Don’t underestimate the power of a well-timed pause

I used to live under the self-imposed pressure of believing I had to be creative and productive all the time.

I pushed and pushed myself until I collapsed, often too dizzy to do much of anything. As soon as I’d feel better, I’d repeat the cycle.

I won’t lie to you and tell you that I’m done with cycling. That’s still happening and likely always will, but it’s less extreme now.

I get spurts of creative energy when I work intensely for a period of days or sometimes weeks and then before I’m utterly spent, as the wind is falling out of my sails, I make the choice to come to a full stop.

Sometimes I stop to rest for a day and bounce back and other times, I need a few days.

I used to judge myself that I have to stop and rest because my programming is to be a superwoman!

But now I’ve come to see that it’s okay to have ebbs and flows, in fact, it’s quite natural.

I give myself permission to explore, create and be excited.  When I start to feel frayed around the edges, I pull all my energy back into myself and stop. 

I sit under my favourite tree, walk slowly and allow myself to restore.

I used to worry that if I stopped I’d fall behind. Now I know that resting is a profound way to recharge. It gives me insight and perspective.

The more I relax into the rest, the fuller I feel when I move into my next creative expansion.

So why am I sharing this story with you, dear email friend?

I hope you’ll be inspired to accept the ebbs and flows that are natural in your life. Give yourself permission to say no to doing when you need to rest and let yourself turn inward.

Rest is a simple solution that can create so much positive change in our lives, particularly in our health.

Do you know how to come to a full stop?