Of the last two weeks I have spent three nights in and given myself one day off. Safe to say I’m still working on getting this whole balance thing in check. The biggest problem, when I let life get this way, is running on autopilot so much that after a while I don’t even realise the fuel is running low and I start to dive nose first into the ground. Throw in one crazy-ass full moon like we’ve had over the last week and it’s a recipe for disaster.
What does that look like? Flat. Sad. Vulnerable. Challenged again by old thoughts that I’ve worked so hard to conquer. Frustrated that I don’t have more gusto. Eager to keep pushing, but without the mental or physical energy to do so. Missing things. Generally not being kind to myself. And the return of my old foe; exhaustion.
Right before I started my business, I yearned for more. More meaning, morelife, and most of all, more freedom and flexibility – my absolute biggest values which the corporate world could not accommodate. Fast forward a few years and I felt the same way once more. This is what catapulted me into creating 52 of You and exploring and sharing all the ways we can start to regain control in our lives to make it what we want it to be.
But sometimes you drop the ball.
When you’re pre-wired to take on and do too much, switching off and slowing down is one helluva hard task. In an ideal world, we would simply program ourselves to change and stay that way. But often it’s the essence of who you are and it’s more a matter of constant adjustment and self-awareness than completely becoming immune to dropping this fiddly little proverbial ball.
I realised at the start of this week that I’d done it again. The self-awareness kicked in, but a tad too late. So what can we do when we’ve let it all go too far? After any period of mental and physical busyness that has resulted in our mental and physical energy coming crashing down, I’ve learnt to accept it, embrace it, and then re-emerge.
Accept it.
You’ve taken on too much and now you’re at the point of exhaustion and self-motivation is way past its expiry date. It is now that you need some soul time, more than ever. For me, that means quiet time. Preferably near water albeit not always possible. This week I took a slow, peaceful walk through Carlton Gardens and floated up Lygon Street absorbing everything going on around me without saying – or even thinking – a word. It’s about letting this happen and not feeling guilty about it; or about anything for that matter. You’ve been hard enough on yourself already. Consider this your first dose of medicine to getting back to you. This is your reset.
Embrace it.
It’s time to use some of your reset energy to give back to you. Dropping the ball is actually the perfect excuse, time and reason to do something just for you, because you’ve spent so much energy already doing things that are not solely serving you. Give yourself the chance to do the things that give you the most enjoyment. Get back into your favourite rituals like breakfast out with a book. This is your you time. Do whatever you need to help you get it.
Re-emerge.
This is your butterfly moment. After spending time in your soul saving cocoon it’s time to garner all your blissful new energy and re-emerge feeling stronger, calmer and ready to take on the world again. Bing! Start setting new goals, taking on new projects or picking up where you left off but older and wiser than before. It’s a breath of fresh air and it’s time to breathe again.
And what happens next? You take care of you and continue doing amazing things – while trying to find a way of avoiding the need for a reset in the first place; an anchor, a reminder. Like a Tiffany bracelet…for example (permission to shop).
If we are completely honest with our overachieving selves, dropping the ball is often unavoidable. If it all happens again, that’s ok. Accept it, embrace it and re-emerge.
And schedule that next moon phase in your calendar…
Yours with oomph,
Little Miss Melbourne xox
image via www.allword-news.co.uk of work by surfboard artist Sean Yoro. LOVE IT.