No, like really. How are you doing right now? How are you feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally? And how often do you really, honestly check in on yourself like this?
We spend our days pulled in a million different directions, putting out fires and dealing with the stresses of every day life and just go-go-going. And it’s easy to forget that every single thing that we do has an effect on our minds, bodies, and souls.
After all, we live in a world where we’ve been taught to ignore the signs that we are stressed out and just power through. Got a headache? Pop a pill. Feeling anxious? Grab a drink. Feeling tired? Slam some caffeine.
What if instead of ignoring and haphazardly slapping Band-Aids on the messages that our body was sending us, we paused and took the time to listen? To actually address the root causes of our symptoms instead of just hastily hiding them so we can get on with our day?
Got a headache? Get curious about why that might be. Did you drink enough water? Get enough sleep? Is there a situation in your life that is causing you stress that you need to deal with?
What about when you’re feeling anxious? What if instead of numbing it with a drink or a joint, you learn how to actually calm your nervous system down using scientifically-proven techniques like breath work?
Feeling tired? Then for heaven’s sake, take a break! (Or even better, a nap!)
My advice? Carve out the time to do a proper check in with yourself at least once a day. This could just be a one minute pause-and-deep-breathing session, or it could be a chunk of time carved out to get on your mat and really quiet down your mind and check in with yourself fully. But I guarantee if you make this type of deeply honest check- in a part of your daily routine, you’ll start reaping the benefits almost immediately.