This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)
This is going to be a short post because this message is pretty straightforward. I was wondering—when was the last time you took some time to check on yourself? Yes, I am asking this question of you, the person reading this … but I’m also asking the person who’s writing it. 🙋🏽♀️
I’m not sure if this happens to you as well, but I get so focused on making sure all my loved ones and the people I care for are doing great that I completely forget I need to check on myself from time to time as well. Please don’t misunderstand me; I meditate every single day and use those minutes to connect deeply with my awareness, and I do get lots of answers from my meditation regarding my inner self. Meditation, as I’ve mentioned before, is one of the best gifts I have found in life.
For my purposes in this post, however, when I talk about reality checks I’m referring to how your life’s externalsituations are impacting you. For instance, I’ve been working really hard the past four years because, well, that’s what one is supposed to do when one starts a business. Recently, however, I’ve noticed that because I want to accomplish so many things at the same time, I often forget my mind and my body need time to recover. For instance, I sign up for courses to learn more about the things I like, even though I have to fight with my schedule to fit them in. I don’t miss a workout EVER because I made a commitment to always exercise no matter what. I do my meal prep every Sunday, even when I feel extremely tired. I could keep going, but I think you get the idea.
It doesn’t help when I keep hearing people whose job is to inspire and motivate others saying that we can’t stop. The other day, I even heard one of the people I follow saying we shouldn’t waste time sleeping if we really want to succeed. Okay, so I’ve done that (skipped sleep) many times, and I can assure you it’s not the best practice. Our bodies and minds need time to recover. How do I know this? Because my body and mind are screaming at me right now, telling me they don’t have any more energy. So, I sat down in front of my laptop to write my weekly post because it’s important to me, and I decided to do my reality check while writing.
I am so freaking tired! This is my reality check! I know what I’m capable of, but right at this moment I’m not competing with anyone, not even myself! I know I can do great things. I know I can accomplish as much as I want. But I’m going to take some time to recover, which means I’m going to evaluate the tasks I’ve given myself to complete and see if any of them can be moved around. I’m going to listen to my body, and if I need to sleep … guess what? I’m going to take the time to do so!
This is my reality check for today, my friends. I hope you can also take some time to check on yourself and see what your mind and body are saying (screaming?) to you. More importantly, I hope you actually listen to them and do what you need to do to feel at your very best again.
Love,
Irene
