Doing less when everyone is busy, busy, busy...

Just imagine if "do less" was on your to-do list...  Rather than racing through the day with an endless desire to get things done, there was actually some space.  Perhaps you wouldn't just go from task to task all day, barely stopping for a breath.  Maybe you would do something radical, such as sit down with a cup of tea and relax without looking at your phone?  For much of my life as a teacher, I was always trying to keep up with the workload and doing less wasn't really an option.  I used to get into my busy-mode and "forget" how to stop.  Sometimes I would envy those who could work flat-out, run half-marathons at weekends and never get sick.

Doing less isn't the norm.  I'm sure it has never featured on many people's New Year's resolution list.  A few years ago I decided at New Year to stop eating any processed foods to help boost my health.  It was with good intentions but resulted in every spare moment spent making everything from scratch including almond milk.  Initially I felt very wholesome while soaking almonds a few times each week, blending them and squeezing this all through a nut-bag followed by a mountain of washing up.  After a few months, I realised that being constantly busy wasn't so great for my health either so I returned to the perils of shop-bought almond milk!

My New Year's intention this year is to do less than "normal" and rest more.  My body is still struggling with post-covid fatigue and it just isn't working normally.  The only way I can describe it is having your energy battery running at a maximum of 25% each day, dropping easily down to below 10%.  Everything has to be planned and time-limited with resting in between.  I feel more like an animal who naturally carries out some activity then curls up for a nap. When I over-do things, I don't just feel wiped out, I feel terrible and it takes a few days to get back to feeling a little better again.  My GP kindly suggested that the limited amount I was doing each day was still too much and I needed to scale it back a little.  To which I inwardly groaned some more.

I wish I could say that I am gracefully adapting to this slower pace, but I just long to feel normal.  It is definitely an emotional see-saw from day to day.  My yoga teacher reminded me recently of the power of "acceptance" in this situation, to accept my body just as it is and to listen to what it needs, such as to slow down and rest. Otherwise I am constantly trying to resist how I am, which is tiring in itself.  Acceptance doesn't mean that I don't take the steps I can to get well, but it is knowing I can't control the outcome or pace of recovery.  

To keep my spirits up, I try to enjoy doing things that nourish me, but just in a lower energy form.  Rather than swimming in the chilly sea, I have started to sit by the sea at sunrise having my breakfast. Wrapped up in my dryrobe, cosy hat and gloves, I peacefully eat my porridge even in the recent snow and ice!  By being so still, the birds start to move naturally around me.  I have watched turnstones, a cormorant, many black-headed gulls and heard the whistling sound of oyster-catchers further out.  I regularly see small flocks of Brent-geese flying low, so close to where I'm sitting.  And on Christmas Eve morning I had a magical treat...

As I walked slowly back to my house after sunrise, I heard a bird sound that I'd never heard before in the trees behind the beach huts.  It was so loud and tuneful that I stopped to listen for ages.  A few dog walkers went past, seemingly unaware.  I spotted the brown, speckled bird in the tree and wondered what this beautiful creature was.  At sunset, I walked back to the same spot and was rewarded with the same song.  Early on Christmas morning I went out before sunrise with my binoculars to see if I could locate it. I heard not one but two of these birds calling to each other.  I held my breath to not disturb them or the magic of the moment.  I later discovered that the two birds are song thrushes, rarely seen around here and known for their spectacular call.

It is hard to admit that I've abandoned being busy (for now) but it has made me very aware of how easy it is to just "keep going" despite what your body might actually need.  Rest doesn't just re-charge your battery, it also helps the body to heal and restore.  Some people seem naturally able to stop, chill-out and relax or rest without needing to be reminded. For those of us that don't switch off easily, doing less might be a work in progress.  And we may need some reminding that pausing, resting or "doing nothing" is actually necessary to thrive.

"And so when we begin to rest, when we begin to take root and connect with ourselves and dream and imagine, things begin to make sense. Connections begin to happen."   Tricia Hersey The Nap Ministry

Photos taken by Sue except for the Song thrush (with permission from Joe on Unsplash)

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 1, 2023 at 6:58 PM

    Thank you Sue. This reminded me about slowing down and taking a pause even when busy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 4, 2023 at 10:57 AM

    I enjoyed your blog and the magical hearing of the song thrush.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 18, 2023 at 7:05 PM

    I enjoyed reading this and I hope your fatigue begins to improve.

    ReplyDelete

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