Things have been wonderful around here at the Lilypad. A lot of creativity and self discovery and giggling and Star Trek (yes, we are geeks).
Since I got my dancing shoes, I've been renewed and reconnected in ways I did not imagine possible even just two months ago.
And then this introvert committed a grave error: she totally over-scheduled herself.
Now, do not misunderstand me: every single thing we did within a few days last week was worth the time. That is never the question. Not really. We are pretty careful about how we expend our energy.
But it was too many very high energy activities and not enough down time, not enough Marcy and Christine time, not enough just stare at the sky time.
The good part of this, of course, is that every time I do it, I decrease the likelihood of it happening as badly or as often. I learn something new. I notice something new.
This time it is helping me, for example, to figure out that there are some projects that I have committed to that are not deserving of that commitment. I have limited personal energy and so I must use it wisely.
And today, I was supposed to be writing about the next chapter of Stephen Cope's The Wisdom of Yoga, but those posts take a lot of thinking. I don't have any extra brain space right now and so am writing about what is immediately on my mind instead. In the past, I would have just pushed through. Not good.
Which brings me to some questions for you:
What are the red flags in your life when you are beginning to step backwards?When you notice these read flags, what do you do about them?What is your favorite and most effective form of regeneration?(Photo & Text Copyright: Christine C. Reed, blisschick.net, 2009, Rodin, Cleveland Museum of Art)
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10 comments:
oh yes- i can relate.
I find visitors from out of town do it for me. My weekends are so important for me to recharge after a week of not getting enough sleep (I need about ten hours... reallY!). When the weekends are filled with go go go activities by Monday I'm exhausted.
my best way to recharge? Sleep and yoga :)
Good for you for taking the time you need and not 'pushing through!'
When I've been doing too much, I often start to have thoughts about how I have been running around constantly all day, every day. Even if it wouldn't look like I was that busy to someone else, those thoughts are (not very subtle or mysterious) indicators that I need to cut out some of what I'm doing. I start to feel rushed all the time.
Sometimes I definitely 'push through,' but at this point in my life I do that less and less. I prefer to save that for actual emergencies. If we're talking about errands or optional activities, I like to just drop them.
The first thing I need to do is slow down and stop. No going back and forth from here to there. Just being at home for long stretches or at a cafe for a long stretch helps. I've also started to separate what is actually restful (regenerating) from what is simply inactive. It is tempting for me to spend a lot of time on the computer when I'm frazzled and spent, but that is very rarely restful for me - it's just largely brainless. Not the same thing!
So, reading something engrossing, starting at water (like a lake), walking around taking photos, art/crafts, or watching DVDs that I find soothing -- those are all things that help me start to recharge.
I think it also helps to have good foods available for meals that don't take a lot of planning. I really enjoy cooking and baking, but when I am feeling too pressured or frazzled I can easily panic about food prep. So, having a simple plan helps for those days.
Those are some ideas from my own life.
I hope you have a truly restful Monday!
I need lots of downtime on the weekends too. We have very social friends (and we live in a sailing town with a drinking problem, or is it the other way around?, it's a running joke around here) and if you go out to one thing, you always end up getting invited everywhere else. next thing you know your whole weekend is gone! I'm getting better at sending the hubby out the door by himself (and that way he doesn't have to put up with me whining to go home). I need my reading time, my quiet time, baking time, housework and garden time, and yoga time! I need do all those things often to keep me sane and grounded.
My red flags are:
~headaches
~extreme & rapidly descending fatigue
~a general feeling of malaise
~grouchiness/irritability
Having spent the past couple of years getting reacquainted with my body (I lived in my head for many years), I am almost 'glad' when these symptoms appear because, like you, I am then forced to pay attention and regroup. The body does not lie and I have no choice but to listen now that I know when it is speaking.
Rest. Rest. Rest. is the answer for me.
Solitude. Quiet. Reading. Sleep. Time in Nature.
And sometimes it means changing my dietary intake as well. (What do I need? What will nourish me?)
Glad to hear you have fun over-extending yourself, at least. :) And also that you're paying closer attention to your needs today.
Sending you rest, renewal, peace, and healing.
Christine,
Such a great awareness...that even if we are committing to pursuits we love how they can still steal away our contemplation. In my case, I feel it in my body, some tightness in the heart chakra. Maybe a little low level anxiety (something I've dealt with for years--successfully--through mindfulness practices. When I feel that, I back off, cross things off my list, cancel out whatever I need to. I rest, read, get out in the sun, or putter in my garden. Go slowly, breathe, and smile, as Thich Nhat Hanh would suggest...
Pushing through. A hard habit to break, for me anyway.
I've had those days when I have a huge, and detailed, todo list - errands and even fun things all in the mix. Those times when the days pass in a blur of running from one place to another - always some obligation waiting. And I've experienced the crash afterwards.
I've also had those times when I feel like I must do it all - as if there isn't enough time to pursue everything. I'm pulling back from one of those times now.
I just stop doing. Oh, not entirely, but my focus is a little different. I'm not so driven. I let things drop without guilt. I rest, read, spend time in nature and do whatever I feel like in the moment.
It is like meditation, when we step back and allow room, we open to inspiration.
I love your readers, blisschick. You attract thoughtful people to your blog. Between you and them, i'm good to go for the day!
This summer is visitor time- all treasured friends or family coming into our small home. In anticipation of this, I made a reservation for a 5 day silent retreat in the middle of the summer hustle bustle. My red flags are like Jan's... tightening around the heart area. I also lose hold of myself at times in my attention to the other person, so i make sure to take that time for meditation/prayer each morning, even 10 minutes. Then i can enter into the fun feeling more grounded and calm.
This is where I find my training in the Enneagram system of personal knowledge and development so helpful, because knowing my "space", it's easy to see when and why my red flags appear.
For me (for my particular personality "type"), the red flags include arrogance and contempt towards others, shutting down other feelings, becoming even more task/goal-oriented and competitive than usual, dealing with others deceitfully.
When I spot one or all of those behaviours, I know it's time to look inside to figure out what's going on, to pray, to meditate.
Trouble is, there's something about that negative space that I find energising in a dark sort of way, and sometimes I don't want to make that decision to look at what's happening and move on.
ooh.. tough questions. tres thought-provoking... must ponder these :)
I'm auditing a class at the local university because I basically miss talking about poetry and writing. I reconnected with old professors and renewed my love for lit analysis. And of course I'm so busy now that I barely have time to write my own blog and think about much so I definitely relate!! :)) If it doesn't just stream out of me quickly and effortlessly... then I won't be writing much!
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