What if we slowed down long enough to celebrate the things we’re already doing well. Just taking a moment to focus on all that we’ve done so far and where we stand right now, not focusing on all the things we want to do or feel we *need* to do.
What if, that slowing down and shift in mindset is exactly what’s needed to create the space your body needs to heal and thrive?
The answer is NOT always do more. <— Please read that again.
In my 1-1 consults, yes, I look for/we discuss patterns and habits that can benefit from some adjusting. But this is also true: with every client, I see the incredible things they are already doing well that they might not be able to see at the moment (i.e. getting more sleep, taking time for walks, yoga, making one home cooked meal a week, allowing themselves space to have a hard day, but get right back up).
Sometimes it takes an objective eye. And man do I love celebrating those things with my clients!
Because, check this out: when we deeply and completely love and accept ourselves, right where we are – the body and mind register safety, acceptance, and are then physiologically cued to come down into the parasympathetic state. That’s the healing state, where all the magic happens.
It’s like preparing an amazingly delicious dinner every night of the week, not sitting down to enjoy it, and expecting to be nourished and satisfied from it.
So all the things we’re already doing and have done, how can we better acknowledge and follow them through to truly reap the full benefits? How can we S L O W D O W N a little bit more and trust that our bodies know what to do if given the time and space to do it?
Is there one thing you’ve been doing to take care of yourself all along? Can you take a few days to allow that to sink in and celebrate where you are right now?
***I’ve talked about going to Italy, the country of my heritage, for years. Imagining lemon and olive groves, I daydreamed and smiled into the air. This past spring, I went to Italy. My friend took this photo of me on Elba Island at a vineyard and farm, when I recognized that moment where I was, amidst more olive trees than I dreamed of. Something I had been working for and toward was now my present moment. I was there, walking among them, touching and smelling, just savoring where I was standing, the air I was breathing, all that I was seeing. Celebrating quietly and also with a burst of joy, to remind myself, too, to soak in that day and that little dream that became true. ***
