I unintentionally slept in late today. I woke up in a daze, lines all over my face from sleeping in one position for too long. The sound of a soft chime came from somewhere near my head. It took me a minute to realize what day it was, that I was late, and the new alarm on my phone did nothing to crash me out of blissfulness into the real world where work awaits. Some days are like this; you have every good intention to get up early and do some self-care and it all goes down the toilet before your feet hit the floor. Ugh.
My goals for this month were to get up early, walk 2 miles then meditate and pray. Starting my day with a few minutes of mindful meditation allows me to calmly ease into the day. I sit quietly, focusing on my breath, and observing my thoughts without judgment. This practice allows me to enhance self-awareness and cultivates a sense of inner peace amidst life’s chaos as I connect with God. When I have time for this, unlike today, I actually am less reactionary towards the challenges that dart at me. I tend to take things less personally and am able to pause, allowing a tense situation to wash past me like mountain water past a river stone.
Nourishing the mind and soul with adequate rest, nutritious food and regular exercise (not to mention meaningful connections!) is all part of self-care; keeping that glass full so that others can drink. We have a saying in our house: Are you going to be a fountain or a drain today? Are you going to help others, or take from them? My goal is always to help others so keeping myself healthy, mentally, physically and spiritually is important to me. Today was an epic failure out of the gate.
That doesn’t mean that the failure has to continue throughout the day, though. I was late for work, meaning that patients were waiting on me. Instead of walking 2 miles, I took the stairs (albeit two at a time!). Between patients, I took some deep breaths, said my mantra, paused a moment and continued my day. As the day progressed, I was able to stay calm, focused and relaxed. Not ninja relaxed, but relaxed. (Is that even a goal?). Laughing at myself is important, too. As hard as I try to do all the right things all the time, messing up reminds me that I am not a robot. I am human and perfection is not something to be achieved.
Breathe. Relax. Exhale. Repeat.
You’ve got this!
Heather
Other articles you might enjoy: Workplace Romance, Digital Detox, The Power of Boundaries.
Calm Journey 