Finding The Brakes
This week’s post is about finding the brakes on life… switching our busy brains OFF and our insight ON…
“Listen To Silence. It Has Much To Say”
Rumi
Ever feel like you’re constantly pushing… trying… forcing?
Constantly busy, constantly thinking, constantly achieving, constantly working…
There’s just no room for any more?
You daren’t take your foot off the pedal because things are moving so fast that you don’t want to get left behind - hello FOMO!
Ever feel like you need to be constantly ‘doing’?? I do! (OK, bad choice of words there!?)
But why? To prove my worth? To ‘achieve’ something? To ‘get somewhere’? Maybe it’s impatience… grasping an eagerness to start a new career for the past year that had to be put on hold due to cancer treatment?
Maybe it’s an ingrained belief that I need to keep ‘moving’ to stay mentally well?
Or maybe, it’s just habit… a continuing sequence of doing… that once I get on this ride, I don’t know where the brakes are.
And… PAUSE
There’s one time of year that I do find myself able to slow down… on holiday!
I find it a lot easier to switch off when I’m physically distanced from the distractions, jobs and to-do lists.
Not so long ago, holidays for us consisted of continuing the dizzying pace of life we’re used to – trying to squeeze every last minute out of our holiday, to see and experience all we can while we’re there. Every day jam-packed with adventure and exploring…
Until… the summer of 2020!
During Covid we were so lucky to have a holiday still, however, due to strict restrictions we literally had no choice but to stop!
Our destination was the stunning Northumbrian coast – a quiet, little location called Beadnell.
Now nowhere was open due to the restrictions still being in place, so we literally couldn’t go anywhere, but thankfully we were across the road from the beach, a gorgeous little secluded section of shoreline.
So, we did something we hadn’t done on holiday before… we stayed at the cottage for a whole week – the car didn’t move once!
And let me tell you, it was a game-changer! We really slowed down… we went to the beach every day, we played family board games… we relaxed!
It was so refreshing!
Take a step back
Recently, I’ve been getting increasingly focused on what I want to do:
How I can put my degree to good use…
How I can help and support others with their mental and emotional wellbeing…
Where my competencies and expertise lie…
And I’ve simultaneously been getting increasingly stressed and frustrated… it’s one of my current battlefields!
I’ve been job hunting, gathering ideas, and brainstorming till my head is ready to roll off my shoulders… yet to no avail.
I do, however, believe (currently through gritted teeth) that we have to experience times of stress and challenge to encourage us to push harder, move barriers and find our true ‘path’.
And then…. within 16 hours of arriving at our holiday destination, of setting down my bags, an idea struck me so clearly that I had to write it down straight away!
It is just an idea right now… a distant vision of how I can perhaps combine my knowledge with my lived experience to help others in an area that is currently lacking sufficient support… and if it comes to fruition I will be filling you in on all the details right here!
It was so clear… so striking… so obvious and undeniable… a light bulb moment if you will… or perhaps a loud shout from my intuition which had been silenced beneath the racket of my busy mind.
And it’s made me realise, that sometimes, the moments we take a step back, slow down and stop trying can actually be the most productive!
Back to daily life
But we can’t wait for a holiday to have this time to switch off and slow down to hear our quiet insight…
We need to incorporate it into our daily lives – small, subtle, micro-moments in our day where we can let our brains take a break…
For me, I know I need to get back into a good routine with meditation, this is one time I really feel space free up in my head… and I know it’s good for my mental, emotional and physical wellbeing!
So today, I am starting back on a daily habit of meditation… watch out Monkey Mind I’m coming for you!!
I also find walking a great way of getting out of my head…
How about you?
How would you suggest slowing down and giving the working, thinking mind a break?
I’d love to hear your ideas, why not let me know below…
Take care & much love,
Julie x
Feel free to get in touch, I’d love to hear from you 💗