What a week it’s been.
How are YOU feeling?
Whether you’re in the U.S. or not, I’m guessing you’ve been watching the presidential election wondering….
“Who’s it going to be?”
Thankfully we have a result and personally I’m SUPER relieved and excited about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris winning the election.
It feels like a new beginning and a turning point for so many reasons….
Including the very important fact that the first black female vice president is coming into office (Go Kalama!)
When the results were announced, I felt my whole body breathe and relax.
As I write this blog post, I feel like I’m more present and in my body. Tired yet grounded. Optimistic yet cautious. Excited but fatigued.
Above all I’m hopeful of where we as a collective are headed as we see out the rest of the year that is 2020 and step into 2021.
2020 has been quite the year to sensitise to.
For many, it feels like we’ve been thrown into the deep end of the ocean, swimming in feelings of: grief, loss, sadness, anger, rage and overwhelm….
It’s taking more effort to consciously find our way back to shore so that we can come up for air, find our centre, find our bearings and reconnect to the pockets of gratitude, joy, love and compassion that also exist in life during COVID.
The toggl between the shore and the depths of the ocean can feel tiring and exhausting at times.
If anything 2020 has been a year of mixed emotions.
Whatever you are feeling, I want you to know that you are not alone. It’s been a big year.
In this week’s blog I share tips on what to do when you’re excited about a new beginning but also feeling tired AF.
What to do when you’re excited about a new beginning but also tired AF
Let’s dive in!
Firstly, I want to acknowledge that 2020 has been a BIG year.
It’s OK to feel tired, exhausted and overwhelmed.
We’ve had to deal with more than expected.
For the ‘achievers’ reading this blog right now, I want to acknowledge that this year may have been particularly hard.
As achievers, the usual strategies of figuring out a solution, fixing, getting into action mode and controlling what’s within our control…hasn’t really been possible during COVID.
So perhaps you’re feeling more hopeless and helpless than usual as Pauline Boss, a family therapist and professor emeritus of social sciences at the University of Minnesota, shares in an interview for this piece by Tara Haelle called Your ‘surge capacity’ is depleted – it’s why you feel awful.”
If you’re feeling tired and feeling bad or not OK with this feeling of exhaustion, you’re in the right place my friend.
There are 3 important frames I want to unpack in this blog post so that you can give yourself permission to rest and just be.
Resting and “being” is a less than natural disposition in a world that’s conditioned us to believe that it’s all about GO mode.
Frame #1: You are human. Being tired doesn’t mean you’re broken.
In a world that’s all about productivity, getting things done, fixing problems and getting to it, it can be natural to feel like we don’t have the time to feel tired.
If there’s anything 2020 and these COVID times has taught me, it’s that solely focusing on what we’re doing/or taking action on, isn’t the only area to look at when navigating these times.
We’ve got to take the time to slow down and honour our mental and emotional health. And that starts with honouring how your body is feeling.
You’ve only got this one body to navigate this world. To do your work, to enjoy life with, to be in relationship with others and to experience what it means to be human.
Your body is not just an output machine. She needs time to rest, recuperate and regenerate.
You have permission to feel how you feel and to honour your body if she doesn’t have any juice in the tank to go.
Frame #2: If you want to make a difference in the world, you can’t do it from a place of burnout.
One of my favourite Instagram accounts to follow is the Napministry by Trisha Hersey. If you don’t follow their account, please go and check them out here: https://www.instagram.com/thenapministry/
To quote from Tricia’s blog:
“To imagine a New World that centers liberation, we must practice rest as our foundation to invent, restore, imagine, and build.”
Albert Einstein famously said that “we can’t solve a problem at the same level of consciousness that created it.”
If we are to imagine a New World and make a difference in our own unique way, we can’t do it from a place of burnout and feeling depleted. From this place and this energy of low energy, we simply can’t solve the bigger problems we’re facing on the planet from climate change to racial justice to education.
Honour your body’s need to rest. As Tricia says, it’s the foundation from which we can reinvent, restore, imagine and build.
Nap. Rest. Restore. Take care of your body.
And then go and take action.
Frame #3: Being tired is a natural bodily cycle and helps us to align back to ourselves
As humans we need sleep. It’s a basic bodily function.
If you’re feeling tired, one of the key and most basic, fundamental questions to ask is:
“Are you getting enough sleep?”
If you aren’t, getting this sorted is a priority. It’s a must.
I remember the days of breastfeeding a newborn and being on that 2-3 hour feeding cycle. It was exhausting.
I certainly didn’t feel like myself and I definitely didn’t have the capacity for much more than the basic needs around survival.
Oftentimes, I work with clients and they forget that sleep is important. They may be sleeping 4-5 hours a night and when you add that all up, it takes a toll.
There may be a multitude of reasons why you’re not sleeping enough or why you aren’t getting quality sleep. Getting this sorted is a priority!
For all the mama’s nursing little ones, I feel you. It’s a phase of life and this too, shall pass. But for now, how can you honour your body and rest when you can? You matter and you’re doing SUCH an amazing job. RESPECT!
When you stop and rest, you’re better able to step back and question:
- What’s really important?
- Are those to-do’s musts?
- Are you really on the right path?
This can be a good thing.
Better to pause, reflect and pivot than to keep on going because you “have” to only to wake up and regret your choices….
Speaking of pausing, reflecting and pivoting, I’m super excited to announce that I’m running a free online workshop series at the end of November called: Sabbatical on the Side.
It’s an experience designed to support you in coming back to shore so that you can rest, breathe and chart out what truly matters for you as we begin to bring 2020 to a close and think about what’s in store for 2021.
The workshop series is 100% free and we go live on Monday 23rd November. You can read more about the experience over at: https://siobhanbarnes.com/sabbatical-on-the-side
I’d love it if you came and joined us!
So there you have it, 3 helpful reframes for if you’re feeling excited about a new beginning but also tired AF
Frame #1: You are human. Being tired doesn’t mean you’re broken.
Frame #2: If you want to make a difference in the world, you can’t do it from a place of burnout.
Frame #3: Being tired is a natural bodily cycle and helps us to align back to ourselves.
Before you’d go, I’d love for you to leave a comment and let me know:
Which reframe is most helpful to you right now? Why?
If you’re feeling tired AF and also excited about a new beginning, make sure you sign up for the Sabbatical on the Side experience. It’s a FREE online guided workshop series designed to support you to have the time to “be” and step away from the day to day and focus on YOU. Because things won’t change unless you create the SPACE to ask & explore the real questions burning in your heart.
You can sign up over here: https://siobhanbarnes.com/sabbatical-on-the-side
With love,
Siobhan
Xoxo
P.S. If you’re feeling called to slow down and ask the bigger questions around whether you’re on the right path, come and join us in the Sabbatical on the Side Experience. I’d love to see you there: https://siobhanbarnes.com/sabbatical-on-the-side
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