Full disclosure, I’ve just spent a week in Thailand relaxing by a pool, not checking email, or fielding phone calls and totally and utterly ignoring the myriad of meetings I should be having. I feel wonderful.
At this point I’m guessing you won’t be best impressed with the article so far… but it does bring into sharp relief as to why so many of us feel it is necessary to take a week vacation to relax!
It does seem that many of us seem like gerbils on a never ending, never stopping treadmill. We are so conditioned to be on 24/7, dealing with every little and large crisis as soon as they start brewing, that we never have time to relax in our day to day lives.
Personally I know I’ve let myself become like this; badge of honour to have a very empty inbox and being the go to person for every question that needs answering. I also know that this doesn’t make me happy.
It doesn’t give me overwhelming enjoyment in my work; it just seems I’m going through the motions and not really helping others or myself.
So instead of being able to relax and be mindful on a day to day basis I take myself off to Thailand, as if that week off will actually solve my day to day riddle of stress and unhappiness.
It has helped, as it gave me time to reflect on the outstanding articles that are in this edition of Holistic Living Magazine. One article that has kept coming back to me is Finding USAWA on Mt Kilimanjaro by Dr. Barathan.
This article has really resonated with me; her feelings are very much my feelings. Even to the extent of reading some of the books by authors she mentions, some of which have really got me thinking.
Like why am I behaving like a Duracell bunny forever on the go, never having time for myself? Why do I invest myself in work in a forlorn attempt to give myself meaning? What is wrong with being me and that being enough?
I know that this will take time to change, adjust to a new, more self-contained reality. I know that it will take effort to not be always ‘on’ for work and the people I work with. I know that it will be a big adjustment for me. I also know that a great place to start for me has been reading all the articles in this edition, and I’m sure that it will be for you too.
Happy reading, and happy relaxing.
You can read the FULL MAGAZINE ‘Holistic Living Magazine,’ look for Edition 10 on this archive page. There’s many more articles about relaxation waiting for you too!
Cassandra Jones – Editor At Large For Holistic Living Magazine
