Crashing Into Peace

A few weeks ago I shared with you that my bike accident had caused me to make some unforeseen changes to my life. One of them was acknowledging the Committee in My Head. The other was a life change forced on me by the limitations of my brain’s ability to function. Since March, I have been forced to slow down. At first I wasn’t very good at it. In fact I tried to do some of the things that the doctors explicitly told me not to do, and my body checked me. HARD. And instead of making the progress I could have made, I regressed. So I finally listened and started scaling back. And I fell deeply and madly in love with peace. I thought that I liked peace before this, but it was nothing compared to the relationship peace and I have now.

It has completely changed my life in ways that I would not have imagined eight weeks ago.

I started by moving slower. At first it was because I had to, but then I realized that without the distractions of television and social media, I was able to move slower and get every thing done. So I continue to move slow and limit my screen time even though my headaches have reduced drastically.

Without screens I found time to plant a garden on my balcony. I don’t know anything about plants, and prior to March I was not about sticking my hands in dirt. To be fair I wear gloves to play in my garden, but I am learning and the plants are growing. Except for my orchid which is really not acclimating well. And it is really nice to see the flowers go from buds to blooms.

I have started meditating. Nothing fancy with chants or bowls. Simple guided meditations that I find on Apple or on Alexa. But I take breaks several times a day and do a few minutes of a guided meditation. It has done wonders for my mood and reduces my stress. Which makes me a more pleasant person in general.

I have become more intentional about my rest. Prior to clunking myself on the sidewalk I was not a napper. Now, when my body asks for rest, I comply. It is a luxury I have because I work from home, and I don’t have little ones. But I have become a napper, and I love it. I wake up feeling refreshed and lighter overall. There is something about pushing through things when I am tired that makes me feel burdened in a way that my body refuses to comply with lately.

I have also become a strong advocate for myself. I still can’t ride in the car with my eyes open or be in bright lights for prolonged periods of time. So when I have to say no to an activity, I do with no explanations. Prior to going a couple rounds with the sidewalk I would have felt guilty about prioritizing me, and tried to rationalize it in my own brain. Now a simple no thank you is all I feel compelled to share.

And guess what?

The world kept turning and everyone was fine even though I didn’t rush, or push myself beyond my limits, or take on more than I wanted to.

Nothing fell apart. Not one thing.

Things got done a bit more slowly. But they got done.

People had to step up in ways they hadn’t before. And they stepped up.

I had to adjust how I moved through the day. And I adjusted.

Crashing into a sidewalk turned into a gift for me. Although I wouldn’t recommend that, I would recommend re-evaluating how you are spending your time.

Are there things you can say no to or delegate so that you could get some time back to rest?

Are there ways that you can slow down and incorporate some wellness into your daily schedule?

Are there some ways that you can adjust your life so that you can do more of what feeds your soul?

I hear so many people talk about rest, but as a friend pointed out to me recently, “The people who talk about it are not leading by example.”. But the thing is rest is so important to optimal functioning that my challenge to us is let’s not just talk about it. Let’s start actually making time to rest. So many of us wait until an illness causes us to pause. I honestly wish I had come to this realization in a less painful way, but I will take the lesson.

Life is entirely too short to spend it tired. Take some time to rest in whatever ways you find rejuvenation. I am not here to judge, just to plead with all of us to slow down, get some rest, and prioritize good health habits daily.