Is it all full throttle or what? We may be rich, but we need more of what really matters. More time out, more peace and quiet, more joy, more meaning. All those things that cost nothing, and whose value we therefore find hard to gauge. We really ought to change that. Because without this nourishment, our souls will never be satisfied.
„What’s the worst that could happen if you took your foot off the accelerator?“ That’s a very common question in my practice. The stressed-out client first comes up with a few flimsy excuses. We look at each other and we both know it – she’s putting pressure on herself. It’s as if a time bomb were ticking inside us. But our hamster wheel spins at exactly the same pace as we run. People who get a lot done are rewarded by having even more piled onto them.
And caught in the trap again
But it’s the same as always – knowing this doesn’t actually change a thing. That’s why I fell into this trap again the other day. I’m a one-woman show, yet my monthly schedule is packed with tasks that would leave a team of three sweating. Yet again. I just never learn. I love my work, juggle several projects at once, have two children and a marriage, and enjoy nurturing all these relationships with care – that takes time. What’s left over, once again, is no time for a break, for peace and quiet, or for joy. Because although I enjoy everything I do, it’s no fun anymore when I’m under pressure.
Honey, make sure I'm okay
What do you do when you feel worn out by your daily routine and aren’t looking after yourself properly? You start niggling at your partner. Half of all relationship problems would vanish into thin air if everyone looked after themselves properly. People in a good mood get on better together. When I’m under pressure, feeling overwhelmed or out of touch with myself, I quickly get the feeling that my husband could make a bit more of an effort. It’s a bit like saying: „If I’m not looking after myself, surely you could do it.“ Thank goodness that doesn’t work. You may well have noticed that your partner pulls away precisely when you feel you need their care most urgently. Because it’s your job!
Image source: pexels.com/iiii iiii
What should I stop doing to feel better?
Joy comes naturally when you take the lid off the pressure cooker you have turned yourself into and finally let yourself steam out in freedom. Exhausted people should not ask: "What should I do to feel better?" They should rather ask themselves what they shouldn't do. It was with a heavy heart that I put two projects on hold for the time being. However, in my new daily routine, where things are back in full swing and a healthy rhythm has been restored, my heart soon felt lighter again.
Yin & Yang in harmony
It's no use. No one will come along and force silence, joy and self-care on us. To feel at ease in one’s own skin and to be in balance both physically and emotionally, Yin and Yang – the feminine and masculine qualities – must be in balance. Our world is very strongly influenced by Yang, the masculine quality. Doing is masculine; being is feminine. A period of activity and vigour must be followed by a period of rest and simply being.
No joie de vivre without respect for boundaries
What’s your ‘battery’ sign? How can you tell when your battery’s flashing? I usually get tense, stop making proper eye contact and lose my enthusiasm. People also call this being grumpy. When the battery’s already completely red and flashing urgently, I get really grumpy. But then it’s time.
The only way to find greater joy in life is to have more respect for our own limits. To establish a healthy rhythm in our lives. At every level. Eating and digesting. Breathing in and out. Activity and rest. Doing and being. Directing our attention outwards and turning it inwards. Listening and entering into silence. Then everything begins to flow.
Image source: pixabay.com/stokpic
We have more time than we think
A healthy routine must be the top priority on my to-do list. All other goals can only come second if life is to be enjoyable. Isn’t it precisely during moments of leisure that our best ideas come to us? Doesn’t the solution to a problem often come as a surprise whilst we’re out for a walk?
We don’t always act very sensibly. Least of all when we think we don’t have time for a break. Ever since Facebook and WhatsApp came along, we’ve also realised that we have far more time than we used to think. Is there really no time left for a healthy routine? That’s not true.
Healthy rhythm is contagious
We are vibrations, and we influence one another with our vibrations. The more of us who vibrate in a healthy rhythm, the healthier the world becomes. We are not racing drivers and Nobody will present us with a trophy at the end for the fastest lived life. If a zest for life is not part of our lives, then in the end it will not have been a particularly successful life. To lose one’s zest for life is to lose the joy of living.
