Reflections from a midlife journey
The surprising ally that helped me change my business
While I have been pretty quiet the past couple of months, there has been movement going on in the background around my business.
It all started in March when I took myself to the ER for heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and tightness in my chest. I was fine, at least physically. It wasn’t until I was lying awake in the middle of the night a few days later that the source of my symptoms became apparent to me.
Anxiety.
Tend the body first
In our culture, we do an abysmal job of respecting our bodies. We treat them like servants when in fact they’re benevolent sages. Unfortunately, we rarely take the time to listen to and heed their wisdom.
I know why. Because doing so often means doing the opposite of how we’ve been conditioned. And that scares the shit out of us because we fear “falling behind.”
In good time
There is no falling behind. Although the world moves in chronos (sequential) time, our souls operate in kairos (opportune) time. There is only ever the right time for you.
Lying fallow
This winter has been rough and not in the way you might think. The weather outside has been relatively tame. There aren’t feet of snow piled up—not even inches. In fact, there have been days when it’s been downright balmy. No, the tempest that’s been wreaking havoc has been happening inside me.
Resting and hiding
It's human nature to put up our defenses when we feel we are under attack. Many times, though, the instinct to protect ourselves comes from our lizard brain, which is responding to a thought we're having in the moment that may or may not be true. Our lizard brain assumes the worst, so we hunker down and close ourselves off for fear that we'll be seen and judged for our vulnerability. We go into hiding.
Rest
I recently visited with some girlfriends while in the Bay Area a couple weeks ago. As we were catching up, one thing struck me: They’re both tired. Actually, that’s an understatement. They’re exhausted. It’s no wonder, between kids, work, travel, school commitments, aging parents, home remodeling projects, and on and on. Sound familiar?