The past few weeks have been intense.
Seriously.
There has been so much going on in my little world and I have been dragging myself through the mud trying to keep up with all of the changes that have been taking place. This morning, I’ll be honest, I had to go back to bed. I had to lay down and let my body recover and take a break from my responsibilities, the laundry, my toddler… all of it had to be put on hold because I’m running on fumes.
Do you ever feel like this? Do you honor it or do you try to push through?
Last night I did a reading for a friend and one of the cards she pulled was the 10 of Swords… which is all about complete mental exhaustion. It talks about the need for recovery, that we’ve hit rock bottom, stick a fork in me – because I’m done.
However, it is also a call to move forward, to heal and that things are beginning to look up.
We are conditioned to persevere. We are told that we must dig in and fight, that we must keep on keeping on, that nothing good comes to those who quit or take breaks… and that the harder we try, the more struggle we endure, the better we are. I’m here to tell you I don’t believe that for one second, and I’ll also tell you that I’ve tried those methods and they have lead me to complete emotional and physical burnout.
What happens when we take these roads? What happens to us when we just keep moving forward despite the exhaustion in our body and our mind?
We are approaching our life from this stale place. We are trying to bring our old defeat to our fresh new days and we wonder why nothing gets better.
It’s like a completely out of shape athlete trying to run a 4 minute mile… it’s not going to go well, and will likely lead to injury.
So what is the best way to get through the 10 of Swords, or the exhaustion state?
Do what I did… seriously… go sit down.
Take a mental health day from work.
Take a 2 hour nap.
Call up your baby sitter or put the kids in front of a Disney movie so you can unplug.
You need to.
We really have to understand that self sacrifice is not the key to our success. I will be honest, I’ve considered a guilty feeling over the lack of things that got done today… I am human. I certainly question my responsibility factor when I crawl into bed for a 2 hour nap at 10am. But I also know that if I try to push on when I’m out of steam… that I’m going to be even worse off than I was at 9:55am. It’s a small price to pay to show up to my life in a clearer state of mind. I certainly didn’t have the energy this morning to sit down and write! But now things are getting done because I gave myself a free pass to reset.
And I have access to REALLY good coffee.
Another option to consider is how much time are we giving ourselves for meditation, or even just time to sit and read a magazine, or go get our hair cut or go for a massage? These are also great ways to detach yourself from the exhaustion and reconnect… to do something kind for yourself and allow yourself to be guilt free about it. We think that we’re committing a crime by taking time out for ourselves… but what can you give to your life if you have nothing left?
You can’t pour from an empty glass.
So if you relate to these words in any way, if your body and your mind are tired, if you are running on fumes and you need a minute, go take a minute. Or a day. Or if you’re able to – multiple days. I give major credit to the people who meet their own needs and know the power of self care. When we can step back and honor what we need in our own life, we show up so much better for ourselves AND those around us.
Don’t let your exhaustion be your demise… let it be a warning sign that you matter and you are worthy of that nap!
Natural Peace Living 