As I was looking back through the archives, this post caught my eye… it seems as if no matter how determined I am to make the self-care changes I need to make, I keep on making the same old mistakes… (edited to bring it up to date)
the last couple of months (nine months) have been tough…
If I put it into perspective… at least I don’t live in Syria (or Christchurch, or Sri Lanka)… and it’s nothing I can’t manage. Health issues on many fronts, stretching myself too thin and, once again, not listening to my body has meant the time has come where something had to give. (This time around it’s a whole body give. I’ve been managing Chronic Fatigue now since October – and when I say managing, I mean some days I do and some days I don’t.)
Our bodies don’t coming with warning lights (wish they did…) to let us know that something is about to break. But they do give us signals when they are running low. And running on empty seems to be a modern epidemic. Meet a friend down the street and ask them how they’ve been, and I’ll bet that part of their answer is “busy”.
(Since I originally wrote this post, I’ve called bullshit on ‘busy’. I have honestly slowed down from where I was. Saying “no” to many things and prioritizing where and to whom I give my energy to. Out of necessity because I’m sick of being exhausted all the time. And then I read Seth’s take on ‘busy’. What do you think? Agree?)
busy. that badge of honour worn with pride by so many
Life is busy. There’s no denying that. We’re all plugged in, with time flying by. Places to be. People to see. Things to do. Not enough time.
And then we stress about our lack of time.
How often, though, do you schedule time to yourself? Time to unplug. Decompress. Take a break.
no distractions, no people, no guilt, nothing but yourself and your thoughts
Solitude is a beautiful thing and can work wonders when you let it. It’s when you neglect that need for time alone that things come unstuck.
Stop forsaking solitude to keep up with the demands of life. Carve out moments, a brief as they may be. (My current favourite way to take a break is sitting on my side deck, cup of tea – or coffee – in hand, and scrunching my toes in the grass. Finding a moment – or ten – to myself, earthing out and reconnecting to nature… something we need to do more often.) Because once you realise that time to yourself is as real a need as food or sleep, the rewards will be worth it.
So where will you find a moment for yourself today – a moment to feel. to think. to sit – and what will you do with it?
Me? I’m eating cake (drinking tea) and reading a new magazine (listening to the wind in the leaves). Care to join me?
Image found here.
First published on May 10, 2017.
