If you kept up with us this week, you know we talked about both the challenge and the liberation of learning to say “no” to people, projects and even “opportunities” that your intuition tells you aren’t right, or are just aren’t right for right now. Everyone’s different, but for some of us, it’s easier to please others than it is to do right by ourselves. You don’t have to look hard to realize that we have ourselves a pretty substantial mindfulness challenge right here. I know, I know…but it is ok to say “yes” to this one.
When we are overwhelmed, it’s harder to make decisions. It’s tougher to say no because it’s less clear what we actually want. When you’re drinking from a fire house, how are you supposed to analyze the hydrogen atoms in the water, right? So, this weekend, it’s time to slow down.
Your “no-fail” mindfulness challenge this weekend is to disconnect. Not for the whole weekend (unless of course, you can manage that. If so, tell me all about it! It sounds dreamy.), but for a period of time. You decide when; you decide for how long. For this period of time, you are going to do nothing. Sit, breathe normally, let your body sink into your seat. Let your knees, hips, shoulders, neck, and even your tightly-clenched jaw relax. When the little invisible magnets on the tips of your fingers start pulling you towards that phone, TV remote, or random piece of junk mail on the counter that has suddenly become fascinating, just tell yourself “not right now.” It will be there.
Also, great news: you can let your mind wander during this time. The effort is just to be without external distractions, but this could be a great time to daydream, think creatively, or just imagine. Or not – up to you. It’s your downtime. There’s no agenda, there are no goals. Just be. If you think you’re not doing it right, then I have one key piece of advice for you:
Relax.
Happy weekend!
Photo credit: Matthew Henry
