If I could just REST

To all who are fatigued, anxious, or exhausted: you are not alone.

Is anyone really sleeping well? Resting enough? I’d be hard pressed to name even a single person in my acquaintance that is.

We all have our habits that contribute to our collective state of exhaustion, but rest assured that it is not all of our making.

Reversing it, however, is entirely up to us.

Imagining ourselves rested sometimes seems an impossibility. We’re just that burnt out.

Coming up with a plan to take better care of ourselves can feel out of reach, and executing said plan, well, too many of us aren’t even making it past the first step of imagining ourselves rested, so that’s just not happening.

What if I said that five minutes is all you need to start? Would you be willing to give that to yourself?

Truly, if you pause for just a few minutes each day, you can start to train your body and mind to reset from stress ball to light and free.

The practice is simple, but incredibly challenging because of our conditioning to do more, be productive, care for others, make money, prove ourselves over and over, and most unfortunately, because of the collective and intergenerational trauma that we carry.

Let’s keep it real. When we sit still, we feel, and some of what we feel is not pleasant: body aches, imbalances, self criticism, worry, and other heavy emotions. It’s no surprise, then, that part of what drives us to burn ourselves out is our avoidance of feeling.

If you gave yourself 5 minutes to sit still, right now, your mind would probably keep racing. That’s normal. Our minds are made to think, and our conditioning keeps that at a pace that is wearing us down from the inside.

If you gave yourself 5 minutes to sit still, right now, you might feel numb. That’s well within the norm in a world that conditions us to block out feeling in favor of productivity. Recognize that as an external factor that is wearing you down.

If you gave yourself 5 minutes to sit still, right now, you might feel anxious, or isolated, or panicked, or bored. Yes, these emotions are all normal, and widespread.

Here’s the thing, though. If you gave yourself 5 minutes to sit still, right now, and then again later today or tomorrow, and then again the next day, you will cultivate the tenderness, loving care of self-compassion, and ease to be able to really rest.

Each time you give yourself those 5 minutes, you are tending to your many layers of exhaustion, fatigue, and suffering. Five minutes is not insignificant to start to move through what you are holding and come out on the other side a bit lighter. Trust in the fact that each 5 minute sit in which you can let mindfulness of emotion, breath, thoughts, and self-compassion be present is powerful.

If you already feel the weight of self judgment for not following through, a sense of guilt, selfishness, or laziness for even considering taking the time to rest, well, let’s agree that it’s a pretty good sign that it’s exactly what you need.

Keep it real and acknowledge that resting is disrupting. Resistance, challenge, & backlash are part of the process.

You need rest. You deserve rest.

You know that your peace and longevity are worth any effort it might take to heal your way through the process of learning how to rest.

Here are some options to help you start. Any time. Right now.

easeful stillness

Sit still for 5 minutes, simply following your breath. Repeat daily (or more frequently) until it feels easy.

refreshing rest

Lie down for 5 minutes, simply following your breath. Repeat daily (or more frequently) until it feels refreshing.

peacefulness & tenderness

Sit still for 5 minutes, simply following your breath, inviting in an image of a peaceful place or person & a peaceful feeling of tenderness in your heart. Accept the heavier emotions that arise to be touched by tenderness without chasing them away. Retreat daily (or more frequently) until you feel the balances shift from heavy to light.

downloads from resting

Sit still for 5 minutes, simply following your breath. Record any thoughts and emotions in your journal after your sit. Repeat daily (or more frequently) as you untangle the layers of suffering that you are holding.

nature heals

Sit still for 5 minutes, outdoors, simply following your breath. Open your senses to the nourishment that Mother Nature offers. Deepen your breath and acknowledge the joyfulness that you feel. Repeat daily (or more frequently) to nourish your reserves of joy & peacefulness.

in community

Attend a restorative yoga or meditation class, or choose a forest-bathing, eco therapy, or sound bath session, arriving with an intention to treat yourself with tenderness, and no other expectations.

recorded meditations

coming soon!