My alarm went off this morning and I climbed back into bed and hit snooze. While I didn’t fall back to sleep, I reasoned I could scroll through my social media feeds in the warm comfort of my bed and skip my usual prayer and reading time downstairs. I ended up scrolling and saying my morning prayer in bed. In other words, I half-assed it.
This followed an afternoon and evening of sitting at my laptop and not writing a blog post, asking my husband to take care of dinner and kitchen clean up, and being a coach potato on my phone for mindless hours.
I began to see a pattern emerging. A slickness on my trail. At this point I can move forward with effort, or backward with ease.
Our brains are hard-wired to take the easy way out, expend as little effort as possible, and phone it in when the opportunity presents itself. The more you give in to this backward sliding, the steeper the slope becomes. Sure these are just small acts of laziness, little instances where I lacked motivation, but oh how quickly they become “where I was.”
And I’m not going back there. I’m putting my foot down and climbing the challenging trail to wellness with exits to easy street around every corner. I’m bypassing the exits and progressing toward the destination of presence. Mindlessness is nipping at my heels and distraction is clouding my view, but I’m digging in.
Auto-pilot is our default state. A body at rest tends to stay at rest. Our very nature and biology working against us. Conserve energy. Check out mentally. When I find myself starting to skip steps or make excuses, I know I’m in dangerous territory.
Because mindlessness has momentum and can gain traction very quickly. We don’t like being “on” all the time; we tend to slip into power-saving mode automatically. But this is where mediocrity lies and waits to cushion our resting frame. Inviting us to settle in.
Or just settle. Or to slide back into that unhappy place from whence we came. The place of busy. The place of comfort eating. The place of drinking to “handle” it all. The place of apathy. The place of avoiding photographs and eye contact. The place of shame and regret. Where everything feels like an itchy sweater on bare skin. The place “where I was.”
It’s an extremely slippery slope and it starts with skipping steps and making excuses. Of letting the seemingly unimportant things slide. I’m too tired to say bedtime prayers with my daughter. It’s too cold out to walk the dog. I need 20 more minutes of sleep this morning. My knee hurts, I think I’ll skip the workout today. Those Cadbury eggs are my favorite and are only around for a short time. It doesn’t matter if I write on a schedule…I should wait to be inspired. I am stressed out and need…something.
These seemingly small things begin a downhill descent, like a tiny snowball gathering mass and speed. Until you’ve created an avalanche.
I’ve slid down enough slopes to know it’s easiest to stop at the top. And it’s most important to do the small things when you don’t feel like doing them. It preserves balance and keeps you on solid ground. Digging in and not only making the effort, but staying mindful and in the present moment is the key to avoiding a fall. Don’t switch off into power-saving mode, but operate at your best and brightest. Put all your energy into this day, this hour, this task, this opportunity, this moment.
Staying grounded in the present, soaking up all the sensations, is the way we move past our natural tendency to skip over or shut down. Moving though our day with intention, especially when we don’t feel like it, is our way of digging into life and making progress even when we’re standing still.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a workout to do. Because I, for one, am not going back to “where I was.”
Great advice to stay mindful and present. Routine is important, especially these COVID days when it is quite tempting to slip into oblivion. That said, I forgot about Cadbury eggs and I might have to treat myself to just one (or two) as a treat for not drinking. I will remember to savor it and balance it with a hike in the woods.
Sounds like an excellent plan! We should treat ourselves to a few… my tendency is to start buying as soon as they hit the shelves and eat my way through the Easter season! 🤣 Thanks for reading! 💖
I see it this way—you still said your prayer. How many times in the past did you lie in bed and not pray? I can only answer for myself, and I would say lots. Most of the time my own expectations are higher than anyone else’s for me, which is as it should be. At the same time, I tend to be hard on myself. My friends would tell me to be kind to myself, and so I say the same to you, my friend. Keep your progress in mind and be kind to yourself. ❤️
Thanks, friend. I know it’s always easier for me to tell others to be kind to themselves than for me to remember to do the same. Thanks for the reminder. Xx
I know that so well! I continue to need those reminders. I think, little by little, I’m doing better at reminding myself.
i agree with this 90%..with the only exceptions being kind to oneself during illness or after a traumatic event, but then only for a short duration. Most of the time giving ourselves a break too often from our discipline does lead to apathy. I have proven that by listening to well intentioned friends who have said i am “way too disciplined” about things. I easing up and sure enough, one thing lead to another. Fortunately i am back on track and will never again listen to others over my own intuition. I do agree with treating ourselves on occasion, but i try to make that treat something not unhealthy- like getting a cool t-shirt or painting an accent wall or taking a short nap .Nice post!
You should absolutely be kind to yourself during illness or a traumatic event. I’m practicing that right now. But it is the day to day things we know we “should do” that sometimes seems really undesirable, and can lead to major backslide if we start making excuses or skipping routines. It’s always a balance. Thanks, Lovie. Xx
absolutely
Yes, so much easier to “nip it” before you’re looking up from a long slide. Learning to ride that line in between is what I’m trying these days. Giving myself the break I need but know when it’s turning into more– great post (as usual!) Collette!
Yes, it’s important to remember kindness to yourself as well, when that’s needed…or if you really just need a kick in the pants! Haha. Thank you, Elizabeth
Excellent call to mindfulness Collette❣️❤️❤️
You’re SO right! It’s super scary how easy it is to fall out of our good and healthy routines into sloth-like behavior. 😝
An object in motion stays in motion. It’s imperative we keep even the slightest bit of movement going – it’s also ok to scale back sometimes when life gets overwhelming ❤️🤗
Very true and well said, Teri! Thanks for reading! 💕
Your so right. Modern life can so easily send us veering off in the wring direction. x
yes, got to keep consistent. Xx
New to your blog. Great post.
Thank you for reading! 💖