Can you feel it?
The feeling of renewal, rebirth, revival?
This is spring! And it's popping up everywhere these days.
Spring; the time when we open the windows of our homes to bring in the fresh air and let out the stale, dusty stuff we've been breathing in all winter long.
But it is more than just a time to do a thorough house cleaning, it's also a great time to act on those feelings of needing something new in our lives to honor the personal growth and progress we have made over the last few months and align ourselves to it.
When spring begins to peek it's head, I get all excited and giddy. My smile grows wider than it usually is. I get a surge in energy and an almost desperate like feeling of needing to jump into life, learn something new, put on my cloak of courage and take a leap of faith.
The birds begin to gather items to build their nests. What are you building?
They are chanting their love songs. What type of song are you singing?
Insects are coming alive, taking flight. Where are your wings?
Flower bulbs and spring sprouts are pushing up and freeing themselves from their hibernation. What do you need to let go of to free yourself?
Mother Earth is awakening. It's a good time for us to do the same.
Showing posts with label mroe joy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mroe joy. Show all posts
Friday, March 5, 2010
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
The Pressure Cooker
As I sat on a ferry to Pelee Island on Labour Day, the last day of summer vacation. I took the time to contemplate the pressure cooker type stress that we put upon ourselves.
On that last day of summer vacation I had fallen into the "need to do more" trap. The need to squeeze one last adventure into our time together. Whether we liked it or not (and at 6:00am on the last day of summer vacation the majority vote was NOT) we were going to spend the last day of summer as a family enjoying the great outdoors and experiencing one more thing this summer!
I made the ferry reservations, planned and packed a picnic lunch, packed swimsuits, towels, etc. all the necessities of a day on the beach, waded my way through teenage negativity all morning just to make sure that my children had more to share with their friends on their return to school the next day.
It made me crazy. I didn't look like a woman having fun in those early moments.
It's the same thing that happens during holidays for most people. That anxiety that wells up inside of you that tells you, you just have to do SOMETHING! Because just sitting around would be a shame. Not having a big gathering with dinner and all the festivities would be wrong! Wouldn't it?
How many people do you know who suffer panic and anxiety attacks throughout the Christmas holidays?
My dad used to call me from the toy department in Zellers in a full blown anxiety attack over which toy to buy my children for Christmas. I told him it wasn't worth it and ushered him to the clothing department. He thereafter was called the "clothes Grandpa" by my children because Dad would always buy them clothes to avoid the anxiety that choosing the perfect toy always created.
There is no need for this anxiety. It is fueled by the society in which we live, the status quo that says we need to be, do and have more every minute of every day. This thought process and way of living can and must be removed from our lives. I believe that the first step to overcoming this thought process is to acknowledge that it is present in our lives. If we can start to see that these thoughts aren't connected to what we truly desire then they don't have much power over us.
It is okay to not have a big fancy dinner if what you are wanting is a small family gathering without fanfare. It is okay to declare that you will be donating to a local food bank in lieu of expensive and useless Christmas presents. It is okay to sit around all summer long and do nothing more productive than allowing your body and mind to relax. In fact that is probably the most productive thing you can do! It is okay to be bored, lazy, tired, etc.
Stepping away from societal expectations is the first step in truly knowing yourself, and releasing the grip that stress and anxiety have on you.
We can begin a new life filled with more joy and less stress, just by becoming more aware.
On that last day of summer vacation I had fallen into the "need to do more" trap. The need to squeeze one last adventure into our time together. Whether we liked it or not (and at 6:00am on the last day of summer vacation the majority vote was NOT) we were going to spend the last day of summer as a family enjoying the great outdoors and experiencing one more thing this summer!
I made the ferry reservations, planned and packed a picnic lunch, packed swimsuits, towels, etc. all the necessities of a day on the beach, waded my way through teenage negativity all morning just to make sure that my children had more to share with their friends on their return to school the next day.
It made me crazy. I didn't look like a woman having fun in those early moments.
It's the same thing that happens during holidays for most people. That anxiety that wells up inside of you that tells you, you just have to do SOMETHING! Because just sitting around would be a shame. Not having a big gathering with dinner and all the festivities would be wrong! Wouldn't it?
How many people do you know who suffer panic and anxiety attacks throughout the Christmas holidays?
My dad used to call me from the toy department in Zellers in a full blown anxiety attack over which toy to buy my children for Christmas. I told him it wasn't worth it and ushered him to the clothing department. He thereafter was called the "clothes Grandpa" by my children because Dad would always buy them clothes to avoid the anxiety that choosing the perfect toy always created.
There is no need for this anxiety. It is fueled by the society in which we live, the status quo that says we need to be, do and have more every minute of every day. This thought process and way of living can and must be removed from our lives. I believe that the first step to overcoming this thought process is to acknowledge that it is present in our lives. If we can start to see that these thoughts aren't connected to what we truly desire then they don't have much power over us.
It is okay to not have a big fancy dinner if what you are wanting is a small family gathering without fanfare. It is okay to declare that you will be donating to a local food bank in lieu of expensive and useless Christmas presents. It is okay to sit around all summer long and do nothing more productive than allowing your body and mind to relax. In fact that is probably the most productive thing you can do! It is okay to be bored, lazy, tired, etc.
Stepping away from societal expectations is the first step in truly knowing yourself, and releasing the grip that stress and anxiety have on you.
We can begin a new life filled with more joy and less stress, just by becoming more aware.
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