 |
| pics of my yummy vegan lunch in NYC |
I know I am not the first, nor will I be the last, to write about how we are plagued with the fear of slowing down. Fact of the matter is we never want to stop! Even when our body is screaming for us to slow down (through sickness, injury, fatigue etc), we keep pushing through. We even feel GUILTY if we cannot perform 100% all the time and we become depressed or sad that we failed this impossible expectation we set ourselves. Is it just me that sees something wrong with this?
Time and time again I notice the people around me continue to exercise, get up at 7am or do whatever else they normally do despite injury or sickness. When we are sick, that is a sign our immune system is fighting off invaders. Our bodies need all the energy it can get in order to kill these guys and it certainly does not help if we are using whatever little energy we have left to push ourselves. The same goes for an injury.
When we overexert ourselves, our bodies tell us. But I know for a fact that we do not like listening to our bodies. The world will not stop for us so why should we stop for ourselves? And so we continue with our hectic lives, and eventually this push leads us to break down either mentally or physically. Some use drugs or alcohol as an escape. Some develop other disorders. Some become depressed or go numb. All in the name of stress… and not willing to just take a little breather.
I know I know, I sound a little preachy here. I just worry about humanity and our incessant need to always go go go! Let me tell you now – there is nothing WRONG with you if get injured (well, besides the injury itself). If you are hurt, that does not mean you are incompetent, or a failure of any kind. These things happen! And the best thing you can do for yourself is to take a break. RELAX. Before you know it, you will be back in the swing of things. So why not allow yourself time for some rest and relaxation.
We have stopped listening to our bodies cues a long time ago. And this is where meditation and yoga comes in (of course I had to mention it SOMEWHERE in my post… it is YIOM!). But seriously, taking a bit of time to focus on your breath and on your body is a great tool for reconnecting back to the cues you were meant to listen to. Stress wreaks havoc to our immune system, and meditation/yoga are tools to bring that stress level down so that you are less susceptible to physical and mental pain. So please please please do me the biggest favor and relax will ya? Have some compassion for that beautiful body of yours that works 24/7 to make sure you can meet the never ending demands of everyday life. Nothing will fall apart if you find a tiny chunk of time for yourself. Taking time to de-stress and reconnect with your body will actually give you MORE energy for life. I promise J
Namaste.
April 3rd, 2011 at 2:59 pm
Totally in agreement with you! But…what do you do when you do get sick but have responsibilities to stand by? I've never missed a day of work because of that same fact. How to slow down…but still lead the same life? Injuries I understand, sometimes they just avoid you to keep going. Honestly, the only time I slow down is when I'm home and have my mom to take care of me
April 3rd, 2011 at 3:29 pm
@Nelly RodriguezMy response to this would be that obviously there are some responsibilities you just cannot and should not shirk off. However, being sick and being at work is a tricky situation because you run the risk of infecting the entire office. Really every situation is different and balancing is difficult but essentially – your body's needs should come first =)
April 3rd, 2011 at 4:44 pm
love the pretty pics. def agree with you about the importance of listening to your body & adding moments of rest in each day.
April 3rd, 2011 at 4:50 pm
I can totally relate to this post this week especially… I have this killer cold that I can't get rid of! But, I'm trying to go about my life as if I'm not sick… going to work, going to class, going places with my friends… and it's definitely not helping. Thanks for the reminder that it's okay to slow down once in awhile.
April 3rd, 2011 at 7:15 pm
That is so easy to say/agree with, but putting into practice…I think I've been better at listening to my body lately and taking it easier, but its still hard to just sit and do nothing!
April 3rd, 2011 at 10:45 pm
@BethOh how I know it girl saying it and doing it are two very different things. The importance is in the trying. The breathing. The acknowledging ya know?
April 3rd, 2011 at 11:40 pm
one of my mantras: go slow and feel it. dig it
April 4th, 2011 at 3:32 am
agreed! i used to push myself through injury and sickness because sitting around or not exercising brought on such a state of unease i only ever felt anxious. of course i ended up feeling doubly ill because of it! no wonder…the body NEEDS rest and has so many cues to inform us of that! it makes me a little sad to read the blogs of young women who cannot, despite fever, aches, pains, lethargy, just STOP for a second. it seems the need to be healthy rarely includes time for rest. i feel like movement is stressed above everything else…funny, as rest allows the body to heal and keep from getting "slowed down"!i find when i listen to my body and recognize when it simply needs rest, my physical, mental, and spiritual health recover faster than if i pushed through it. yoga always puts me back into an awareness of myself and enlightens me to the areas i need to work on
!
April 4th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
I agree. This weekend, I slowed way down and you now what I was able to really enjoy life. I love not rushing off to the next thing or person. I think that slowing down can be scary because then you have to confront emptiness//yourself. Oh, that can be so uncomfortable. However, it can also be so rewarding.
April 4th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
So true – it's the confrontation, the admission to yourself of how you are feeling – when you are tired, or ill, you don't want to be – and sometimes you keep going to try and deny it…which adrenaline will enable for so long, but as everyone has mentioned, if you take a moment, a deep breath, and slow down first…usually everything, including recovery from an illness, will be better.
April 5th, 2011 at 12:04 am
This gal agrees with you and is definitely one of the people that you mentioned. I'll run myself into the ground for other people and work, but for what? Not much reward usually comes from it… we only reap rewards when we are working and striving for ourselves. Great advice & post!
April 6th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
This is sooo true! I feel like everything is pushing for me to go harder and faster. Yoga is the place for me to slow things down
April 25th, 2011 at 12:52 am
This gal agrees with you and is definitely one of the people that you mentioned. I'll run myself into the ground for other people and work, but for what? Not much reward usually comes from it… we only reap rewards when we are working and striving for ourselves. Great advice & post!
April 25th, 2011 at 12:52 am
agreed! i used to push myself through injury and sickness because sitting around or not exercising brought on such a state of unease i only ever felt anxious. of course i ended up feeling doubly ill because of it! no wonder…the body NEEDS rest and has so many cues to inform us of that! it makes me a little sad to read the blogs of young women who cannot, despite fever, aches, pains, lethargy, just STOP for a second. it seems the need to be healthy rarely includes time for rest. i feel like movement is stressed above everything else…funny, as rest allows the body to heal and keep from getting "slowed down"!i find when i listen to my body and recognize when it simply needs rest, my physical, mental, and spiritual health recover faster than if i pushed through it. yoga always puts me back into an awareness of myself and enlightens me to the areas i need to work on
!
April 25th, 2011 at 12:52 am
love the pretty pics. def agree with you about the importance of listening to your body & adding moments of rest in each day.