Happy Sunday!
And welcome to today’s edition of ‘Conscious living with Purnima’. In today’s post I share with you a few strategies that you can use on day’s you wake up with low enthusiasm. I hope you find them useful.
We don’t always wake up all excited to take on the day. There are days our energy is low. So, what can we do on these days to pull ourselves up? Here are a few strategies that I use. They work for me & I hope they do for you.
1. Practice detachment:
It can be helpful to not identify with emotions of boredom or lethargy. You can acknowledge their presence but there is no need to feed them with thoughts that enhance those feelings. Being aware of your thoughts and how they feed this already low energy can be effective to pull yourself up.
To get better with detachment, cultivate practices that allow you to enhance self-awareness - a steady meditation practice is helping me with this. See what works for you.
2. List your Priorities:
While it’s great to have a list each day, it is particularly useful on low energy days. Having an accurate picture of what needs to be done, can allow you to focus better.
3. Give full attention to the task at hand:
Giving your entire attention to the task at hand can prevent your mind from generating unnecessary thoughts (from what’s to be done next to how you are going to see through the day etc.) and whatever you are doing will get done well.
I find that on my low energy days, I accomplish a lot less. But at the end of the day I at least have the satisfaction of getting those few things done well.
4. The ‘One thing’ strategy:
Days you are really not feeling up for anything, try this. Write in your journal or reflect on:
One thing to be grateful for:
It is a fact that we appreciate what we have a lot less than we should. Shifting our focus to one thing that we are deeply grateful for can serve to elevate our energy, even if just a little bit.
One key thing to accomplish:
One can be ample on a bad day. And can give us a sense of accomplishment.
One word of the day:
Pick a word that can serve as a theme for the day. A word that’s easy to recall and you can come back to for support. It could be ‘Calm’ to remind you to take deep breaths or ‘Focus’ to remind you to stay alert. Anything that speaks to you in a way that’s uplifting.
5. Seek words of wisdom:
Giving ourselves the permission to rest say in the middle of the week or anytime we are not expected to can feel unsettling. Those days words that tell us, ‘Its ok’ can feel reassuring. But we may not always have the right people to tell us that.
So, here’s a poem for you to come back to on those kinds of days. It really is ok to rest when your body and mind are asking for it and you don't owe an explanation to anyone for that. Allow these wise words to soothe your tired nerves until you feel whole again to pursue your path with enthusiasm.
The Mountain by Laura Ding Edwards
If the mountain seems too big today
then climb a hill instead;
If morning brings you sadness
it’s okay to stay in bed.
If the day ahead feels heavy and your plans feel like a curse,
There’s no shame in rearranging,
don’t make yourself feel worse.
If a shower stings like needles
and a bath feels like you’ll drown;
If you haven’t washed your hair for days,
don’t throw away your crown!
A day is not a lifetime.
A rest is not defeat.
Don’t think of it as failure,
Just a quiet, kind retreat.
It’s okay to take a moment
From an anxious, fractured mind.
The world will not stop turning
While you get realigned!
The mountain will still be there
When you want to try again
You can climb it in your own time,
Just love yourself till then!
It's easy to move and accomplish on days that we are already in the mood. And then, there are days exactly as described by you. A much needed read. Love the poem 💕