August 6, 2023
So much to do…so little time. The additions to my endless agenda usually start daily at 5 a.m., and eventually limit access to that which I enjoy, to that which insures my health and well-being. Yet I argue for my attachment to stress, defining it as the necessity to manage the basic needs of food, shelter and financial security in order to live. I was taught being active and “productive” was a good thing and I was proud that I could multi-task and accomplish so much. Aware of the presence of my family timeline, those workaholic genes passed to me from my mother and grandmother, it’s one thing to admire their perseverance, another one entirely to applaud their anxious, obsessive race with the clock and perfectionism.
Recently I was introduced to mindfulness, a meditative application that accepts the present moment without interpretation and judgment. Through this practice I was able to understand that managing life is indeed a balancing act. It requires letting go of unrealistic expectations and things that don’t matter in order to achieve a state of harmony. Being mindful drags us away from anxious negative thoughts of what should be- in ourselves and in others. Erma Brombeck, American humorist, once said: Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.”
So how to handle life’s challenges yet emerge better and stronger than before? It begins by reorganizing your priorities to put self-care at the top. When you remind yourself of the past challenges which you overcame, you tap into an inner strength. Life is what it is. Remove yourself from the situation, change it or accept it totally, but don’t let it throw you off balance.
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