We’re going camping!!!!! YAY!!!! We have to get ready for camping. . . . ugh.
For many of us, the camping season is a highlight of our year, but getting ready for it can be difficult. Balancing work, personal life, and trying to prepare to be away from civilization for almost a week can be rough. I don’t know about the rest of you, but for myself it triggers a very nasty aspect of my depression: Lethargy. And that doesn’t help at all. Right when I need the most energy and to get the most done, my motivation dries up. Great. Thanks for that brain.
But whatever the reason for our stress, we don’t have to let those influences win. For me I have found a counter intuitive method of dealing with the stress and getting past my lethargy when it comes around. It may seem odd when I am extremely busy, but my solution is to be still.
In my personal faith meditation and sitting still, to sit with and analyze my emotions is an integral part of practicing spirituality. We are often so busy that we do not sit, we do not process. This can lead to a build up of excess emotion. It can lead to even more stress, less resolution, more frustration. In Taoism we practice what is called Wu Wei which simply means action through inaction, or doing by not doing. Taking a little time o sit with my problems, my thoughts, my feelings can allow me to control them rather than letting them control me. This was one of the most powerful lessons I learned from my martial arts training. Not the moves or strikes, but sitting and listening to myself. Everyone wants to feel heard. So shouldn’t we give ourselves the respect of listening to ourselves at least?
Next time you feel stressed try taking a moment. Sit with your thoughts and process where they come from and what is really yours to handle and what is beyond all human control? It isn’t always easy to do, but if like me you find that you have the least energy right when you need the most, it might be of use.
Blessings!
Jordan
