Feeling Fried? Take an Om-cation

"I have so much to accomplish today that I must
meditate for two hours instead of one."

~Ghandi

There's nothing like a crises, even a minor one, to show us that our life is over scheduled and we are over committed. If you're like me, and you find yourself getting impatient and snarky when your schedule is thrown off due to an emergency (real or perceived), it's probably time for an Om-cation.

 

When we get uber busy, many of us tend to keep working, to keep pushing. It's during these times that our self-care, spiritual, and creative practices tend to fall to the wayside. Just when we need them most (to keep cortisol, our stress hormone, down and serotonin, our happy hormone, up) we tend to ditch the tools that would help us cope.

When I feel like I've mentally checked-out, and that my evil twin is showing up in my place during stressful situations, it's a sign that I need some radical self-care. For me it means clearing my schedule (often easier said than done), sleeping in until I wakeup without an alarm, reducing my sugar and caffeine intake, and taking my butt to the cushion to let my monkey mind go at it while I, "sit like mountain, thoughts like clouds," for at least 20 minutes.

If you're new to meditation, just try sitting quietly for 5 minutes with your eyes closed while you take deep breaths. Let your mind wander, because it will. But a mantra like, "Om," helps. Or I invite you to try two of my favorites: "I am love," or, "Thank you." When you notice your mind is rehashing your to-do list, just gently begin again. 

Get your Om on and live creatively,
Marcella

P.S. Think you're too busy to take an Om-cation? That's when we need it the most! Ghandi was hip to this cosmic irony when he said, "I have so much to accomplish today that I must meditate for two hours instead of one."