The last few months, I have been walking with a very heavy heart, and in my opinion it can be one of life's toughest experiences.
Lately, I have let a lot of things in my life bring me down (unfortunately), including all of those work hassles and stresses, relationships with friends, and simply trying to be a "good person."... whatever that means. It can be a lot to carry around with you... like strapping a pair of 50 pound weights to your shoulders and slowly moving to the next day.
And as so many others out there, when I am feeling down, I try to do those normal things to "deal with it", such as watching a sad movie, reading inspirational quotes, listening to depressing music, etc... Though overall, I don't want to be caught up in this long "funk" because I want to enjoy life rather than dwell in a pit of sorrow (which is where I feel like I have been lately).
I know that we all have been there, and we will probably be there again down the road. Recently, I realized something that I had not thought about before - there will be times in our life when we literally need to walk away from the stresses and sorrows that are stretching us like a rubber band in order to clear our head. In order to rejuvenate our body. In order to truly find ourselves again.
So, when I recently found myself at the end of my rope (quite literally), I took a two-week vacation out of the country to visit some dear people in my heart where I had no access to communication back home. Taking the time away has honestly brought me back to life.
I didn't realize (in it all) how much my daily stresses that pop up day in and day out really impacted every aspect of my heart, mind, body, and soul until I was near the edge of a cliff and about to jump.
Let's say that you can't take a long vacation and get away.
Do something on your own like:
- Taking a walk in the peace of nature,
- Laying in your yard or on the couch,
- Going to the movies and getting a large popcorn,
- Reading in a coffee shop,
- Exercising,
- Closing your eyes and breathing for a good minute,
- Volunteering...
I think the most important thing to do (at least what really helped me) is make sure that you leave your cell phone and get away from it all for a good chunk of time. I believe that society has trained us to feel that we cannot live even one second without communication (i.e. a cell phone, internet, etc...), but I think that is where we have it wrong. Everyone needs some time to themselves.
