Episode 7 Braving the Busyness & Having the Courage to Rest

We have officially moved out of our self-care summer. I hope yours was beautiful. Charging into the school year and the holidays, wouldn’t it be nice to keep that summer self-care feeling?
Self-care doesn’t end when the summer does. Here are some tips to help you strengthen yourself for the season ahead. Saundra Dalton-Smith inspired me this week with the idea that Sacred Rest isn’t just for Sundays. Her blog on Emotional Resilience was spot on!
As we ‘practice a pause’ in our day or our week, we can fortify our creative abilities and our Creator-given power of choice, creating space for peace and grounded security. Who wouldn’t like to feel grounded and peaceful as the pace of life picks up? It is possible, you know.
CMH, in CMH Coaching, stands for Compassion, Mindfulness and Hope. Here are 3 ways those principles can help you prepare for the season ahead and keep that lovely summertime feeling going.
Create compassionate, restful moments in your day. Summertime traditionally has a little extra downtime. You don’t have to give that up! Create pockets of time for yourself. A restful moment for 3 deep breaths after a trip to the Ladies’ room, when you close a phone call, or before you take that first bite of lunch. Carpool line, grocery lines, and time on hold are all great times to practice breathing in to a count of 4 and breathing out to a count of 8. Trust me, after the third breath life will look different, better even. (And that’s saying something when you’re waiting on hold!)
Mindfully set boundaries & protect your peace. My daughter Hope once told me while I was struggling to make a choice, “Mom, if it’s not a heck yes, it’s a heck no.” As a busy working Mom creating and keeping multiple roles going, Hope was great at doing a quick once-over when offered a choice. If it wasn’t a quick, happy yes, it was quite often no. In this way, she had time for things that mattered, things that protected her peace. That will work for you.
“Rest is not for weaklings. Hollowing out space for rest is work. Finding time for rest is the hands and feet of the promises we long to claim. It means saying no. It means having limits with ourselves. It means having limits with others. It takes courage to rest in the midst of an outcome-driven society. It takes strength to walk away from good in the pursuit of better.”
― Saundra Dalton-Smith
Create space for your emotions. We often overlook the physical need we have to process the emotions that we encounter every day. We feed ourselves, we sleep often, we shower and put makeup on to face the day, but do we take time to process the feelings that present regularly as a result of our life choices and circumstances?
Feelings and thoughts are directly related. We know that, but did you know that a thought, held long enough, becomes a belief? A belief, held long enough becomes a perception, and that can become our personality, and ultimately, our character. We want to take time daily to process our feelings.
A good friend, a coach, time with meditation and prayer with our Creator, and journaling are all great processing protocols. Exercise- a walking meditation is a also great boon for processing. Just take a little time in your day to talk it out with Him or a friend/coach. You’ll be so much stronger for it!
As we conclude our month on resilience, remember this. You have within you light and truth, all the power you need to grow and progress. You can do this, and your Creator is ready to help you every time you reach out.
Reach out often. We’re all here for you.
All my love,
Beth