Are you feeling guilty about relaxing? A number of people I’ve seen as clients for psychic readings have had the same issue come forward. It is one I am familiar with as well. Feeling guilty about relaxing and taking time for themselves.
I think we as women are especially prone to feeling guilty. There are so many people with so many needs, why should we take time for ourselves? Well, it is vital to our heath and well-being to take care of ourselves, at least as well as we do for others!
I have noticed there is a pattern of proving self worth by caring for others. It is like for so many of us as women our self worth is tied up with how well we care for others. If we stop for an afternoon, or a whole day- heaven forbid, we are being selfish and lazy (well, this is the silliness we tell ourselves anyway.)
One of my favorite teachers, Thich Nhat Hanh, said at a retreat I was at with him in Colorado, that at their retreat centers, they have a “lazy day”. He will go around asking people “are you being lazy enough?” He recognizes the sanity in having down time to ourselves.
While we might not live at a retreat center, it is vital we carve out time for ourselves to relax, rejuvenate and refresh. We then have more to give to others and can be more effective and joyful in our lives. From my experience, and from what Thich Nhat Hanh teaches, I’m sure that joy isn’t an unattainable thing, it springs up in us when we have time to breathe and space to notice that breath within a pause for ourselves.
I’m inspired to go out in the sun and take a breath, but I can start right here at this moment and so can you.