Stopping and resting. When was the last time you did either?
By “stopping and resting” I don’t mean laying down and taking a nap (although that sounds lovely right about now). I mean to literally stop moving. Stop planning. Stop thinking. Stop DOING.
To just BE.
Life moves pretty fast, and if we don’t stop and look around once in a while, well, we could miss it.
Yeah, I know. We’re all under pressure every day to keep up. Keep up with what? The Joneses?
Spoiler alert: The Joneses only exist in your head.
Our culture puts a ton of pressure on us to keep up with our imaginary friends (or not-so-imaginary ones), but we also put incredible amounts of pressure on ourselves to go-go-go and do-do-do. We “should” take care of others in our lives. We “need” to finish our honey-do lists. We “have” to figure out our illnesses so we can get back to our lives of doing.
It’s like we’re waiting for someone to give us permission to stop… and rest.
Stopping and resting.
Life can be overwhelming, and when we are sick, this feeling of being overwhelmed compounds. Being in pain, having gut issues, fatigue, or brain fog does NOT help matters. Who’s with me on this one?
But: what if it was ok to stop doing?
I invite you to do just that. Slow down. Have some water. Stretch. Ok sure, lay down – enjoy some restorative yoga nidra. Breathe. Rest. Just be for a while.
These have been difficult times for many of us.
Yeah, it’s easy to say “stop it” when looking in from the outside. But who the heck has time for stopping and resting with all that needs to be done?! There are mouths to feed and bills to pay and work to do!
Having a chronic illness can be overwhelming in and of itself. We may also be caring for sick or elderly family members in addition to our own sick and fatigued selves.
Maybe we’re moving or getting married or getting divorced or having a baby. Maybe we’re starting a new diet or fitness routine or we’ve started a new job.
And, oh yeah, on top of all that, there’s a pandemic that’s throwing a monkey wrench into everything.
How to combat this feeling of overwhelm?
Simple: Don’t think about the future. Just do one thing at a time.
Yep, I’m back to do-ing. Stay with me here!
If we are able to stay focused on one thing at a time we have the potential to move into a state of be-ing while we are do-ing.
This poem by Elana Mikhalkova from her book “The Room of Ancient Keys” states this concept more eloquently than I ever could:
Living in the present and just being with one thing at a time is a miraculous bit of advice.
Then the do-ing somehow becomes the be-ing. We get to stop. To rest a little. To praise ourselves.
To just… be.
I would love to be a support if you are looking to “do” less and “be” more. To book your Complimentary Session and Assessment, click here.
Sandy Swanson is a Certified Functional Health Coach (A-CFHC) and a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). You can learn more about her here and more about what coaching is here.
![In the coming days and weeks, I’ll be sharing some tips and tricks to help you get unstuck - no matter the circumstances of your stuck-ness.
This is the second in a series - if you missed the previous post, see my blog (link in bio).
Here’s the first tip:
Get in touch with your body.
Stop for a moment and check in. Where are you holding tension right now? Some common places we hold tension are:
the jaw
the neck
the gut
the shoulders
Or there might be pain somewhere, like a headache, backache, eyestrain/pain, etc.
I invite you to notice this pain or tension.
Be with it. Breathe into it. Relax into it.
Getting in touch with your body is a brilliant way of not only teaching yourself how to relax but also helps you to be present.
And becoming present creates S P A C E. And within that space there is an opportunity to see what is needed.
So: what is that physical symptom telling you that you need? Don’t overthink this!
SOMEthing usually comes up, like:
I need to rest
I need to let go of [XYZ]
I need to get outside
I need to exercise
I need a good cry (this happens often in real time during my coaching sessions!)
Once that need is met, some things might clear up. You might not get completely unstuck, but there is usually a shift that takes place or a relaxing that happens.
The pic of me is when I just woke up from a nap. I was working and feeling stuck.
I checked in and realized I was freaking exhausted. I needed rest, so closed my eyes for a few minutes before getting back to my computer.
You're not seeing the "before" photo, but trust me: what a difference a few minutes of rest make!
(and my hair always looks better after I sleep on it lol)
One thing to note:
Getting in touch with the physical body might be really REALLY hard for some people.
I invite you to be super gentle, and practice this technique with “nonjudgemental curiosity”, and let me know how it goes!
#stuck #struggle #stugglebus #rest #physical #tension #pain #tipstrickstools #swansoncoaching #lifecoach #holisticcoach #wellnesscoach](https://autoimmunenutritioncoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/435120410_964353791722252_2190116072632110028_n.jpg)
![Something I experience in my coaching sessions every day is seeing people who feel “stuck”.
Stuck in a job they don’t like.
Stuck after graduating from college, working their dream job, not knowing what’s next.
Stuck not knowing what to do now that the kids have left home.
Stuck in a relationship that is no longer serving them.
Stuck in not knowing what to do regarding that big decision looming over them.
Many times these clients say “I just need more tools in my life to figure this out, then I’ll be good”. They want “tips, tools, or tricks” to help them get unstuck.
In other words, they want information.
The thing is, there’s a sh*t-ton of information out there. Any answers we desire are at our fingertips thanks to the interwebs.
So why are we always so stuck?!
Information doesn’t help one get unstuck. It can be a starting point, but information alone will not get one unstuck.
Doing the [sometimes hard] inner work is what gets you unstuck.
Understanding yourself, your beliefs, your emotions, your body, how you think and act the way you do - and *why* you are doing any of it - including being stuck - is imperative to get unstuck.
And this is what coaching is all about. To help you better understand yourself so you can make different choices moving forward.
Over the coming days and weeks, I’m going to share with you some things I discuss with my clients in the first or second session to help them better understand themselves and how they move through this world.
This awareness helps them become UNstuck.
Yeah, they might be called “tips and tricks and tools”, and you can absolutely self-coach yourself using them. It is sometimes easier with a facilitator (e.g. a coach, therapist, or spiritual advisor), but if you are willing to go deep on your own and be honest with yourself, I invite you to play around with these techniques.
So stay tuned!
In the meantime:
Are you feeling stuck?
What has helped YOU get unstuck?
Would love to hear from you.
#stuck #struggle #strugglebus #lifecoach #holisticoach #tipstrickstools #swansoncoaching](https://autoimmunenutritioncoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/434572858_963909818433316_8140446297598528977_n.jpg)