What Really Happens When You Rest?
Do you wish you had the time to get a proper rest? Or that your schedule would slow down already , so that you could fit in a regular meditation session, a yoga class or even massage? Does the idea of a weekend retreat or week long get-away seem so out of reach that you can’t even entertain the idea? Have you actually tried any of the above and it didn’t go so well or you just didn’t enjoy it?
The thing with resting, meditation and getting away by ourselves, is that when we do these things, what really happens is that our shit comes up! Meaning, everything that you just don’t have time to think about and/or all the emotions you avoid feeling. I struggled with this for a long time. I wore myself out doing and trying all the things that were ‘good’ for me and then I would force myself to go away, to be alone and to rest and meditate and I would hate it! I did not know what to do with my thoughts and feelings that were waiting so patiently for me while I was busy.
The Beginning of Self-Love
And this, my friends, is the beginning of self love. We are just starting to get ‘it’ (self-love) when we make the effort – and it is no small effort – to listen to our buried fears. This is the ‘secret’ that no one really talked about or explained to me. And, it wasn’t until I began to just listen to myself, did changes in my life happen. At first the thoughts and emotions were completely overwhelming and truly unmanageable. And my worst fear really did happen. Once I allowed the light to shine into the darkness within myself it was a nightmare. The journey within really does take courage. It is as epic as any heroic feat.
There are many methods and techniques for processing emotions and thoughts. I spend many coaching sessions with my clients teaching them. I recommend Byron Katie: The Work and anything under ‘emotions’ in the Perception Trainers Videos on YouTube. Once you start, it takes consistent practice.
The Light Is Within
Like a bundle of tangled wires, with patience, diligence and lots and lots of rest (!) I was eventually able to untangle and deal with each knot. I emphasize ‘eventually!’ It was over time. I did not untangle the whole bundle at once. I kept going back, one knot/tangle at a time. And like those wires, the knots have left some indentations, certain, but just a few, thoughts and feelings want to default back into their knots. But, now when I go into my quiet time, these knots are much easier to untangle. The wire kinks smooth out quicker. This is the way I’ve crawled out of years of depression and anxiety. The more I practice this, the more what I thought were my dark thoughts and emotions have become sources of great information. I am discovering that within the darkest knots and kinks is my true light.
Once you can greet your thoughts and emotions with curiosity and eventually welcome them with love, you will be able to sit in silence and have peace within it. When this happens you will make spending time in silence a priority. You will begin to notice great shifts in your thinking, your problem solving and in your routine. Much of your busyness will vanish. Your priorities will be easy to maintain. Drama will simply not occur.
Or, you can stay busy.
Do you wish you had the time to get a proper rest? Or that your schedule would slow down already , so that you could fit in a regular meditation session, a yoga class or even massage? Does the idea of a weekend retreat or week long get-away seem so out of reach that you can’t even entertain the idea? Have you actually tried any of the above and it didn’t go so well or you just didn’t enjoy it?
The thing with resting, meditation and getting away by ourselves, is that when we do these things, what really happens is that our shit comes up! Meaning, everything that you just don’t have time to think about and/or all the emotions you avoid feeling. I struggled with this for a long time. I wore myself out doing and trying all the things that were ‘good’ for me and then I would force myself to go away, to be alone and to rest and meditate and I would hate it! I did not know what to do with my thoughts and feelings that were waiting so patiently for me while I was busy.
The Beginning of Self-Love
And this, my friends, is the beginning of self love. We are just starting to get ‘it’ (self-love) when we make the effort – and it is no small effort – to listen to our buried fears. This is the ‘secret’ that no one really talked about or explained to me. And, it wasn’t until I began to just listen to myself, did changes in my life happen. At first the thoughts and emotions were completely overwhelming and truly unmanageable. And my worst fear really did happen. Once I allowed the light to shine into the darkness within myself it was a nightmare. The journey within really does take courage. It is as epic as any heroic feat.
There are many methods and techniques for processing emotions and thoughts. I spend many coaching sessions with my clients teaching them. I recommend Byron Katie: The Work and anything under ‘emotions’ in the Perception Trainers Videos on YouTube. Once you start, it takes consistent practice.
The Light Is Within
Like a bundle of tangled wires, with patience, diligence and lots and lots of rest (!) I was eventually able to untangle and deal with each knot. I emphasize ‘eventually!’ It was over time. I did not untangle the whole bundle at once. I kept going back, one knot/tangle at a time. And like those wires, the knots have left some indentations, certain, but just a few, thoughts and feelings want to default back into their knots. But, now when I go into my quiet time, these knots are much easier to untangle. The wire kinks smooth out quicker. This is the way I’ve crawled out of years of depression and anxiety. The more I practice this, the more what I thought were my dark thoughts and emotions have become sources of great information. I am discovering that within the darkest knots and kinks is my true light.
Once you can greet your thoughts and emotions with curiosity and eventually welcome them with love, you will be able to sit in silence and have peace within it. When this happens you will make spending time in silence a priority. You will begin to notice great shifts in your thinking, your problem solving and in your routine. Much of your busyness will vanish. Your priorities will be easy to maintain. Drama will simply not occur.
Or, you can stay busy.
Questions? Comments? I love hearing from you.
Email: coachjenniferwashington@gmail.com
RSS Feed
