When You Are Tired Learn to Rest Not Quit.
When you apply love and compassion during your rest the faster you can get back up and the smoother your “pause” will be.
This is a classic quote that I saw on Pinterest and I am sure you can relate to. The month of June taught me this lesson. I burned out heavy and have been on the “mat” ever since. I am gradually making my way up. If you didn’t know I have chronic conditions that I call “Invisibles” (illness others can’t see) fibromyalgia, non-epileptic seizures, and anxiety disorders.
I was reactive with my health over proactive. I did not plan the rest time. Since this quarantine, I have been way busier than I thought I would be. I also did way better than I thought I would with keeping up with creating content and homeschooling my four-year-old son.
What I forgot is the power of adrenaline when you are trying to survive. I was doing what had to be done. It seemed like the day my son had his last day of school my body said “uncle”. I had a huge flare-up. During the past year, I have had flareups but seemed to be back up within a day or two but this flareup is going on two weeks.
If you are a chronic warrior like me can you relate to how frustrating it is to know your limitations but still “forget” and pay dearly for them? I get so upset when others don’t “get” my struggle with these conditions and yet here I am forgetting to plan rest and recovery. It seems easy to remember when the pain is there. I can’t even take the credit, since my late teens my body has found an effective way of letting me know when I have overstepped my limitations.
It took me a long time to appreciate that pain has a purpose. It lets me know something is not right and needs to be adjusted. The pain I felt in my body when this flareup happened was so humbling. I did not need to think if I needed to rest, I wasn’t going anywhere.
It was then I apologized and told my body “I hear you.” And “I’m sorry for not listening before.” Having chronic conditions is not easy, but having coped with them for twenty years it has made me better.
Uhmm How?
The gifts of my chronic conditions are these six qualities.
Empathy
Compassion
Gratitude
Patience
Acceptance
Self-Awareness
It’s like another awesome Pinterest quote which I love that says “Life is like photography, we develop from the negatives.”
This negative has definitely developed some amazing qualities that have grown me into the compassionate cheerleader that you know.
For that I am grateful. Along with the fact that I have lots of opportunities to practice these things especially during flareups. In the beginning, when I was resisting my limitations I stayed down longer but now I know the gentler I am and more accepting the easier the pause can be and I get back up a lot easier.
Do you listen to your body's cues for rest? Like when you feel
Overwhelmed
Stressed Out
Snappy
Spacey
Distracted
Weak
Exhausted
When we are proactive and plan for rest and recovery our bodies will reward us with what we need to stay on this marathon run.
Remember the best motivator for change is love, so keep transforming from the inside out with love and compassion. 🦋
