Feeling lighter can be much more than a physical sensation or a mental state. It’s something that happens within you when you’re being guided in a direction that feels just right. Feeling lighter comes from a place of ease rather than a place of struggle. In order to feel that ease, we have to be willing to acknowledge that things are weighing us down and be willing to let go.
Many of us are black or white thinkers. We can’t seem to find a middle ground in what I like to call “the gray”. It’s that black and white thinking that weighs us down. We swing from one extreme to the other, trying to manage our lives on all levels. If we’re not eating well, we try to manage it by dieting. If we feel like we’re not exercising enough, we go overboard and often overdo it. We get hurt or get burnt out, unable to keep up with our goals. We want to mediate, but time gets away and we don’t meditate at all. We feel compelled to do a long meditation every day and then it feels more like a chore than the gift it was intended to be. We are what I call “Pendulum People”, living in a pendulum society that swings from one direction to another on every subject.
For me, the path to feeling lighter in body, mind and spirit starts with finding the middle ground, finding a compromise with the way my over achiever mind thinks things should be and the way that is true, doable and realistic for me. For all of us, there is a balance point that exists when we find a comfort zone in doing and having what we want. It can’t be taught, but it can be felt. That’s where the intuitive part comes in.
When I’m letting my internal cues suggest the path I should take, there’s a feeling that I’m ok and that I don’t have to do it all or do it perfectly. I can lovingly remind myself to “lighten up” when I’m judging myself too hard because I’m not doing enough or because I’m not accomplishing what I should be accomplishing.
I can also apply that to the way I take care of myself. Eating, sleeping, working, meditating…these things all get tossed into that fray of the balancing act and I can get weighed down with expectations when I don’t remember to lighten up. I remind myself that I always have a choice, no matter what. I can choose to feel better. I can choose to find a path that’s easier rather than a struggle. I can choose to take small steps rather than large leaps.
What’s weighing you down? If you think it’s all about the number on the scale, the number of hours you work, the days of exercising you get in…then you’re ready to lighten up.
Let go of the past expectations and embrace the concept that you CAN do it all, by doing it in small, measured ways and by letting go and listening to what feels right and makes the most sense for you. Life is full, that’s for sure. How you fill your glass every day and drink from it is entirely up to you. The best part is that you get a fresh new glass every morning.
