A Time to Rest
A few months a go I couldn’t hit a punching bag hard enough, run far enough or dance long enough to expend my excessive amount of energy.
Now I feel as if I’ve have been shot by a tranquilizer gun because my energy has significantly decreased.
Two weeks a go I forced myself to go back to kickboxing classes and run. Notice I used the word ‘force.’ My body still wasn’t ready to get back into the rigorous workout routine.
I ignored my body’s natural rhythm and worked out anyway out of fear my muscles would deteriorate and my body would atrophy into a fragile abyss. O.k. I am being slightly dramatic but that is a motivating fear of mine. I seriously thought something was wrong with me.
Why do I not want to do what I enjoy most?
I thrive on physical activity. My body is simply telling me to rest….for….a….long….time. I am listening now but at times I still feel uncomfortable.
Why?
Because I would rather sleep than work out. That is not normal for me! But what is ‘normal?’ According to Dictionary.com ‘normal’ is: conforming to the standard or the common type.
Conform? Obviously my soul is getting ready to create something new.
If I continue to conform to my old ways of being, a new way of life cannot be created.
I have entered into a new state of being where I feel calm and sedate. I am learning how to rest and take the time for my soul to re-energize before the next energetic phase of my life.
I did start graduate school this month and that is a big change I am getting used to.
This Time I Dance! Trusting the Journey of Creating the Work You Love by Tama J. Kieves is the most inspiring book I have ever read. Whenever I feel confused about life, I read a few passages in her book and feel like I can conquer the world.
“We experience a form of higher-powered paralysis to protect us from getting in our own clever way” (Kieves, 2002, p.102). This is so true. Maybe the reason I do not feel like working out so much is because my soul has more inner work to do at this time than outer work. Don't worry. I will not 'let myself go.' This is merely a phase of my life. My soul would not lead me to this point to allow my physical appearance and health to suffer.
“Your commitment to time-out in a keep-hopping, no-stopping lazy-phobic society will challenge you” (Kieves, 2002, p.116). The productivity police have a warrant out for your arrest. You are charged with first-degree sleepiness and failure to comply with a strict work-out routine. That sounds ridiculous, right? So don't make your soul feel guilty when all it wants is some time-out of the fast lane.
"It is this time of undoing that requires every ounce of strength, vision and persistence. In the old way of doing things...we insisted that actions furthered us more than feeling our way through healing" (Kieves, 2002, p.105). To everything there is a season. A time to rest and a time to take action. Be perceptive enough to know the difference.
Honor the wisdom of your own process.
Be sensitive. Listen to your body's rhythms. Nothing in life is that complicated from your body's point of view. When your body has an important message for you, it will try to get your attention. Don't ignore the messages. They may start out subtle but ignore them long enough and you may end up in worse shape than ever.
The Intuitive Way by Penney Peirce outlines how to actively use your intuition to make sound choices and ease into your creative flow.
“The creative process is an identical twin to the intuitive process” (Peirce, 2009, p.41).
To develop skill in intuition, we need to decipher our body’s information cues. If you feel tired, go to sleep. If you feel hungry, go eat. If you feel revved up, go for a run. If you feel inspired, create something beautiful. I understand we need to follow time constraints in daily life. If you can allow time for what your body is asking then you should. However, if your body is asking you to do things you never have time for, maybe you should reassess where you're going in life.
“It’s your right to take time and space, to take your mind off things and be aimless, to pay homage to the greater wisdom that guides your course” (Peirce, 2009, p.51).
I have always been a fan of taking naps. They replenish my energy and provide insight and clarity to situations. The book Take a Nap! Change Your Life by Sara Mednick, Ph.D. explains the lifesaving benefits of napping and how naps inspire creativity and heighten perception. "History's great artists and inventors took naps. Napping allows your brain to create the loose associations necessary for creative insight and opens the way for a fresh burst of new ideas" (Mednick, 2006, p.26).
Think of your sleeping hours as a highly productive time.
Rest for the soul can only produce positive results and allow us to dip our toes into the most untapped resource on the planet: creative inspiration.
Your body will tell you when it's ready to dive back in and make a big splash. Until then, enjoy laying poolside and soak up all the sun you can get. Your body will blow a whistle to an almost deafening decibel to save you from contrived negligence. If you dive back in before it's time, the water may be too vast and deep to stay afloat.
