December 7, 2020
Reflection: Listen and learn
Today, I’m grateful for: the quiet and the calm
Challenge: Take 5 minutes and consciously listen to your body. What is it saying? What does it need right now?
It’s the end of a long day. Kid(s) are down. Toys are still scattered across the floor. Dryer full of clean laundry ready to be folded. Plenty of other tasks waiting to be completed. But do you ever just stop and put your feet up? Even for 5-10 minutes?
I used to be more of a “go-getter”....the type of person who grinds and grinds and grinds and then just crashes into bed each night. Sure, I got a lot done. But what I later realized is that being a “go getter” was just a nice word for burnout.
Thanks to my husband, I‘ve unlearned this habit over the years. To pause. To take breaks. To listen to my body....like really listen. It‘s incredible what you learn from your body when you truly listen. It has so much to say!
”I’m tired, I’m thirsty, I need a shower, I’m sore, my feet hurt, I need a workout, I’m hungry, I’m not hungry..." (where my fellow late night snackers at?? 🙋🏼♀️)
And even our intellectual / spiritual selves have a voice here.
“I’m grateful. I’m sad. I’m overwhelmed. I’m at peace. I’m anxious. I’m overstimulated. I’m excited.”
All of these signals, all of these signs are right in front of us if we just choose to listen. And in order to listen, we have to turn down the volume of the world, even for just a few minutes, to invite those signals in. In doing so, we make space for solutions. We can first label those feelings, whether physical or emotional, and then we can decide the best path to addressing them, or if they even need addressed at all.
We aren’t defined by our feelings, but without proper attention, our feelings can define us. I have found that my practice of conscious gratitude has made a significant impact on my ability to leave the things behind that no longer serve me. Is that to say I don’t still have a bad day every now and then? Of course not. But it gives me a consistent tool I can use to help draw me out of the darkness before it settles in too deep. One day at a time.
So today, I invite you to put your feet up. To close your eyes. To listen to what your body has to say, and make space for whatever it is you need today.
XO
SS
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