A Moment for Compassion

I took yesterday afternoon off and spent it driving around to appointments and errands.

The day felt very back to back to back. The me that scheduled the day was thinking about optimizing time! making the most of the afternoon! productivity!

But I didn't stop to consider that I don't like to rush.
That sometimes driving makes me anxious.
That being on time is really important to me and I feel stressed when that's pressured.

In the flurry of stops (and one parking ticket later) I looked up and saw these words, loud and clear. Some days the messages feel like a stovetop tea kettle, the rumble of the boil whistling at you until you do something about it.

So I said "ok I hear you" and took it as an invitation to pause, to breathe, to offer myself compassion.

And I wanted to invite you to do the same.

Take a moment to pause. Place your hands at your sides or on your heart, roll those shoulders back, shake it off. Take a big, deep breath.

What are you feeling?
Where do you feel it?

Does it feel safe to sit in that for a moment?

Offer yourself some compassion for those feelings. Calling yourself by your own name, what can you offer to validate how you feel? For me yesterday it was: "Oh Julia, I can see that you're feeling rushed, stressed, and annoyed with yourself. It's ok to feel this way. It's so easy and normal to get caught up in the need to be productive. Allow yourself to simply be in these feelings for a bit."

Sending love from my boiling kettle to yours 🫖💖