With the waning light of the season coupled with the many crises of these times, it’s easy to lose hope, faith, and any spark of wonder…not to mention energy!
It’s a season of hibernation and dormancy in the natural world. But wait, we are part of the natural world too. So, do you find yourself resisting the natural rhythms of this time? Are you thinking something is wrong when suddenly you want to take an afternoon nap, or getting up in the morning is more difficult?
Does walking rather than running now seem more appealing for exercise, or stretching more than stair climbing?
Rather than allowing these natural rhythm changes, we usually go to ‘what’s wrong with me? I just need to push harder’!
Spoiler alert: this is not self-care. It is self-destruction. You won’t find your spark there, just more resistance. Resistance to what you may ask? To answer that, just ask yourself: ‘What am I resisting?’ The answer usually pops right up. Maybe it’s fatigue, grief, anger, or fear. Do you heed the wisdom or disregard it? To heed the wisdom is to cross the threshold of resistance and say YES to your felt experience, with no narrative about it.
Here's a tip. Take 15 minutes, close your eyes, tune into your internal experience with objective curiosity, and let yourself feel. Let the energy move through you, without making it mean anything about you or the conditions you find yourself in. Imagine a loving embrace surrounding you that welcomes you to be exactly where you’re at, letting yourself just feel! This is true self-care. Caring for your heart and honoring your life’s journey is far from selfish!
We know the wisdom and this truth: We can’t unconditionally care for someone else’s heart until we can be with our own without condition. This is the doorway to what it means to be lovingly present with our felt experience.
What greater gift can we give to those around us and the greater collective than to be honest and loving with ourselves without condition so that we can hold that space in the world for others? This is the loving presence that gives rise to sustained peace…from the inside out.
If you’d like to explore resistance, felt experience and its expression with paint, here's my gift for you. Come paint from your heart without knowing how. Return to a sense of wonder. It's a radical act of self-care for peace...all around!