getting started. I find it much easier to start if I think, “If I do only 5 minutes of practicing, that’s OK – it’s better than nothing – and I’m going to do 5 minutes of really MINDFUL practicing so I get something good out of it.”
Think QUALITY over quantity!! - Start from silence and center yourself.
Give yourself a few minutes to sit quietly release some of your negative thoughts, and free your body of some unnecessary tension.
– Journaling for a few minutes to get negative thoughts out of your mind can be very helpful if you’re feeling very upset about something. WRITE it out!
– Visualize things you LOVE. What do you feel good about in your life? Do you have a good memory that helps you get in touch with a positive feeling? Start a gratitude list, and FEEL the gratitude melt you.
– DO THE CYCLE, an Alexander Technique etude that takes only 2 minutes but is pretty much guaranteed to help you feel a little better, and more relaxed. Learn it here: http://bit.ly/JRFthecycle - Redefine Practicing!
Do you have a habitual way of thinking about practicing? Maybe it’s time to redefine it. Are you including practicing your mind-body coordination in your idea of practice? If you’re not, it’s about time! You can get SO MUCH done without your instrument if you know how! - Experiment and think about having a bit of FUN!
How would you treat a child who’s down and doesn’t feel like practicing? Would you force her to practice, or would you get creative and find a way to get her interested? Treat yourself with kindness. Is there a way you can entice your inner child to get curious about your instrument? Is there something NEW about it that you can discover? Touch it… feel it… wonder… I list a bunch of ways you can practice in the video above. Get creative and make it DIFFERENT today!
EXTRA TIP: Get support from your friends!
The Mind-Body Practice Tribe is my FREE facebook group, and it’s always available to you – come join us! We’re a group of very POSITIVE music-lovers who have a way with supporting and encouraging one another, so if you feel down, hop on over and someone will be sure to help lift your spirits! 🙂
JOIN HERE: http://bit.ly/practicetribe
Of course, there are so many other ways you can approach practicing when you’re down. But remember that it’s OK to skip a day! Very often, giving yourself a break to REST is going to do you and your playing much more good than forcing yourself to do something against your will.
I hope you found this helpful, and watch the video to get the fuller version of each tip! Maybe you find JOY in your practicing soon!
Love,
Jennifer
p.s. Know any musicians who could benefit from a little practice mood-lift? Please share this with them! And let me know what you think!
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