“I have NO time for myself…….EVER.”
Do you ever find yourself saying this type of thing to yourself or to your friends?
I know I’ve fallen into this trap before for sure. I keep myself so, so, so busy that I then feel I have no time for anything else. But, if I really stop to pause and question my busyness, I notice that I’m choosing almost everything on my list. I’m choosing to keep myself overwhelmed and overbooked.
Recently, I was chatting with a client who told me that she was completely overwhelmed and everything felt so scrambled and jumbled inside.
We took some time to examine what was really going on. Because of something that had happened in her family recently, she had decided she needed to be an extra credit healer, savior, fixer, friend, mom, mother-in-law, grandma, etc.. All the while, she totally abandoned her own needs. She kept telling me how busy she was and how overwhelmed she was.
One of the things this particular client loves is communing with nature. When I suggested she take some time to do that every single day in the next week, she paused and said “yeah, I could go for at least an hour every day.”
I was shocked. Here she was saying that she had NO time and was SO busy and then also she had an hour to devote to herself when prompted by an accountability partner?? What was the catch?
She had told herself a Story that she had no time.
We often do this. We tell ourselves Stories to make the world make sense. But what Stories are we telling ourselves that totally don’t serve us?
In my client's case, her hour of communing with nature brings her back to herself and her spirit and keeps the work we’re doing together alive in her so she can feel spacious and creative and present.
Where is there room for you and your unique needs in your life where you are currently telling yourself there is none? Mind you, it doesn’t need to be an hour(but certainly can be!). Even 5-10 minutes of really focused time for yourself can make all the difference.
Take a moment to investigate your over busy schedule and your overwhelmed, spread too thin mind. To move toward a break for yourself:
1. Examine your schedule and seek out Stories that keep you in busyness.
2. Remember the last time you felt totally at ease. What were you doing? Might that be something that you can simplify and integrate on a more regular basis?
3. Commit to taking at least five minutes for yourself a day in any way that feeds your unique soul(hint: silence, journalling, meditation, walks, dance, etc......).
I'd love to hear what Stories you come up with that keep you stuck in busyness, overwhelm and feeling spread too thin.
With big love,
Lexi