Like many of us, when my life feels its most full and stressful my wellbeing habits tend to be the first thing to slide. Yoga, eating well—and Floating are all apt to fade from my daily rotation. The irony, of course, is that when life feels as such, this is when I need these habits and wellness routines most.
I begin to look at those feel-good habits—which are so easy to take for granted (until you stop dong them)—as numbers. Save an hour here, cut 30 minutes here. I marginalize them into logical little chunks of time that I believe I could redirect to “accomplishing”.
But there’s a problem with that—all time spent is not created equal. My 60 minute float or 90 minute yoga class are more than just time spent—they refuel me, they fill me up with energy again and revitalize my focus. An hour of clarity and genuine focus goes ions farther than an hour spent restless, attempting to force accomplishment when its just not happening and what I actually need is…just an hour by myself.
I’ve come to realize that when I’m feeling overwhelmed and am responding by trying to force productivity I’m just plain ineffective. The precious hour I “save” by skipping my float ends up being an hour of regret—as I pace around, feel restless and have trouble focusing on my tasks at hand regardless.
Recently I’ve had the thought that I don’t need to manage or find more time—just greater quality of my own energy. So, when eating right, floating working out and time to myself start to slide—what I’m really letting go of is precious opportunities to be refreshed and, in actuality, show up much more ready for accomplishing work.
Its been a comforting thought—it leaves space in my life to do what my body really craves when I’m running around like a chicken with its head cut off—slow down, rather than speed up.
Reach for my yoga mat, instead of another cup of coffee. Schedule a 60 minute float, rather than 60 minutes trying to force productivity.
I can’t remember a time I’ve regretted floating or otherwise caring for myself in the midst of stress and chaos—it always brings a feeling of remembrance and relief, a recall that yes, to everything there is an ebb and flow—I can’t just pour out all the time, I need to fill up, too—especially when I’m giving it my all in the more stressing times of my life.
Avoid burnout; refuel your fire with relaxation and self-care on a regular basis—you may just find that you’re getting more done than ever.
Have you floated yet? Give your local True REST a call, or book online, here!
Photo Credit: JD on Flickr