Have you ever had the experience of thinking, “I give such great advice to others that I wish I could take my own advice”? I’m sure many of us would answer, “Yes, all the time.”
As I’ve grown in my yoga practice, I’ve gotten better at stepping into the “witness” role, or finding the ability to take myself out of the situation I’m in and observe what’s going on as an outsider so that I can more clearly see the great advice I ought to be giving myself.
I recently found myself falling into a very unhealthy, unproductive cycle, one in which I have landed many times before. For me, the trigger is overwhelm. I, once again, landed in the place where all of the to-dos start closing in on me, it feels chaotic and overpowering, I enter into fight or flight mode, and for me flight is the only way out. This has been the case for me since I was a young girl. Before I could literally flee, I would escape by rearranging my bedroom, or my closet; bringing more order to my physical space felt like I was bringing order to my mental space. Then, once I got my driver’s license, I would get in the car and go. I never knew where to; I just knew I was getting away from that panicked feeling. The problem is, I was 100% avoiding the things that needed attention, so instead of chipping away at the proverbial iceberg, it was actually growing larger and the time I had to devote to it had decreased dramatically.
So, as I found myself back in this very familiar space, I paused and realized, all I need is a little “toolkit” to pull out and apply when I find myself back here. I pulled out a notebook and wrote,
When I am feeling overwhelmed:
- Take a walk outside
- Take a shower
- Do an inversion, or hang upside down
- Make myself a big, delicious beverage
- WRITE IT DOWN
I’m approaching 39 years of age, and while frustrated that it’s taken me this long to figure this out, I am grateful that I actually did. May you discover the “toolkit” that offers you freedom from your own unhealthy habits.
May your practice continue.
Peace and wellness to you.
Lauren
