I recently took 5 minutes before a call to get onto my meditation cushion, sit up straight, and center myself.
FIVE. MINUTES. I don't know about you, but who is EVER that early to a call?!
But that 5 minutes, was the most indulgent 5 minutes of my day. Not only that, I was a completely different person when I stepped onto that call. I felt more grounded, more present, and more aware of myself in how I engaged.
And so I began to ask myself why I didn't do this more often... and it turns out it has a lot to do with the fact that I'm always trying to squeeze in just a few more emails, or rushing from one thing to another, or filling every last minute with anything I can possibly check off my to-do list only so I can make enough space to then justify adding MORE.
Why do those things come first? Because we feel obligated to put them first. Because we watch other people put them first. Because we've never been intentional enough to put something else first, and especially because we feel like we're breaking some unspoken rule if we do choose to put those things (hello self care!) first!
What are the priorities in your life you aren't putting first right now? How much would you lose if you started to? How much would you gain?
Disclaimer: While occasionally I include research and insights from my graduate classes in clinical psychology on my blog, I am not at this time a licensed therapist or mental health provider and therefore no content on this blog or website should not be considered or serve as replacement for therapeutic advice.
