"I'm tired." Do you hear this a lot? I know I say it a lot. Probably more than I should. I throw this phrase around like confetti. Why? If we're not tired in this day and age, then clearly we're not doing enough. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I feel so tired I think I can barely make it through the day and I'm actually tired and it's not all in my head. At the end of the day, most of the time, I crawl into bed thankful for it because it feels so good to rest my head on a pillow. But, on the days when I'm not "tired," it often feels like, "oh no," did I do enough?
My teacher says this all the time. We live in the society where being stressed out, depressed and tired is normal. As he points this out, I begin to notice this concept more and more. Why is it so normal to be tired? Why is it so normal to not feel good? Why is it normal to not be happy?
Perhaps it's because we are comfortable with being tired. It actually keeps us from doing enjoyable, nourishing activities. Then, if we find ourselves doing nourish activity we might feel like we should be working, or doing something else. Sometimes we're tired from having "too much fun." So where is the balance?
The truth is at some point or another we are all tired. The perspective is in how we look at it. When we're tired from work, we can balance it with something like eating nourishing food, playing with the dog, taking a yoga class, going for a run and being grateful for the moments when we work, and grateful for the moments when we're not working and get to unwind. When we have a lot of social activities, travel, people to see, etc., sometimes that in itself can be so exhausting I would rather be working, however I think maybe being grateful for the moments when our hearts are full and we're tired because we feel needed, loved and supported is something to be grateful for. Tired can be the best feeling in the world, or it can be a feeling that plagues us day in and day out.
The thing is we need to save the "I'm tired" for when we're really good and tired. Whether it's after those long runs, a good day with your kids, a productive day at work, being tired when you're really good and tired is a wonderful thing. So when we're tired, we say thank you. When we are constantly tired we need to look at how we live our lives and if it's healthful and helpful. I'm guilty as anyone to throw in the "I'm tired." But maybe we can shift our perspective, into a new way of viewing the feeling of tired.
When you're good and tired: rest.
When you're feeling constantly tired: rest, but give yourself some extra love and care. Take a bath! Eat some nourishing food. Watch a movie and give yourself permission to relax.
When you're feeling restored, energized and replenished: be grateful, put it to good use but don't feel like you have to go make yourself exhausted all over again.
Take care of yourself and enjoy!
via Manolos to Asolos
