I often dip into my pocket copy of the Tao Te Ching, when I want a bit of inspiration – and this morning’s verse was quite apt.
I woke up at 6 a.m., having got to sleep at 1 a.m. and been woken by my 2 year-old at 3 a.m., ready for my first coffee of the day.
Feeling exhausted has been a common theme for me – not just the “I need a good night’s sleep” kind of tired, but really, deep down exhausted.
And over the years, I’ve realised I’ve been pretty good at feeling tired. In fact, I was just 21 when feeling “Tired All The Time” (TATT – don’t you love it?!) got me into researching alternative therapies, starting with aromatherapy.
But, whatever I have tried -and I’ve tried the lot – nothing has shifted the general, underlying exhaustion.
It has been a constant companion through every life upheaval I have created over the last few decades!
And I know I’m not alone in this. I suspect a large number of you reading this are nodding, knowingly. Or planning to suggest even more alternatives that I’ve not yet tried. 😉
Last week I decided that enough was finally enough. There are so many things that I’m here to do, feeling exhausted no longer fits with my game plan. (Though it has been a great excuse for avoiding so much over the years!).
So, dipping into the Tao, at random, this morning, I wasn’t at all surprised by the lines I read:
To seek control is to create dis-stress.
To create dis-stress produces exhaustion.
How many of us are running this pattern?
By trying to control the world around us, the events that are out of our hands, the people who – outrageously – have their own minds and do as they please, we are using up phenomenal amounts of energy. We are exhausting ourselves. And feeling miserable into the bargain.
Tomorrow, I’ll be writing some more about what we can do instead.
In the meantime, I invite you to ponder those lines from the Tao today – and see where they take you. I suspect that answers – and change – are on the way.
Here’s to feeling bouncily full of vibrant energy!
With love,
Clare x
