The other day a client asked me what I did to care for myself if I was feeling overwhelmed by life.
Hmmm….????
Well…I actually do a variety of things, and I am sure you do too.
Prompted by this client’s great question, I have decided that over the next while I will share with you a few of the techniques I turn to when life gets out of control.
Off we go!
So here goes the first one…
One of my favourite ways to fill myself up when the tank is empty is to spend some time alone.
If you have been following my posts, I am sure this is not news to you!
When you are a mother of small kids silence is truly golden.
The days seemed to be filled with non stop questions, funny conversations, calling kids to the table to eat, the sound of video games, loud cartoons on the TV, the singing of Let It Go from ‘Frozen’, and the arguing and whining that comes with asking a 6 year old to practice piano.
Like the Grinch said in ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas’;
‘Oh the noise, noise, noise, noise!’
When was the last time you experienced real silence? Or had 20 minutes alone and did nothing? (and you can’t count sleeping either!)
Maybe you had a peaceful interlude this morning?
If so, good for you, because when you start the day off with a calm mind, the rest of the day tends to flow smoothly as well.
Or….
….maybe you are moving through the day like a ‘human snow globe’ where, instead of fake snow you have a blizzard of thoughts swirling around in your head.
If this is the case then you are due for some alone time my friend!
Depending on the day (or the moment) I can be the woman who flows through the day, unflappable, or the walking snow globe.
I am sure you can relate.
Head Like a Snow Globe
If I find myself overwhelmed, with a storm of thoughts in my head, I know it is time to get out of the house, away from the dishes and the meals that need planning, the papers on my desk, the unreturned phone calls and unread e-mails, and give myself some space and time to just breathe.
Enter the mystical.
Near where I live is the ‘Eagles’ Nest’ labyrinth.
It can be found in a clearing surrounded by tall trees on an ocean bluff near where I live, and usually it is deserted.
The labyrinth was built by the local hospice society as a place of contemplation, and they could not have picked a better location.
Who would have thought it?
A sacred spot in my own neighbourhood that, when frazzled, I can head to and slowly walk.
Being in nature with something to focus on besides my always present ‘to do’ list helps ‘fill me up‘ waaaaaaay more effectively than turning on the TV or scrolling through Facebook, which when overwhelmed, is often my first impulse.
About Labyrinths
****FYI- back in the day I left university with a BA in Medieval Studies, so I tend to geek out on topics like this (and anything to do with Harry Potter).
A little history for you…
A labyrinth is an ancient pattern found throughout many cultures of the world.
There are two types of labyrinths – a maze and a meander.
With the maze a traveller has to chose between two options. See the photo below for a pic from the maze scene in Harry Potter (a classic tale of the hero’s journey) where Harry is competing for the Goblet of Fire.
….but the meander is a single undivided path.
One of the more famous ‘meandering’ labyrinths can be found on the floor at Chartres Cathedral in France which dates back to 1194. In the Middle Ages walking a cathedral labyrinth was a devotional activity, a substitute for going on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
It has been said that a labyrinth is an archetype for the human mind (an archetype is a universal pattern of behavior), a representation of the journey into the centre of our being. Some say it also represents the circulation of the vital energies in our bodies.
Whatever it does it IS special- slightly mystical for sure.
For me walking through a labyrinth is really just a moving meditation and a way to settle the snow in my ‘snow globe’ mind.
So back to the client who asked how I care for myself when overwhelmed-
– time alone (with or without a labyrinth!) is where I often start.
I will bid you adieu with a quote from the English medieval mystic Julian of Norwich.
Born in 1342 she was an an ‘anchoress’ (a person who has retired from the world, sort of like a nun), who lived through the Black Plague. Her work ‘Revelations of Divine Love’ is the first book in the English language known to have been written by a woman. T.S. Eliot referenced her work in his poem the ‘Four Quartets’.
‘All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well’.
-Julian of Norwich
(a good phrase to repeat to oneself while travelling the path of the labyrinth, or any time for that matter!)
Happy Easter, enjoy your long weekend and thanks for allowing me space in your in-box!
PS * You would be surprised at the number of labyrinths there are out there-just punch labyrinth into your browser and you should be able to find one near you.
xo
Elizabeth