Day 49 of 365 - Tuning In To Yourself
Okay, I may have overdone things a little. Maybe going to three fitness classes in less than a 24 hour period after doing very little activity for a week was not my best decision. As much as I enjoyed my classes and social time with friends at breakfast today, my energy tank suddenly emptied. When I came home, after showering and dressing, I simply needed to rest and restore. I sat in my recliner with my earbuds in, listening to one of my meditation audios for 40 minutes and dozing a bit.
Although I had planned to do some holiday decorating in the apartment today, and also to go walking with a friend this evening, I have postponed both. Instead I'll spend some time on the computer, read, maybe watch a movie tonight.
It's very ingrained in our culture to keep striving and pushing ourselves. Unfortunately, when we do it too often, it can have cascading negative effects on our health and vitality, a decline in health or perhaps full on burnout.
So, how do we avoid this? It's by tuning in more often to our body, mind and spirit. How do we do that? First of all, by slowing down so that we can actually pay attention. When I was in my NIA class this morning, I felt a drop in my energy partway through. I modified my movements to conserve, so I could complete the class. But, it was probably not quite enough, hence the bigger drop awhile later.
Slowing down and paying attention can be a little unnerving because we might not like what we become aware of. Maybe our body is crying out for rest, our mind is craving a break from all our scheduled activities and our spirit just wants some peace. These things may be in direct conflict with what we assume is expected of us, especially as the busy holiday season begins.
But, the body does not lie. The longer we put off tuning in and engaging in self care, the more likely it is that it will need to send a louder message. You can fill in the blank as to what that might look like for you, but it won't be pretty.
As it turns out, the heavens support us now in reflecting on these things. Today, the Sun moves through the zodiac, from Scorpio into Sagittarius. Sagittarius is about seeking wisdom, both for yourself and in the bigger scheme of things. So, we have a whole month of universal support for wisdom seeking. Along with that, overnight tonight we have a full moon in Gemini, which also supports us in thinking about what cycle we want to end and what new one we want to begin.
How timely that these occur at what is typically the beginning of the big race through the holiday season. Perhaps we could benefit from spending a little time gazing at the full moon tonight, tuning in to ourselves, and really listening. You might be surprised at what you hear. What might you do differently?
Although I had planned to do some holiday decorating in the apartment today, and also to go walking with a friend this evening, I have postponed both. Instead I'll spend some time on the computer, read, maybe watch a movie tonight.
It's very ingrained in our culture to keep striving and pushing ourselves. Unfortunately, when we do it too often, it can have cascading negative effects on our health and vitality, a decline in health or perhaps full on burnout.
So, how do we avoid this? It's by tuning in more often to our body, mind and spirit. How do we do that? First of all, by slowing down so that we can actually pay attention. When I was in my NIA class this morning, I felt a drop in my energy partway through. I modified my movements to conserve, so I could complete the class. But, it was probably not quite enough, hence the bigger drop awhile later.
Slowing down and paying attention can be a little unnerving because we might not like what we become aware of. Maybe our body is crying out for rest, our mind is craving a break from all our scheduled activities and our spirit just wants some peace. These things may be in direct conflict with what we assume is expected of us, especially as the busy holiday season begins.
But, the body does not lie. The longer we put off tuning in and engaging in self care, the more likely it is that it will need to send a louder message. You can fill in the blank as to what that might look like for you, but it won't be pretty.
As it turns out, the heavens support us now in reflecting on these things. Today, the Sun moves through the zodiac, from Scorpio into Sagittarius. Sagittarius is about seeking wisdom, both for yourself and in the bigger scheme of things. So, we have a whole month of universal support for wisdom seeking. Along with that, overnight tonight we have a full moon in Gemini, which also supports us in thinking about what cycle we want to end and what new one we want to begin.
How timely that these occur at what is typically the beginning of the big race through the holiday season. Perhaps we could benefit from spending a little time gazing at the full moon tonight, tuning in to ourselves, and really listening. You might be surprised at what you hear. What might you do differently?
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