I’ve been on the go for a few weeks now, checking off my to do list and getting things accomplished.
I love the feeling of productivity and accomplishments.
But after each push of go go go my body (and mind) beg for downtime.
I’ve been playing with this concept for awhile now of what is enough time to work, and enough time to rest, not forgetting the time to play.
I’ve spent a lot of my time “keeping up with the Jones’”
I’ve pushed myself as hard as I see others pushing themselves. Sometimes it felt like even harder because what came easily to them did not come easily to me and that was just not going to do.
So I pushed and struggled and strived and the determination never faded. If they could do it- so could I.
Until one day I decided that they were being way to hard on themselves and so was I.
I also determined that my values differed from theirs.
Where some like to put work in front of family, or relaxation, or their own health – that was not my choice.
So I chose differently for me.
And I started to take a hard look at my schedule and my to do list.
I absolutely love working on projects that fill my soul- creating our home, building our farm, working on the community history book, building my Soul to Soul community…. so I’m not opposed to hard work in the least!
But it’s not everything I stand for.
Life is a balance and we each have to look inside of ourselves to determine what that balance is for us.
My body, mind and emotions are very sensitive and I know and understand I need more time than others to decompress after expending a lot of energy… especially if that energy involves being around a lot of other people, which of course it usually does because that’s my nature.
So with all of the yang (activity) I bring into my life I need to escape away and settle into the yin (relaxation).
This is the only way for me to recalibrate my energy.
Essentially it’s my way of ‘shaking it off’
Play does this too.
Exercise and movement help to shift gears… and I usually need to balance all three of them.
This is not an odd combination. Actually it’s probably a very old concept that we should work, rest, and play in equal amounts.
But we forget this.
So today this is your reminder.
Where could you use a little more work, rest or play? ?