As women, we’re often inclined to care and cater to those around us. We’re always on the run, always getting things done, always lending a hand, always trying to make time for those we care about, and often we forget that we need to care for ourselves as well. We spend so much time filling other people’s cups that sometimes we forget that we also need to fill our own cup.
You cannot pour from an empty cup.
This week, it’s all about resetting our mind, and slowing down to bring ourselves back into the present. For the next 10 minutes, this time is yours, protect this time and make it count. Our mind is so busy all the time that even when it floats around into other thoughts or strays away, we need to bring it back to us, to the present, to the now.
There are many grounding and breathing techniques that can be used to help our mind focus and bring us back into the present. This technique is just one of many, and also one that my therapist had recommended for me when I was hopped up on anxiety and stress and couldn’t seem to slow down my racing thoughts. As silly as this seems, give it a try, and you will find that even noticing the simple things within our current surroundings and just acknowledging them for what they are, is enough to help our mind refocus on the present.
Personally, when my mind is running miles a minute when it’s 4AM and my body is exhausted and I’ve been lying in bed, but my mind is also exhausted, but can’t seem to slow down, I become desperate to help it slow down so that I can at least get some rest before I have to wake up and do it all over again. It’s so important to make sure you know the difference between mental exhaustion and physical exhaustion because it’s only then that you can use the appropriate strategies to help recoup; you must find the problem, before you can find an effective solution. For me, being able to slow my mind down to keep it from racing, is one of the strategies that I use to ease myself to rest, and hopefully this challenge will help you not only slow down, but get back in-tune with yourself and let your senses bring you back into the present.