You may be asking, “why am I so tired all the time?” I respond with, “how is it with your soul?” What is it that weary souls need? For the next several weeks I’ll be exploring the importance of rest. If you find that it’s a battle to push through the day or you’re tired when you wake up, your body and soul beg you for more rest.
What do you do when the weekend isn’t long enough or that two-week vacation doesn’t feel rejuvenating?
Fatigue and Women
So many of us, especially women, have the Protestant work ethic ingrained. We are supposed to care for everyone. You’re supposed to do this with insufficient sleep, no personal time, little calories, and a fake smile.
The problem with this attitude toward life is that you are battling a part of yourself, your soul. Your soul is tired, and your soul may need something completely different, so how do you prioritize the needs of the core of your being?
Yin Energy and Resting
The Chinese concept of yin energy is helpful here. While Western culture is obsessed with Yang energy, Yin energy is a restful, quiet, feminine, and still energy. This energy is about the quality of resting that is not doing it. It is receptivity, contemplative energy that is also awake, and yes, it means you have to put down the phone to get there.
The effects of not Resting on Adrenal Fatigue and Creativity
This state, so alien to many of us, is waking restfulness. It all allows your body and your adrenals to recoup. It’s good for your thyroid. It also allows your unconscious mind to wander, which allows for creativity and new ideas.
Reprioritizing Your Life and the Importance of Rest
If there’s a part of you that’s saying make it stop, I can’t do this anymore, or I don’t want to be here, it may be your soul begging you for realignment. It may need more rest, a change of focus, or reprioritization down to the core of how you live your life. It isn’t that a part of you doesn’t want to work yourself to death. It’s about something other than getting rid of the part that is exhausted and can’t handle it anymore. It’s about getting into a relationship with this part to find peace and alignment.
More on Rest and Boundaries
This blog is the first in a series of posts about the archetype of rest and different ways to think about resting and finally get the rest you need. If you have trouble saying “no” so that you can wind down or take care of yourself, read more on blog about setting boundaries or my page about caretaking.