Rest

For such a short word, this subject is a big one. Resting isn't something that comes naturally to us women and I felt it important to explore this and perhaps offer some journalling prompts for you to explore rest within yourself, along with some ways to give yourself some much needed time to just stop for a while.

During the first week of Women's Circles and the Mother's Morning Retreat, it has been made abundantly clear that as women, we struggle to pause, to take even just a moment for ourselves and yet it really is vital for our survival. Even as I sit writing this, I know I need to rest. I am SO tired in this present moment, yet here I am, typing away, why? Well, one, I am in a flow state, I am enjoying myself, so that's something, however, underlying that is a bit of fear. A fear that if I don't sit here writing this at 21:18 at night, that I won't succeed in what I want to achieve from life, that I won't be able to find any more time in all my days to write this PLUS all the other things I need to do. The truth is though that I will find the time and in fact, I will likely find more space and time if I do allow myself to do nothing for a little while because I won't feel so overwhelmed with life. Well, that's my therapy session done for the day, I am off to bed!

No, but really, rest is something that needs to be on the top of our to do list, not the bottom. Not only does it seem it's really difficult for us to find time to rest, we also will feel guilty or like we SHOULDN'T be resting when we do! It's made me question why we feel this way, especially after being in three circles in the past couple of weeks with the majority of women struggling to find time for themselves. I feel it is to do with our society mainly, a constant need to be doing all the time, to be producing and making things happen because who are we if we're not? Well, we are human beings who deserve everything we desire just because we exist. We do not need to continually prove anything to anybody in order to be enough, in order to just have some moments of peace. We live in a world which is very dominant in masculine energy and so it's up to us women to shine some light on the gifts that the feminine energy brings. Creativity, nurturing, intuition, emotional connection, sensitivity, flow, stillness, all things that are so very needed by every person.

Journal Prompts

~ What does rest mean to you?

~ Do you rest? If so, how?

~ How often do you rest? (if you do)

~ What do you do when you rest?

~ Do you want to/need to rest more?

~ How can you make more space for rest?

~ How would resting more make you feel?

Change the way you see & How

you Feel about rest

Rested, we are ready for the world but not held hostage by it, rested we care again for the right things and the right people in the right way. In rest we reestablish the goals that make us more generous, more courageous, more of an invitation, someone we want to remember, and someone others would want to remember too.'

~David Whyte ~

I truly believe that the way we can invite more rest into our lives is by reframing how we see and how we feel about rest. We need to see it as a necessity, something that in order to be the best version of ourselves we HAVE to have it. Instead of seeing it as not doing, see it as doing, you are DOING REST you are EMBODYING what it is to be restful. Add it to your to do list for the day if you have to, schedule rest time into your calendar or just feel into when the right time for you to rest is and allow yourself to be ok with that, there is no right or wrong way to organise yourself, do what's right for you.

So, I welcome you to make rest your new best friend. For 3 days from when you read this I want you to take just 15 minutes to stop, to chill out and relax. Maybe you slump on the sofa and watch some tv, maybe you lay down on your bed, maybe you go outside and listen to the birds, whatever you want to do, but you must feel in your bones that you are being restful. If those 3 days go well, try it for 3 more and maybe do it for a little longer. It's also important we remove the GUILT, too often have I heard women mention their guilt when they want or need to rest, if you find yourself going there, if guilt is rising, take a deep breath and exhale it out, do that as many times as you need to until is dissipates AND/OR shake it out, shake each part of your body until guilt no longer exists within you.

I also invite you to journal afterwards, see what comes up for you, do you find yourself gaining more insight? Do you feel more creative? Have more patience? Or are you feeling guilty still? Are you finding it difficult to find the time? How can you move forward with this new way of being?

I would love to hear how you get on with this practice so please email me at sheflows.uk@gmail.com or message me on social media.

Rest easy my loves,

Lauren xxx