Stressed to the Limit?
This morning, I stumbled into my kitchen to cook breakfast, only to remember that there’s nothing in the kitchen. All the cooking utensils, plates, and bowls are scattered throughout my living room right now, and none of the cupboards have doors. The walls are half-painted and the counters are covered in sawdust. I currently can’t locate the loaf of bread I bought yesterday, but it’s probably out there in the living room piled next to the knives or under the stack of newspapers.
While home renovations are certainly exciting, and I’m looking forward to the end result, I might be a tad tired of the process. It’s been nice to get some fresh air in the basement via the large hole in the wall, but since it’s eleven degrees outside, I wouldn’t mind if it were patched soon. And though I quite like the contractor who is renovating our house, it is starting to feel like he lives with us.
As I searched around the house for a spatula and pan this morning, I will admit to feeling out-of-sorts. Okay, maybe even grumpy. I felt stretched, as though some internal limit had been reached, quite suddenly, and I was very much done with this renovation process.
Except, the renovation process is not yet done.
The handy thing about mind-body skills is that they can be done on the fly. As I rushed around, trying to find kitchen implements and muttering under my breath, I reflected on what my emotions, body, and soul were telling me. Here’s the summary:
Emotions: Anger and Irritation – a limit has been reached.
Body: Tired – it’s time to rest.
Soul: Space is needed now.
I immediately felt better. Understanding what I need solves the stress.
The interesting thing about listening to my needs is that it doesn’t involve any kind of problem-solving or action steps. Instead of trying to solve anything or jump right into “fix” mode (which often just increases stress), I can sit back and listen. First, I listen to what is needed. Then, I listen for the solution.
Amazingly, without any work on my part, the solutions always appear. Whenever I listen for them, they show up. They come as ideas in my own mind, words spoken from someone else, or a phrase in a book. They can be in any form – my job is to recognize them.
Today’s solution came in the form of an email. The contractor wrote to detail out his plan to finalize the kitchen. Order and space arrived out of nowhere. He then reminded me that he will be gone next week – all week. A week in which I will rest, clean sawdust off my countertops, and enjoy the pause before we jump back into the game.
Life itself is pretty much a home renovation process. Just when you think it’s going smoothly, something springs a leak or some such surprise arises. There will be many moments when you are stretched to your limit, ready to snap. When stress happens, it’s time to stop and listen. Your emotions, body, and soul are there to help you navigate. Discover your needs, listen for the solutions, and stop trying to figure it out.
Posted on January 19, 2012 at 7:00 am
Categories: Feel your Emotions and Access their Wisdom, Hear Your Body’s Wisdom, Inner Wisdom, Relieve your Pain & Stress
Tags: anger, emotional awareness, Mind Body Healing, stress
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Love it & needed to see this today! Good luck with the rest of the project!
I love it!! Amen to that, sister!!
must constantly remind myself to “listen” w/o trying to “fix” things..
thanks again
love n.
“Stop trying to figure it out”! Love it! Sometimes the messages are right in front of us, we just THINK we’re blind
Very nice…I too had reached my limit last week while packing, catching up on work, arranging cat care, and snow removal for the cat sitters so we could go on vacation. Several times I heard “it will all get done, take time for yourself” . My lizard brain jumped in and said “there is too much to do..you will never get done”. I smiled, and told myself to trust myself andi took time for my yoga and took time to be still…….guess what? It all got done with minimal stress. The skills you have taught me have transformed my life….thank you
Love the reminder, Abigail! I hit my limit 2 weeks ago and, thankfully, finally paused to listen and await, then honor what wanted to happen. What a direct access to relief. Love being aware of the mind/body connection.