This week, I cower at the thought of creating as spirits have been low. I am unable to pinpoint a singular incident or condition, but the energetic pattern is familiar. The formal label that can be assigned to this pattern matters less with time, for the experience is what remains. Initially, there is a gnawing sensation of feeling overwhelmed, regardless of what is perceived as “needing” to be done. In this overwhelmed state, the mind compulsively lists pending responsibilities, creating increased floundering and an inability to act. From here, fatigue settles in. Despite the looming tasks, drowsiness becomes heightened. With a heavy and limp vessel, sleep beckons. This crossroads is well-known. Does one succumb to the lure of rest or continue floundering into (eventual) action?
The self-help renaissance is inundated with messages of persevering regardless of circumstance. As I highlight this, please note that I am not lobbying for an absence of grit; it too is an aspect of existence. Furthermore, if it serves you in a meaningful way then all of the power to you (and it). For a significant portion of my young life on this planet, I too have injected this fuel. Yet, for some, there exists a rather invisible moment when persevering lands one on the side of absolute burnout. The previous three years of my life have been a testament to this burnout phenomenon. Fast forward to this moment, where the presence of incessant messages of forging on and continuing to “do” has evolved into a full-time practice of letting go and detaching from mind-judgement. I once revered the famous proverb, “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” Today it is more applicably stated as, “Fall down seven times, stay fallen and play dead.”
As I have hopefully made apparent, performance-based anxiety, extrinsic reward, and intrinsic motivation no longer provide consistent sustenance. Accordingly, I find myself navigating life in unknown ways. Since I cannot rely on my physical body or mental fortitude for energy, it is vital to connect to a universal source of energy and ride its wave. In other posts and conversations, this has often been referred to as flow. Adopting the practice of flow has been rather counterintuitive. Being raised on a farm outside of a hamlet has resulted in the downloading of some traditional approaches to life. The most prominent of those being: play and reward are only entertained and/or indulged in once chores and responsibilities are completed. From a theoretical stance, this may appear to be both rational and fair, however most rural folk know that the lifestyle lends itself to endless chores and responsibilities. As is likely evident, this methodology relies heavily on “doing” traits, which brings us full circle to my conundrum.
I wish there were a simple-step practice that could be collectively utilized for tapping into life force, but perhaps that would result in a dull and repetitive existence. You may be wondering how I connect to this said force, of which I do not hold a straightforward answer. Often, writing is a portal to a flow state. Flow can also be stumbled upon during exercise or when anger is allowed to assemble and is channeled into action. All I can invite others to do is to allow their intuition to be the guide in following effortlessness. Whenever striving or an agenda is present, our ability to extend beyond ourselves is limited; the absence of these is what is meant by the term effortlessness. So, my dearest readers, on this #wisdomwednesday the request is this: follow bliss, follow flow, follow effortlessness, follow freedom.
May your coffee be plentiful,
Sherise
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