Don’t serve the leftovers….
6am the alarm goes off- maybe you hit snooze a time…or ten. You’re rushing to grab a cup of coffee, picking out your outfit, doing your hair, getting breakfast, feeding the dogs- (if you have kids add this in times x little humans to wrangle and get out the door)…you finally make it to work and see the stack of to do lists amongst a day of meetings and calls, putting together the volunteer list for the school fundraiser and oh shoot don’t forget to call and reschedule the kids’ dentist appointment..CRAP it’s 4:50 already time to shut it down and race to get kids, change clothes for baseball practice or swim lessons- ugh guess it’s a pb sandwich in the car for supper tonight. Rush through bath time, quick story and hallelujah I’m a badass because I did it all! Yes, BUT…how are YOU feeling? Depleted I’m sure.
We are BUSY humans and so often our days are jam packed full of to do lists, we’ve committed to too many activities and we’re rushing here and there. Our minds/bodies often get neglected and we find ourselves in the constant state of busyness. Have you ever gotten home and thought- what route did I even drive home? Did I run that red light? No, I’m sure I stopped, right?
At the end of the day what’s left of you? Did you remember to eat? Do you have energy to give yourself? Your spouse? When you’re full of busyness you rarely have the ability to serve yourself anything but the leftovers….I’m not talking about last night’s spaghetti. I mean serving yourself with time, love, compassion, that warm bubble bath that’s been on tomorrows list since December.
Historically it was thought that busyness was a badge of honor and often could be linked to our self-worth and the feelings of “being needed”. Luckily as a culture things are shifting and people are starting to realize just how important it is to dedicate time for stillness, self and silence. Are there a few things you could remove from your plate? Is it time to evaluate just how much you’ve taken on? What about your time management? You get that being busy is NOT the same as being productive(we’ll elaborate that in another post) How do you recharge throughout the day to be able
to show up as the best version of yourself? When was the last time you took a moment for just you?
Trust me, taking time for stillness and silence triggers the response of “yeahhhh okay easy to say”….BUT here’s the beautiful thing! YOU have the ability to create this space in your life, even if it’s just starting with 10 minutes a day to sit in silence and stillness. Remember to allow yourself to take periodic moments of stillness throughout the day when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
The practice of silence/stillness is profoundly healing. We can separate from our thoughts and feelings, distractions are removed and it’s in stillness that we see just how caught up in our monkey mind we get. Stillness reveals the extraordinary in the ordinary. By stopping to connect to silence/stillness we can improve our decision making when we are feeling stressed. Imagine when a stressful situation arises and being able to sit in silence for a moment to be with your thoughts- allowing yourself to respond rather than react.
Being still can take practice, it can be uncomfortable at first. STICK WITH IT. You may notice yourself getting distracted, bring your attention back to the present, notice how you’re feeling- the sensations, warmth, light, etc. Practicing stillness/silence will leave you feeling calmer, lighter, and less stressed and allows you to become more present in the NOW.
If we can practice giving ourself this gift of stillness and silence we can operate from a place of peace, feeling recharged and refreshed. Evaluate your days, your commitments- where can you adjust? When we slow down this allows us to show up as our best self and be able to focus on BE-ing in the now. Remember….you deserve more than the leftovers!
-In Wellness
Kiley