#23 - "Doing Nothing"
#23 - "Doing Nothing"
This article discusses:
Resting body and mind
Unlearning the “doing”
The need of “doing nothing”
Tell me about you.
Good morning beautiful souls,
Today I didn’t wake up well. My body needs rest. I’ve been overdoing it in the past five months. Having a high pain tolerance and also a high-achiever syndrome, it seems harder for me to stop or even to know when to stop. But today hit differently.
I am tired. The current situation is exhausting. The waiting game with immigration (the Department of Home Affairs) is an ongoing, chronic stress that hasn’t stopped since I have been in Australia. This waiting game is getting more stressful. Also, my impatience does not help me to regulate my nervous system.
Another super-power of mine is not knowing how or when to slow down. Winding down is something hard to execute. Due to past trauma, my education and where I was born, relaxing was synonymous of being lazy.
However, this is not a reason to keep pushing until I break. This is what I felt this morning. I’ve been bending for so long that the breaking point seems near.
Hence … It is time to slow down!
It’s time to pause, reflect and reassess.
I want to do is to live for as long as possible, as healthy as possible, as able as possible, as fit as possible. Driving myself crazy, overworking with little sleep and running everywhere will not accomplish this ultimate goal.
So I have decided not to study, not to go for a run. I’ve started my day with a slow and mindful session of yoga. I was guided by my body. If she wanted to wave, she did. If she wanted to do the downward-facing dog, she did. I realised that my body needed slow and gentle movements, more yin than vinyasa yoga. And I’m writing this down here to let (me and) you know that that is okay.
I went to work. Because … you know me now! But I’ve decided to approach work differently. I did some tasks very slowly, consciously slower. It felt so good. I even noticed a shift in my client’s mood. They seem more at peace and relaxed, because I was too.
Note to self: How I am and how I show up in the world is important. Not only for yourself, also and especially for others.
Have you felt angry after talking to someone who was?
Have you felt exhausted after talking to someone “with low energy”?
Instead of blaming them, I realise that my energies and how I walk into the world can have huge influences and consequences on others. I don’t want some of my energies to affect others. To avoid this to a maximum, what I simply need to “do” is to take care of myself, in a genuine, healthy and softer ways.
So today, I tried to unlearn the “doing” energy (maybe with the “fuck it” energy: see previous Story #21). I’ve implemented the power of slowing down. I got home after work. I lay down on the floor and I reconnected. The sun was shining. I felt the warmth on my body. My cat was purring and then she was walking on my face. I laughed. No phone, no notifications. I didn’t need to be anywhere else but in the now. I was enjoying the moment. I was so relaxed that I literally fell asleep for a few moments.
“Doing nothing” is actually not true. I was self-regulating my nervous system and showing my whole self some love, deep rest and radical self-care.
“Running” is important. Sometimes we have to act fast and take action. But today wasn’t the day. Listening to my body’s needs was the day. Hence, slowing down and also regulating my nervous system. For my own good, and for everyone around me.
Hey! … and don’t forget. We are human BEINGS. Not human doing ;)
Tell me about you. What are your slow-down practices?
How do you Be when you need to do rest?
I’m sending you pure and genuine love, filled with light and warmth.
Take care of your whole self, each other, and your community.
Nurture and be mindful of the natural world around you and within you.
Written 05/05/2024
Published 29/01/2026
