Renewal
April is a time for renewal. Nature knows it. The tax people know it. The bodies feel it.
What have you done lately to renew your soul… your energy… your mind?
Recently, I found out that I was very low in vitamin D. When this happens body pain is higher than normal, depression hits, and one feels more fatigued. Now, my levels were so low that I needed a prescription supplement replacement, but do you know where else D is found? Yes, the sun.
All of nature is renewed by the rays and warmth of the sun. When the sun melts the snow, raises the plants, wakes the worms, rejuvenates the hibernating, and brings forth fruit – we begin again. Like us, nature’s path is uncertain. Storms may knock over trees, the avian flu may kill wild birds, and people may destroy homes. What doesn’t stop; however, is nature’s persistence. Through rhythm and respect migration happens, growth happens, and adaptation happens. We can learn a lot from the world around us.
I was recently talking to a woman who was being berated at work. She looked exhausted because she was exhausted. Being verbally assaulted everyday ruins us. I spoke to her about setting boundaries and learning to love herself. She was older, she hadn’t loved herself for a long time. Many of us are like that. We get caught in the grooves of the powers we allow to have control over us. It may be time to turn those wheels and create a new path.
That’s nice for you, one might say; but I have bills, kids, and medical issues. I can’t just…
Can’t just what? Can’t choose you because it is selfish? Can’t choose you because money is tight? Can’t choose you because powers that control you block your freedom? This is your time for renewal, and I hope you choose to live. Here are some ideas on how to do that!
Acknowledge your surroundings and the contributions you make. Look around you and see the space you work within – be it the grandest office, the smallest workspace, or in your home. See the things, the people, and the atmosphere. Notice your contributions. What have you made happen in the last 5 days? Maybe you performed an operation, wrote a blog, picked up garbage, or made someone food. Realize the importance of each task and acknowledge what the world would be like if this never happened again. Know that you are important and that everything you do is worthy and needed…even your rest or coping methods.
Clean yourself, feed and water yourself, and speak kind words to yourself. Taking care of our bodies is giving our bodies the basic respect they deserve. When we wash, brush our teeth, choose food that our bodies need, and say words of love and life we are renewing ourselves so that we can grow and flourish. Saying nice things to ourselves is sometimes hard. Here are some phrases to get you started: I am brave for getting up and facing the day. My (hair, eyes, butt, boobs, etc.) look really good today. The (story I wrote, the food I made, the presentation I prepared etc.) was really well done. I’m proud of myself for being kind when I wanted to yell back. I’m proud for protecting myself by walking out/away. I am smart. I am worthy. I am a good human.
Learn to adapt or reject. Bad things happen. We get sick, a loved ones die, we lose jobs, and people treat us poorly. The stunner is that many times these things don’t kill our bodies, so we still need to find a way to live and thrive. We do this by adapting or rejecting. Adaptation is when we change our behavior to fit the environment better. Animals grow thicker coats for the winter and shed them for the summer. People may dress in professional clothing, watch the way they speak, or take classes to learn a new skill. Rejecting is another choice. Have you ever wondered why you see animal tracks when walking on the wooded trails, but never see the animals? It is because they have learned that humans are dangerous, and they reject being around us when the park is open. We can reject too. It is good to walk away from abusive relationships. It is smart to set boundaries with people at work. It important to leave work when your paid time (Companies are wealthier than you and do not need your charity.) is complete.
Schedule time for yourself on a regular basis. Renewal is rebirth. Renewal needs rest, inspiration, and nurturing. No matter how important, needed, or irreplaceable you are at your job or in your home, you are destructible. Without rest and food, you will get sick. Without inspiration you will not be able to create or offer new ideas, and without nurturing you will not grow.
This is how:
- Set a regular sleep schedule and stick to it.
- Keep both comfort foods and high nutrition foods in your cupboard and eat them.
- Practice yoga, walking, art, mediation, martial arts or something similar that connects body and mind.
- Get out of the house. Go for a drive, a walk, a day trip, a weekend trip, or on a vacation.
- Open yourself up to new things, ask kind questions, and prepare to learn and experience.
Keep a journal. Journaling is an important life tool. In it we express our emotions, admit our behaviors, state loving words to ourselves, and script conversations that we need to have at work and in our homes. Journaling connects the mind, body, and soul. It is extremely important to mental health.
We say that flowers return every spring, but that is a lie. It is true that the world is renewed. It is also true that renewal comes at a price, for even if the flower grows from an ancient vine, the flowers of spring are themselves new to the world, untried and untested. The flower that wilted last year is gone. Petals once fallen are fallen forever. Flowers do not return in the spring, rather they are replaced. It is this difference between returned and replaced that the price of renewal is paid. And as it is for spring flowers, so it is for us.
Daniel Abraham