This last week has been heavy on my spirit. My SOUL felt tired (I don’t know how else to explain that). A beloved aunt passed suddenly; it’s cold (I dislike the cold); it gets dark early; work is picking up a bit; COVID stuff in general; haven’t been sleeping too well; Drumpf’s election antics – and the list goes on into a few places I won’t share.
Scribbling Start Time: 9:00 PM
I promise this isn’t a bitch and moan session about being exhausted…
Wow.
Literally 8 MINUTES into starting to work on this post, I got a call from my mom letting me know that my grandma (on my mom’s side) isn’t going to live through the night 😐 I can’t make this up. Days after my aunt passed… 2020 has been full of A LOT of pain & few rewards. I’m still processing this news, but I’m going to distract myself with writing before I let this new info sink in.
(As I was saying) Seriously, I promise this isn’t bitch and moan session (I’ll save that for my personal time).
No, friends – for now, I just want to tell you about signs that your soul is weary – and encourage you to do what I did & take a breather.
Sign #1: You Feel Abnormally Overwhelmed by Little Things
If you’re anything like me, you have a rhythm to your day. You know what rattles and what doesn’t. When little itty-bitty things here and there start feeling like they have WAAAAAY more weight than normal, this is a warning sign. This is your subconscious mind telling you that there’s some crap brewing in your spirit. Speaking of “brewing”…
Sign #2: No Amount of Caffeine Saves You
Look, as an adult – you may be like me and not really drink coffee each day, but (also as an adult) you know coffee can work wonders on a disposition.
When that doesn’t work – tea – soda – NOTHING!! That’s a strong indicator that it might be time to rest. Speaking of “rest” (do you see what I’m doing now?)…
Sign #3: A Good Night’s Sleep (or More) Doesn’t Help
By now you’re probably thinking to yourself that you just need to sleep it off and the rest will be fiiiiiine. You turn off your alarm clock(s), get to bed early – snuggle in those sheets – and then BOOM, you’re out. You wake up naturally 8-9 hours later (or more — we’re talking good sleep). But you’re still tired. You do this again the following day – wash, rinse, repeat – wake up – wipe the dried crusted drool off your face (we’re talking REALLY GOOD sleep). But… Nothing. And then you notice that you feel like you don’t wake up throughout the day & your energy feels low. Speaking of “low energy”…
Sign #4: Lethargy Further Tires Your Weary Soul
When nothing brings you much enthusiasm and you just don’t really feel like you have that normal pep in your step — you’ve not entered the lethargic phase of your soul being weary and your spirit feeling tired.
At this point you care about very little, and you’re aware of it – you just hope that others aren’t. Your mind is in a bit of a haze. Your thoughts may go incomplete, but that doesn’t really alarm you much. I mean — nothing does! This is the summit of your soul trying to tell you what’s up. This isn’t a physical thing at this point, and not much can be done to make you happy at this point (even if you don’t know it). Speaking of “happiness”…
Sign #5: Nothing You Love Brings You Joy
For the love of all that is holy, nothing you usually love doing puts that spark back into you for any meaningful self-sustaining period of time. Not your favorite food, not your favorite hobby, not your favorite music. The thrill of being around people you enjoy fades as soon as they’re gone, and about now you should REALLY be getting the hint that it’s time for you to just do what I did. We all have to do it every now and then to recharge out batteries.
And, ironically – the secret to recharging is simply to…
(The mug says “unplug” for those who can’t read it)
How Do You Unplug?
This is where I’m not much help, because the answer is different for everyone. For some people – it just means to read a book. For others it means working out or shopping. BUT – one thing they all share in common is letting some (or all) of your responsibilities and communications fall to the wayside for a little bit.
Become your own island, even if it’s only for a day. Take some time to do the opposite of what’s stressing your spirit. Take a mental break! Stay away from ANYTHING or ANYONE that you currently find draining. Be honest with yourself, and a little selfish. Zone out, and you’ll totally figure this solution out naturally on your own terms.
Remember that Self Care is important. You’re no good to anyone if you run into the ground because you’re too stubborn to tend to your own spiritual balance.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering – I’m taking tomorrow off work given the news I received tonight.
Peace, and thanks for reading.
The soundtrack for this post provided by…
Image Credits:
– Cover Image © Poppy_Field (Shutterstock)
– Body Image 1 © Lena Ivanova (Shutterstock)
– Body Image 2 © Cookie Studio (Shutterstock)
– Body Image 3 © svetmo (Shutterstock)