That beautiful crisp autumn air ushers in a natural time to reflect on where things are in our lives. For me, the question that keeps surfacing is–How can we nourish ourselves at the deepest level? Sure, food choices come to mind, but that’s not my focus (see www.stacyschwartzhealthcoach.com if that is an interest). My focus is spiritually, emotionally and restoratively. In the pursuit of getting it all done, its easy to push ourselves to depletion, and this impacts every facet of our lives. It makes it more difficult to see clearly, and harder to drink in the amazing people we get to share our lives with.
Sure, if we had the time, we’d rest more. But sometimes we simply don’t have the luxury to pull that off. So here is something I’m working with that is helping me counteract the daily exhaustion. I offer it to you to the extent to which it may be useful.
As you take a deep breath in, do you notice the pause that happens right before you exhale? Now exhale. Notice the pause that happens right before you inhale? Those pauses are where the magic of restoration happens. Moments where we can relax into the moment, and keep with the task at hand, but bring more ease to it. Even those times when you’re multitasking like a champ, and you’re about to respond to another text while you stir the pot of spaghetti– those are the perfect times to notice that in-between breath pause. Or when you feel like a trucker because you’re constantly on the ride, shuttling from one stop to the other, notice the pause. That little difference can offer you nourishment that beats the pants off any protein bar you could get your hands on.
If you try this, I’d love to know how it goes for you.