June 23, 2021
I know I’m not alone when I say that I’ve been inexplicably tired and just feeling a little ‘off’ lately. I know this because I hear it from friends, co-workers and guests that come through The Happy Hour, and the question I keep hearing is ‘why am I feeling this way?’
Well, I have a theory that at the very least explains why I have felt this way, maybe you’ll relate. After a year plus of living an abridged version of “normal” life, a version that forced more time at home and almost no extra-curricular events, I became addicted to rest. I know, duh, humans need rest to live, but I never realized what rest really meant. As someone who had previously been constantly on the go, always checking off an item from the to-do list and adding three more, this whole rest and taking-it-slow thing was really foreign and uncomfortable to me. Until, it wasn’t…until, just the opposite happened and I began to relish in the rest. I learned how to prioritize mindfulness breaks, to nap, and sometimes even began to yearn for boredom (having 2 kids under 3 at the time, navigating a pandemic, and preparing to launch a new business will do that to you).
Fast-forward to May of this year, and we are all THRILLED and relieved that the world is beginning to open back up. But wait, it’s June now, why do I feel so depleted? Well, all that rest and those rituals I once prioritized flew out the window when I broke out of what felt like Covid-jail. I know, I know, I’m a certified holistic coach, but we are only human.
As I began to add back the rituals that so effectively rejuvenated me in the last year, they weren’t having the same impact on me. As I tell my guests all the time, as humans we evolve and go through different seasons, which require different needs and capabilities. If something was working for you before, and isn’t quite getting it done now, get curious. Start asking yourself some questions. What do I want to feel like mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually? When have I felt that way recently? And start to try some new things in your routine that might give you a little extra boost.
2020 was an opportunity to reset and take personal inventory, but as I begin to enter into a new world as a new me, I’m going to take this as an opportunity to re-set yet again because growth requires it. You can’t pour from an empty vessel, but sometimes what needs to fill up that vessel changes for your changing seasons. It’s not easy to figure out on your own what that looks like. Which is why I love talking to a life coach, but is also why I loved the book The Habit Trip. I found the book so simple yet transformational, that I HAD to share it with The Happy Hour community by creating a workshop* based on the book, led by the author herself! This book is one of the best tools I’ve seen out there to help you reflect on what’s important, what fills you up in all areas of your life, and how to create new habits, and let go of ones that don’t serve you. It’s a mix of impactful, easy-to-follow research and fill-in-the blank frameworks to help you reset and live life your way.
Here’s an example of the beginning of a framework in The Habit Trip (p.72), by Sarah Hays Coomer, that was really impactful to me: Download Now!