Mindful > Mind Full

I manuever through this piece using “We”, instead of “I”, because though I can relate on a personal level, this is something to collectively be aware of.

We find ourselves hypothesizing our lives. Putting scenarios together that sound a lot like “when I get to this checkpoint, then I’ll be able to go anywhere because this is all I see”. We place these limitations on ourselves that put us on a time schedule, that eventually might lead to burnout. We push ourselves to be these superheroes that can endure the roughest battles physically, not taking notice to the battles being created mentally and emotionally.

There’s a lot of pressure from the media to grind harder. “No Days Off” to “YES, work for what you want”, but we turn a blind eye to the importance of working smarter, not harder. The harder we push ourselves to be the greatest versions of ourselves, we open these invisible doors to our energy that hold the potential to completely drain us of our work ethic. If we don’t consciously make the effort to water our own garden and ensure our own mental and emotional stability, all that hard work will have felt like it was for nothing. We’ll be too tired to celebrate, thinking that our efforts weren’t enough. We dont applaud the baby steps as much as the big steps because, and I quote from Micayla, “some want to be seen while others want to be felt”. Our goals are waiting for us to reach them, they aren’t rushing or running or exhausting themselves to be seen and reached.

The healer is healing too! While being diligent in reaching long AND short term goals, we undergo transformation that heals us from the inside out. It is mental and emotional before it is physical. We feel before we finally act. Now, while we’re making progress, we have to remember to introspect and reflect. Ask ourselves questions, about if it’s working because we’re forcing it to, or if it’s meant to. Wanting to be seen can lead us to fitting into this fictitious mold of who we “should be”, in order to get to where we want to go. A healing healer knows that being authetic will get us there faster. Holding space for ourselves to SLOW DOWN, and not rush a goood thing, leaves room to improve mentally and prevent exhaustion. Mental burnout can lead to low self esteem, self sabotage and/or criticism, and even depression. These emotions and experiences are normal but we shouldn’t normalize being numb to our bodies, just to reach a milestone along our journey!

Our bodies send out signals when it wants a break, to rest and repair. We have to be mentally strong enough to accpet this and pause. We should aim to be the puppeteer when it comes to your mental health. Try not to allow the ways of the outside world, to diminish your inner world. Take care of the home inside the body, the mind, and the soul.

teyeshai