Towards the end of December, I usually start thinking about my mantra or word for the year. Instead of a New Year’s resolution, I look within to see what’s brewing or needing attention.
2017 was the Year of Re. Not a focus on repeating a behavior or patterns, but instead doing anew…rebirth. I chose Re and not a specific word because there seemed to be so many bubbling up. Rekindle, refuel, rebalance,reclaim, renew, rediscover, rejoice, replenish, regroup, revitalize, re-arrive, repattern, reconfigure, release, restore, relief, retreat, relax,reset. You get the idea.
But, ultimately a single Re settled in…recover. 2015 and 2016 were so very trying and difficult that appartently I needed an entire year to recover my strength. If there is one thing that keeps coming up for me, it is that I need to allow myself to “not do.” To simply be. To pause. To rest.
Society and our prehistoric survival brain tell us that action with a capital A is always the best choice. Society does this by adding a negative connotation to words like “pause” and “rest.” The implication being that only the weak need to pause or rest. If someone is inactive or not constantly moving forward, it is perceived that they are lazy, unproductive, or wasting time. I am so very guilty of this, with myself and others.
The prehistoric survival brain is wired to be constantly thinking, creating stories, and preparing for the worst. If we are “pausing” or god-forbid “resting,” the survival brain assumes we are a sitting duck. That type of expression, sitting duck, cracks me up, but let’s save that for another blog post.
Pausing allows us to reassess a situation and if we are able to separate from the frenzy of the situation and the need to make up a story about what is happening, we might actually be able to see what is truly happening and be able to make a kinder, more effective and compassionate choice. Instead of just plowing forward so that the survival brain is satiated with a story of some kind, no matter how untrue, we are then able to choose our response.
Resting allows us to recover our strength, catch our breath and ultimately, gives us energy for our next great adventure. We can’t be in constant motion. Our health and mental stability break down.
So, by pausing before responding and resting between exertions, we have more power over how our lives unfold. My mantra for 2017 was ultimately not to give in to the notion that forward motion is always the best option. Stilling the mind and listening for the wisdom that lies within got me through a tough recovery. The message of rest or pause is a hard one to follow, but ultimately it helps us to actively choose to write our own story.
So when I began to listen for the whispers from within as to what my 2018 word or mantra would be, I was quite surprised to find that it was SHINE. Not shine, mind you, but SHINE. Seriously? What does my soul think I am capable of? Did it not just witness that my mind and body wanted to crawl under a rock for most of 2017 and hibernate? My mind and body were all like, “screw this Wonder Woman shit of 2015 and 2016, let’s pretend we are something super tiny and crawl into a warm safe den that nobody knows where the door is.”
But, apparently my soul thinks that SHINE is my 2018 word. It should make for an interesting year to say the least. Stay tuned.
