I was flipping through one of my past journals and noticed an entry reflecting on my accident and all the ways I’d been changed because of it: I was journalling that before my traumatic brain injury etc, I could do a lot more than I could do now [the date that I wrote this entry]. And I was also noticing that the “more” I could do before my traumatic brain injury wasn’t really meaningful to me. 

And then fast forward to now, that got me thinking of this question: Is the “more” that I’m doing now, meaningful? Especially in a culture (and a season of the year) where “more” seems to be grossly elevated and praised, I think it’s also worth asking ourselves, is it meaningful? Do we really want to engage in these extra things?

Of course what is considered “more” is entirely subjective. Furthermore, what of the “more” is considered meaningful is entirely subjective. *

As a result, I’d like to offer a way to help you uniquely evaluate this question, which I use a lot in my therapy practice and it’s also something that’s oftentimes not considered in mainstream society: listening to our bodies:

What do you notice inside your body as you think about (or actually do) this “more” thing in question?

For example, do you notice energy or peace or a deep breath or a smile? Or perhaps irritation or tightness or a clenched jaw? Or maybe something else? Our bodies have valuable information for us, and might actually help us discern this answer when we’re feeling unsure or stuck or overwhelmed by all the “extra” and options in front of us.

If you’re up for a little experiment, why not try to see what your body might be telling you as you think about doing X, Y, or Z in question?

Whether or not you’re up for the experiment, the biggest thing from this post that I’d like to get across is giving ourselves generous permission to be curious and intentional about the things that we’re voluntarily choosing to do! The perspective change– and insight that I received as a result of this reflection– were really meaningful to me, and healing for me, too.

Warmly,

Robyn 

*Case in point, this post: Using my sacred extra time to slowly piece together this post has been energizing, peace-giving, and meaningful for me. It may very well be the opposite for you. And that speaks to the beauty of how we’re each uniquely made.