(I wrote this one night, well past midnight...)
It's late.
I'm tired.
I would like to go to bed.
...but I have more writing to do.
It seems like I should push on, so I can finish up as quickly as possible. That would be the smart thing to do.
But I take a break, instead.
A JOY break.
I sit down on the couch, get comfortable, and start focusing on the words, "ease" and "flow." The next thing I know the word "inspiration" wants to come and play. As I start thinking about the joy I feel when inspiration starts to flow, I actually start to feel joyful. Because feeling follows thought.
Other words come to mind, and as I think them, I feel them. Alive. Energized. Ablaze. Inspired. Ease and flow. Joy.
I jump easily from tired to thrilled, from "do I have to?" to "life is GOOD!"
I only did this for a few minutes, and yet everything changed. My energy. My outlook. My happiness level.
How often during the day do you wish you could take a break and meditate, or relax, or do some deep breathing, or write. And how often do you tell yourself, "I don't have time for that." Or perhaps you feel, in that moment, like it's a chore and you don't want to do it.
My response to you is...
DO IT anyway!
Take the time.
MAKE the time!
Doing any one of these practices is life giving. Your mind may balk, but your body and spirit will go, "YEAH!"
This is a JOY break. It's energizing, revitalizing, and FUN!
If you don't have a particular practice of your own, do the Abraham-Hicks alphabet game. Focus on a good feeling "A" word for a few seconds. Then on a good feeling "B" word. Then keep going all the way to "Z." Appreciation. Beauty. Clarity. Delicious...
Enjoy.
Love this post!
The way my life is right now I wish I could take more breaks to just relax and recharge.
Not just here, at home, as it's way too cluttered, right now, as I can't afford a real bed, and more bookshelves, but along a walking or biking trail here in my new city.
Closest thing to relaxing I've done in the 4 months Isince I moved here was last week when I attended a cat all day.
Posted by: Kiril Kundurazieff | January 12, 2013 at 06:28 AM
Thanks, Kiril!
The key to being able to relax and recharge is inside of us--our focus--whether we choose to focus on something enjoyable or to diffuse our focus through meditation and let the mind (and body) relax.
Animals are especially good companions for creating a joy break.
Posted by: Julie | January 12, 2013 at 04:25 PM