How are you doing?
Seriously. Close your eyes, get still, and take a review of how your body feels. Start with your head and face, move down to your neck and shoulders/upper back, then your arms, hands, stomach, lower abdomen and onto your thighs, knees and feet.
Anywhere you’re noticing tension, take a long, deep breath through your nose and imagine that breath moving into all of the tension areas. Hold your breath for a moment and then release your breath through your mouth. Do this 3 times.
Now, feeling calmer? More relaxed?
Remember that you have your breath that is always available to you to move that tension.
I know this time of year is busy, busy, busy. I feel it, too. Especially after 2 holiday seasons spent during a pandemic. I feel like we’re collectively trying to make up for lost time and opportunities.
At the same time, it’s important to listen to your own, internal rhythm and cycle and what it needs.
In nature, during the winter months, but even for those of you who are enjoying your summer time, as we near the Winter Solstice, this is a time, in most cultures, to self-reflect. Just like bears and trees, we also need space to go deep, reflect, heal, and get ready for the next season.
I was talking with my coach this week and sharing with her that I just want space. Space to stare at the wall, space to take a walk when I feel like it. Time to wander around my house and do whatever chore, puzzle, project strikes my fancy. I love to have days where I don’t have to be anywhere, to be ‘on’ for anything, to feel like I can breathe and move slowly. And she told me that she’s hearing that from most of her clients…..the need for space right now. So I’m not the only one out there, and I felt like maybe this is something that you may also like to get ‘permission’ for. Not that you need my permission, but sometimes if know that there seems to be a theme out in the universe, then it’s good to listen to that.
I believe we all need this. In a culture that thrives on busy-ness and doing and being out and consuming, it’s my opinion and my observation that so many of the dis-ease that arises comes from moving
too quickly and packing in too much and not getting the rest that we need to recover and revitalize.
Currently, I’ve been listening to (over and over again, because it helps me fall asleep) ‘Burnout’ by the Nagoski sisters. I love this book, because it helps me get to the root cause of my compulsion to do my life ‘perfectly’ and to show up to every invitation, work overtime, over-play, keep my house a certain way. I feel like so many of us, especially women, have had this pressure to over-perform, over-work, over- do and generally try to show up for every meeting, class picnic, friends’ birthday, and baby shower.
I’m giving myself permission to say ‘no’, and I feel pretty giddy about it. The burnout is real folks. And when you’re burned out, there’s very little life force available for healing.
Healing takes energy. Whether you’ve been involved in an injury or dealing with a chronic health condition, if you don’t have the energy/life force/ chi in your body, healing is very hard to achieve. Rest, good food, laughter, doing nothing (and I really encourage you to seriously do nothing. It’s a lost art in our culture of ‘the-busier- you-are-the-more-valuable-you-are’).
I’m keeping this one short and sweet. I hope you can take the time to watch my short video and give yourself a few minutes to recharge and discharge some of that stress and tension.
I’m wishing you and your family a beautiful holiday season in whatever way you choose to spend it.
Always, in healing,
Dr. Arjan
