Are you, like me, one of those who believes (or used to believe) that life is about effort, trying your best and getting results? Find out why I thought I’d be ‘back in a jiffy’ but ended up spending 3 weeks in bed!
Do you ever get the sense that ‘life’ knows better?
Does it ever take you weeks to take the hint, though?
That’s what has been happening to me in the last month.
As a part-time writer and coach and a full-time mum to two children under 5, the thought of letting myself “take time off” to be ill seemed ridiculous.
But, 3 weeks ago, it happened.
My body literally took me to bed. We’re not talking about cosy covers, hot cups of tea and catching up on good books. We’re talking fevers, flu (proper flu, not man flu!), chest infection and sinusitis! We’re talking dark room, groaning and feeling awful!
To top things off, we had builders in for the first week, fixing the wobbly chimneys, so the house was full of banging and the main rooms were taped off like a crime scene, to reduce soot staining. The following week, different builders were working to replace the entire leaking water main – more banging, crashing, digging and no water for stretches at a time.
It really wasn’t a great time to be ill.
But that’s when my body picked.
Why?
Because I needed a break – I had been working too hard – and it needed to pick up a bug to clear out some stuff.
Rather than doing it over the summer, when the weather was lovely and there were plenty of people with free time to support, I kept putting it off until I could do so no longer!
It caused chaos for my wonderful family, who rallied round to look after the kids, sometimes driving over 100 miles a day to help out. By the time this is done I’ll have taken an entire month off work – very much enforced!
So what have I learned from all this?
That it’s critical to pay attention to the warning signs, before life sweeps you off your feet.
If you think you’re feeling rough and have been working too hard, then it is time to stop!
Back in a jiffy?
You might think you can’t take an afternoon off – or even just a couple of hours… But if you don’t nurture yourself, no one else will.
And surely it’s better to be “back in a jiffy” than “see you next month”?
Is there a reason why you’re reading this today?
Is it time to give yourself a break?
If you want to create magic in your life, you have to look after yourself, first.
With love,
Clare x
Yeah – I’m experiencing that right now – but I also experienced it a few years ago. With cancer as nature’s stern teacher. I hadn’t listened to my body in a very long time as crisis after crisis took the stage but I ‘manfully’ kept going. British stiff upper lip and all that. Mother earth thinking she was born to be Atlas as well.
Well, it couldn’t go on and Atlas became…Shrugged (as Ayn Rand would have it)!! Cancer was my final straw but rather than breaking this donkey’s back, I discovered the load strewn around me on the road. I did pick up my bags and just carry on, ready to face stoically whatever the health service chose to throw at me. But then…something happened and I found my ‘self’ instead. Body, mind, spirit, sustenance, relationships all came under scrutiny. I took myself back into the past, rediscovered my own likes and dislikes instead of being under the family thumb. I stood up to be counted. And the cancer hightailed it outta here!! Well, it wasn’t needed any more.
More recently, more shocks to the system. I struggled to come back quickly to the surface instead of taking my time. So fate took a hand, removed my car from my grasp, stuck me in pleasant surroundings and said ‘sit!’. I spent a couple of weeks still struggling and worrying and then said ‘OK’. And gave in. And the sky didn’t fall in. And I feel so much better. I even had time to come back here to explore your meditation mp3s – looking forward to listening to them. 🙂