Tag Archives: relax

Feb 25 2024

The Universe says Relax

Part of the ADHD experience for me is lacking the ability to stop and rest regularly. Usually, it’s a case of keeping going full pelt til I hit burnout, then melt into a puddle for a while to recharge.

But even then, I refuse to allow burnouts to last too long, because my to do list is actually endless.

Last week though, I didn’t have much choice. I had a pretty nasty tummy bug which meant three days in bed (admittedly I still did some client work when I could, as one client released her book yesterday, and things had to happen) but I didn’t push myself too hard or get annoyed with myself for doing nothing. By Friday, I was getting a bit annoyed though, because though I was starting to feel better, the lack of food for a week meant I was too shaky to do much, my energy levels were super low.

But apparently the universe thought I needed to chill for a week, I just wish there could have been a less painful way! But if it hadn’t been painful, I probably wouldn’t have stopped.

So I feel like I need to learn how to rest and relax more often, so I don’t get ill like this. I started to look at how I could cut down on my workload, and I quit a volunteer position that I had done for over a year, that I did because I wanted to help, but took up a lot of time, that truthfully, I never had to begin with. I intend to try to keep simplifying things, so that I can get to the point where I switch off from work and even social media in the evenings, or for one day a week. Where I do something fun or random, just for myself.

Because being self-employed means I never switch off. And I think I need to learn to. Though here I am, before 9am on a Sunday, answering client emails and writing a blog post about how I need to learn how to relax.

The irony isn’t lost on me, I promise.

I still have a ways to go, but I do hope to get there, because I most certainly do not want to repeat the last week!

Managed to sew this lil creature while in bed binging tv shows. Her name is Ava, she was the Christmas surprise animal by Coolcrafting.
Feb 4 2020

Michelle says RELAX

Do you relax? And by that I mean, do nothing and just chill, while awake in the day? I think I have somehow lost the ability or the gene to be able to sit and do nothing, because even when feeling ill, I still find it difficult to simply BE.

Doingness has taken over. I must be doing something all the time, otherwise I am wasting time. And because time is precious and finite, wasting it is the ultimate sin.

Which means I find myself chatting to a friend online, while watching Netflix, while eating dinner. Because doing any of those tasks on their own would waste time. And I write a blog, while also editing a book, while checking my email and drinking my tea. Or I sew while watching a movie while talking to my partner.

When did multi-tasking become the only way to be? What happened with just sitting and having a cuppa? What happened to eating a meal, and noticing the tastes and enjoying each bite? Why do I feel the need to cram as much as I can into every waking moment of every single day?

In case you were hoping for solutions, I better warn you now, I have none! Other than – if you feel the same way, then becoming aware of your addiction to doing is the first step in changing it. If you want to change it, of course.

I know that part of my issue is that there is just so much I want to do. So many creative projects, so many work projects, so many things I enjoy… at times when I find myself with some spare time, I get overwhelmed at all the possible things I could fill it with. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed, that all I can do is something domestic and mundane. Relaxing is never really an option. Not when the car needs washing and clothes need folding and the firewood needs collecting and the kitchen needs cleaning.

Being addicted to doing has never really been a problem for me. You could say I’ve thrived on it. But by the end of last year, even though I hadn’t achieved all I’d planned to, I hit something of a massive slump. I felt depleted and exhausted, and in early December I had no energy to do anything at all.

I saw my kinesiologist and got back on track, but it took a long time for my mojo to return. Then in the new year, I got a virus. Now, having got over that and getting myself back on track, I find that I don’t have nearly as much oomph to get things done as I once did, and I wonder if I ever will again.

It’s tricky when the mind and the body are not in sync. When my mind is trying to beat me up and make me feel bad for not getting everything on my to do list done, and my body is saying – I need more sleep, just sit for a while, and it’s okay, you can do things tomorrow – it leaves me feeling more exhausted.

So I plan to use my trusted friend – EFT – to do some reprogramming. Because if my body needs rest, then I need to feel okay with resting, and relaxing. Because feeling guilty about it certainly isn’t going to help my body either. I’m also exploring this whole topic in my new novel, which will hopefully help me to work out a way forward too.

How do you relax? Do you multitask too much? Do you feel guilty for chilling? Would love to hear from you.

No time to relax? Stare at this photo for a full minute and imagine the sound of the waves on the pebbles…

 

Mar 4 2019

Surrender to Wellness…

… rather than fight the illness.

Last night and this morning I have been watching the Heal documentary on Netflix, and then this morning I had a reflexology treatment, during which we were chatting about healing and well-being, and the thought occurred to me that we needed to surrender to wellness, rather than fight the illness.

Because the body only has the ability to heal when it is in a state of rest and relaxation. It cannot heal itself in the fight and flight mode. And let’s be honest, we are in a fight or flight stress mode most of the time. We are always busy, always on the go, always on our phones, always working, always thinking, always worrying… in a constant doing mode.

Then suddenly we get diagnosed with a disease, and what do we do?

We fight it.

We fight this foreign invader in our body. Whether it’s a virus or a malignant growth or whatever. And by fighting it, we actually feed it. We make it stronger. By making it a part of our identity, and our story, we give it life. We make it a whole entity in itself. And we ensure that we will never be free of it. Because that would mean losing part of ourselves.

But what if we surrendered? What if we accepted its presence, and acknowledged that our body is trying to tell us something, and then in a calm, and relaxed manner, began to look at what lies beneath it, what might be causing it. Whether it’s your environment, your diet, the people who are surrounding you, or your thoughts and beliefs and unhealed trauma.

And then we resolve those issues. We change old outdated programming. We lessen the time spent with people who make us feel bad. We change our habits, our diet, and spend more time away from the screen and in nature instead.

There are so many ways to do this. Through complimentary therapies, through meditation and yoga, though EFT, through good conversations with friends. The point is, when you take your well-being and health into your own hands, and take full responsibility for it, you can heal anything.

But most importantly, when you fully and completely relax and rest on a regular basis, you can heal anything.

Your body is amazing, you are amazing, and absolutely anything is possible.

I believe you deserve to be well, do you?

 

Oct 10 2017

Time to Surrender

Last week I had a really frustrating day. It was one of those days where long-awaited things fizzled out and died, and things that ought to be quick an easy to complete, took ages, and then still didn’t get done because of an unforeseen hiccup.

It’s days like that when I realise that I am not going with the flow. That I am stubbornly holding on to how I think things should be, how I think things should go, and I’m not listening to the Angels, not noticing the signs, and I am in resistance of my reality.

So, how to get into the flow?

Surrender. Relax. Listen.

Pause for a moment and just breathe.

I have come to realise, that you can plan as much as you want, you can daydream of the outcome as much as you like, but if the Universe has something else in mind for you, then it will happen their way, whether you like it or not!

I find that doing something creative, particularly something physical (not digital) helps me to get into the flow. I’ve recently got back into knitting, and have really got into make jewellery (I made the above necklace when trying to get back into the flow!) and I’ve also been doing more photography. I find that making something gets me out of my head and into my heart, and back into the flow, and I usually end up with something handmade and awesome at the end of it too!

I also like going for a walk, as getting outside in nature, and breathing in fresh air and getting some exercise helps to lessen the resistance, and allow the ideas and opportunities to flow again.

What do you do to get into the flow? Do you notice when you are stuck and in resistance?