I’ll be taking my own advice to take a break and disconnect. It’s been an intense month with the eclipse and politics! I’m glad that I’m taking my own advice to take a break and disconnect. Tomorrow, I’m going out to scuba dive in the Sulu Sea. It’s a liveaboard trip, and I’m unsure if there is a signal in the open sea.
I’ve made it my goal to go back to the things that bring me joy, and scuba diving has always been my respite. Diving is just like meditating, but underwater.
I know that everybody responds to stress in different ways. If you’re like me, with high pain tolerance, you may not necessarily recognize that you’re already feeling overwhelmed or stressed out. Last year I dealt with grief for family members who passed away from covid and fighting off a big-time developer encroaching on my farmland. The symptoms of stress and anxiety are only manifesting now.
The signs of being overwhelmed vary from each individual. However, these are the common warning signs that you should watch out for:
– Pain in your shoulder, neck, or back
– Difficulty concentrating
– Getting sick more frequently
– Lack of energy or motivation
– Low mood
– Feeling unfocused, poor performance at work
– Difficulty sleeping
– Headaches or stomach problems
– Withdrawal from loved ones, friends
I’ve been doing physical therapy three times a week for the last month and it has alleviated the pain. My rehab doctor said the stress caused the muscle spasms, which triggered my cervical slipped disc (diagnosed in 1999) and temporomandibular joint disorder (diagnosed in 2012). The rehab doctor discovered in the x-ray a new concern – lumbar spondylitis in the right lower back.
Take some time off for self-care and self-love to de-stress and recharge.
If you’re already experiencing one or two warning signs, it’s time to plan some downtime. Consider taking an actual vacation for a week or a weekend staycation if you don’t have time. You don’t want to come to a point where you can’t walk or move like what happened to me. You will not just feel relaxed, but you’ll get that energy you need to be engaged with your loved ones, productive at work, and be at your best.
Since I will be away, I’m facilitating a class tonight at 7:15 pm to prepare you for the New Moon on Monday at 7:30 pm.
The lunation is in the sign of Gemini, which is excellent at guiding change and transformation. As an air sign, Gemini is a fearless thinker and always down to try something new. It will help you become fluid and adapt quickly to new situations. The set is to cultivate a neutral mind. Unless our mind is neutral, we act as a slave to the emotion and commotion that makes us reactive to the unknowns in our life. There is a yogic saying that goes, “To live without the yogic neutral mind is like driving a car in an unknown territory without a map, GPS, or even road signs. We can end up taking some dusty, bumpy, questionable dead-end roads that lead us into needless suffering.”
Rest. reconnect, and manifest. I hope to see you when I get back.
In loving service,
Rosan
