Cyclical Living
The art of starting, ending and maintaining the cycles of life
Cyclical
A season, at best, lasts a few months. Out of the winter births the spring, our seeds become fruit in the summer, we harvest the crops of our summer goals in autumn and rest and renew ourselves in the darkness of the winter… an organic evolution always returning and always a chance to begin again. And yet, in our busy modern lives we see things in a linear fashion. The urge to consume and to produce more is all encompassing and exhausting. We see our values in what we produce more than in what we create. The measure of our worth is in how productive we are, how exhausted we are, and in how “hard” we work. Rest is seen as weakness. Asking for help is an inconvenience. Life is hard and abundance means we must be exploiting ourselves, each other or the earth. But this is not how our natural lives on the earth work. Nothing is permanent. Community is queen. Rest is the balm to heal our ailments. And stress and mental health and physical health are all symptoms of a lack of connection to our natural rhythms and an overwhelm on our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual selves. At least this is how I see it…
But how does one rest and take the time and seasons one needs in order to care for our holistic selves? Rents and mortgages don’t just pause. Groceries need to be bought. We have car payment and credit card debt. Babies need clothes and childcare. And the systems we live in don’t just magically shift to our personal seasons. So what do we do?
Nervous system time outs— limit stimulation, low lighting, low noise, avoid caffeine and other stimulants, even a ten minute reset laying down in a dark room can help. What lets your nervous system relax and feel safe?
Ask for help. Call in community.
Nervous system herbs such as skullcap, lemon balm, milky oats and blue vervain can be taken as tinctures or in a tea to help soothe a dysregulated nervous system.
Time off of screens.
Time in nature.
Nap when possible.
Social media breaks.
Socializing breaks.
Laughter as medicine— watch a funny movie or show, comedy, laughter yoga…
Allow things to go slower if you need to go slower.
Therapy. Seeing someone unbiased is such a blessing. And if that is unaccessible then at least talking with a trusted friend or loved one.
Having a baby has shown me my own ingrained sense of urgency. Much of the time the urgency I feel is mostly self imposed and things are not truly as urgent as I believe them to be. Laundry can wait (usually). The dishes can be washed tomorrow. Appointments can be rescheduled. We only have this one life, this one body, and will only be in this moment once… so why overburden ourselves with unnecessary pressure.
Rest my loves!
and now a poem to end it off with…
Urgently
I look sideways at my face in the mirror
The lines between my brows furrowed with anticipation
The urge to categorize this moment into productive or lazy
Reels my nerves into tightly wound strands of stress
Nothing deserves this much attention
Nothing but my breath, my body and this moment
I crave the solitude that I cannot have
and forget to enjoy the company of myself
here in this space
Where I can meet myself where I am
and let go of the urgency to perform.