A Year to clear what is holding you back by Stephanie Bennett Vogt
It is all about slowing down, taking time for yourself and establishing new habits that will last a lifetime.
Theme – Nourishing Mind and Spirit
Where it comes to self-care we often put ourselves last.
I for one grew-up in an age where it was frowned upon to blow-your-own-trumpet and putting your attributes and talents on show was considered as showing-off at the least and totally arrogant and self-centred at the worst. It was also driven home that we should put others first and be humble about it. Likewise, it was seen as arrogant and self-indulgent to put yourself first. However, as I have got older it has become apparent that if I run around doing things for other people all the time then I will eventually burn-out and be of no use to anyone. I now nurture me … then do as much as I can to help others but I know that there are some things that I have to say no to because it would have a detrimental effect on my health (I have a bad back after a car accident and if I do too much it will go into spasm and put me out of action for days, sometimes weeks so I have to consider that all the time) and I am now alright with that.
What ways have you found to recognize that feeding your soul feeds others?
I have a duty to those that look to me for care, as in my animals. I do not go out for long or go on holiday or put me first when my animals need something. That said they give back so much more than I give them. They are loving, funny, and when one comes to me that has been broken at the hands of others it is a joy to see them transform, learn to trust and be happy and contented with life, rather than scared, hungry, hurt and abused.
Likewise, as a tutor I would never cancel a group or fail to prepare, even when I do not feel like it. This is a two-way sword because often when I feel the least like doing something it is when I get the most out of it, when it re-energises me in a way I do not expect or understand.
In what ways have you noticed that feeling good has a direct impact on …
- Yourself
- Your living spaces
- On others
One of the things I really liked about this week was this little exercise …
STEPS TO BRING YOU BACK TO CENTER:
- Observe it: Observe energy levels (up and down) without judging them as good or bad.
- Move it: Consciously move something for at least a minute every day to create energy, momentum, and flow. You can sweep a floor, move a pile (e.g. laundry, dishes), make the bed, put away something that is routinely out of place, do a yoga flow pose, take a walk, anything that is purposeful, fluid, and repetitive.
- Allow it: Allow any discomfort or resistance to arise without taking it personally; the less attached you can be to any emotional weather, the quicker it will pass.
- Complete it: Follow up any clearing task by doing one thing that makes your heart sing.
My study, where I seem to now spend the most part of my life let alone each day has to be neat and tidy. I simply feel more at ease when everything in in the right place and then as there is nothing to distract me it improves my concentration. If I find that I am getting stuck writing something I will tidy my desk, take the empty coffee cup downstairs or move something to make it seem more aesthetically appealing.
Also addressing this from the perspective of a writer I have systematically been going through the ‘on-going’ folder of work that has been left uncompleted (and there was a lot of it). Not the big stuff, the books that are under construction or the potential novels that I still have to get my head around as to where I want them to go but the little projects. The poems that were almost there but not quite, the story ideas that have sat in the folder for months, if not years and the non-fiction observations that have the backbone completed but need to be edited and polished.
I am proud to report that the file in question now only contains one piece of work and even that is complete, but I do not know as yet if I want to expand on it, which is why I am still classing it as ‘on-going’.
I have to say that I am a lot more constantly focused when my room is as I like it and the knowledge that the ‘to-do’ file is almost empty is very satisfying.
Technically this should make my writing more productive … time will have to tell on that one.