The more I started working on finding days I felt my best I realized how many days I didn’t feel so great. It seemed I had developed habits of comfort found in the form of mindless transport to things that I could do without thinking. Mind and body numb activities that gave the appearance of self-care but were in reality habitual routines I felt trapped in. My energy seemed deflated where I could only muster enough to get through my work day before crashing to the sofa to get lost in another series from TV shows and movies.
This was me. Traveling for work constantly, putting in way too many hours and by the time work was over I was tired. I was stressed out. I was done. Work was tough these days and I wasn’t in love with it but what was the option? So here I was grabbing whatever was close to fill the hunger I had and release stress through some social media scrolling and TV series. I didn’t have energy for more because I needed to rest up for more like today coming at me tomorrow.
All that good advice about working out would make me feel better and I couldn’t even see my yoga pants doing more than providing comfort from my work dress pants digging into my waist all day. I just didn’t have it in me to also use them for actually working out. The truth was I didn’t feel like it. I wanted comfort and release from the exhaustion and stress I was going through and exercise seemed counter intuitive. Where was I even going to start I asked myself as I looked around yet another small hotel room. Or while at home I was taking even more time away from my family if I went to work out and that didn’t seem right. What was the point anyway? I wouldn’t be able to be consistent with it as something else would come up to break a new routine I was starting.
The months turned into years of living just like that. Work, pushing through to get what I needed done, praying it would be Friday soon. I packed on the pounds as a result. My energy was non-existent and I survived off caffeine from coffee and Diet Dr. Pepper along with quick and easy meals I didn’t have to give much thought on. My body was suffering and my mind was numb from being overwhelmed. What was also suffering was my relationships with my family. Nothing was working well even though I was working more hours than I had in my entire life. It all seemed fruitless. No wonder there are so many memes about adulting sucking if this was all there there is to it.
Many of us feel like this all the time, every day. We are defeated and thinking about breaking that cycle seems impossible because we’re so tired from everything. I won’t lie and say it was easy to break either or if you use the essential oils and natural supplements I use you won’t fail. You might have to start again a few times. The single most important thing I can tell you is you won’t regret it. Each day you push back on those tired feelings and get up you gain a little bit of your life back. Every time you choose to put on your shoes instead of a comfy blanket you claim a win. Each day you don’t feel like it and you listen to what you really need under that pain and act on it you become a warrior.
Living naturally means doing what is right for you when you need. Some days that may be resting and some days that is exercising. It is doing what is right for yourself because it feels good and supports good health in your body and mind. It leaves you feeling accomplished, good about yourself and even happy and content. You have energy, focus and craving for feeling good. If what you are doing day in and day out isn’t leaving your body and mind with those types of feelings change your actions.
On the days you don’t feel like it, ask why. Was it just a bad day or bad situation that you need to heal from? That’s alright. Is it a job going south and it’s time for a change? While scary that too is alright. We become more resilient the more we align with living naturally to what is right for our own needs and dreams. We see what was once impossible as a path forward to what really speaks deeply in our hearts. For me, that has looked like a couple job changes until I was in one that got rid of the work travel and supported more normal working hours most of the time. It gave me back my time freedom to be with my family and build up to working out consistently at last.
While it is not always easy and we won’t always feel like doing it, pursuing our dreams and things that give us our best chance at feeling our best are always worth it. That journey begins by changing our habits and routines. The very things that have held us back from living our best life. When we choose to listen to our own body and mind and honor those needs we become transformed back into life. We see things freshly and know what it is right for us. For me that was rediscovering my deep relationship with nature and having her partnership on my journey to improving my health. It is what I have found to be an enriching experience that allows me to be me, feeling my best more days than not and enjoying the relationships around me.
The next time you don’t feel like it, go deeper and discover why. Draw yourself closer to nature to see how having that support in your life can change that low energy, binge watching lump you feel like into a vibrant living human again. For more on living your best life naturally well subscribe to my blog and check out what I use at dragonspitapothecary.com