Over the last few weeks I have been dedicating some time each day to taking care of myself. Really nurturing myself and giving myself whatever it is that I need in that time in order to be my best self for the rest of the time (because we all know that we need to fill ourselves up if we are going to have anything to give away to others – sort of along the lines of the oxygen mask on the airplane). I keep trying to convince myself that it should be easy to do that. Not just to take the time, but then to know what I need to nurture myself and then to do just that. Not so.
Repeatedly I find this hard to do. Hard to really love myself in a way that leaves me full and satisfied and renewed. It might be because once I am in the dark tunnel of “doing things”, on that conveyor belt of action and “what’s next?”, it is a really big shift to re-orient to the gentler, soft questions of “what do I need right now?” and “what would fill me up?” and the slower pace that self-care always seem to entail.
So what is a person to do? Go for the time before or after I am in that work zone? Possible, but that does run the risk of it getting relegated to the far, un-swept corners of my life. Just tacked onto the “important” stuff.
Well here is how I got out of it (and just to orient you my re-alignment is about 24 hours fresh, so not sure if it totally works for me yet, but really, the experiment, which will continue for another few weeks, is half the fun for me).
In reviewing Danielle LaPorte’s Firestarter sessions I paid special attention to the chapter on finding your Core Desired Feelings. In this chapter she talks about identifying and pursuing those feelings, not the goals that we think will bring those feelings, that give us the experience of being fulfilled. Well wouldn’t you know it, one of mine is CONNECTED (yes in capitals!). I long for and feel so joyful when I have that sense of connection. In all things… connection to my community, connection to my Goddess, connection to myself, connection to my body. Hmmm, these last ones especially. Connection to my body, and myself. These are things I have some control over. Not the actual feeling of course, but the things that easily lead to that feeling. I can set out, and set myself up to feel connection to myself, through my body.
And there it is, the easy way in. To connect with myself, through my body, going for a walk, feeling the sun on my face (or today, the rain), the wind whipping my clothes, the sensations as my heels strike the concrete – all, bring me closer to myself and that sense of centred groundedness that is so important for me to be my whole, best self.
So more of that, and exploring what else there is to know here. In this land of connected self-care. Thank you Calgary Synergy, for holding me accountable to this, and helping me to make it real.
And how I would love to hear from you… what leaves you feeling nurtured and whole? And how can you find some time today to do more of that?
