Slowing down, taking time for yourself and establishing new habits that will last a lifetime.
Theme – Resting
The focus this week was on restoring and renewing ourselves through rest.
Were you able to take some time for yourself this week to nap or catch a few extra Zs?
If not, why not?
I have a huge issue with me napping during the day because I am not one for sleeping at all. Just a few hours a night is all I have ever needed and so if I go for a nap in the afternoon I need less. Also, I often wake with a headache and it throws my whole day out of sequence.
The only time I will succumb to this is when I am really ill.
What is dragging you down.
I do not really suffer from anything that resembles depression. In my world the glass is neither half-empty nor half-full because it is ultimately always refillable. I do get down from time-to-time, things make me sad and sometimes I feel out-of-sorts for no apparent reason on occasions but generally I have an inner balance that keeps me on the level.
What is dragging me down today is that I have a cold which is not only knocking me for six but is fuzzing-up my brain, so I can’t keep my mind straight enough to write.
Cultivating stillness and deep rest meditation:
Take slow deep breaths in and let the stress and emotion go on the out breath.
Repeat the first phrase … I rest in stillness … until ready to move onto the next.
I rest in awareness … when ready move on to the last … I rest.
Take a deep cleansing breath in and whilst letting it out wriggle toes and fingers.
END
I like this quick meditation. I try to remember to do it at some point everyday whilst sitting at my desk looking out to sea. I love the way it forces me to stop and take just a few minutes for me, rather than me just doing all the things that I want to get done in a mere 24hrs.
Appreciation of others, and the appreciation of yourself.
One thing that has struck me this week is the amount of negativity that surrounds us on a daily basis on a very personal level. There are the big things that impact on the nation, the population of the world and even the universe but what has a far more hard-hitting impact is the pessimism and interference run by others in an effort to prevent any kind of joy.
Something simple like show-casing a piece of work (craft, writing, music etc.) that you are proud of only to have the ‘grumpy-brigade’ pick holes, spout legislation restrictions and generally take the air out of your bubble, and invariably for no good reason. Often, they are not in a position to do any better but via self-promotion have deemed that they have the given right to criticise.
I have to say that I find this kind of sad, but then maybe that is all they have in their lives and it makes them feel good. We will never know but we have all had a run-in with people like them. The amount of effort and intensity with which they execute this undertaking it makes me wonder just how much joy they could achieve by doing the opposite and how much nicer the world in general would be.
I will go out of my way to make someone else feel good with either a kind word, a compliment, or just making them smile because that is what I would wish from others, and to be fair that is just what I get most of the time. In my experience the majority of people think the same … shame about the odd few that are not.
To quote Thumper (Bambi – Walt Disney)
“If you can’t say nothing nice, don’t say nothing at all.”
My Latest Craft Project I am knitting my own fantasy animals (to use up odd scraps of wool) This is my first … a Whoojar To answer some questions posed about it …
|
I have to say it really amused me just how much controversy a little bit of knitted junk generated on a variety of social media sites - lol