Feeling Lost in the Sauce
It seems that as of late, there has been an overarching feeling of overwhelm, lack of motivation and frustration. If you, or someone you know, has been feeling this way lately - I'm here to say that you aren't alone. I've been feeling it, people I know have been feeling it and people they know have been feeling it too. The change of the season is a potential culprit. Maybe it's the current state of the economy and the uncertainty of what's to happen next. Perhaps it comes from what's happening in your community/circle. I say all that to say, there is a lot going on and it's okay to feel however you feel for whatever reason(s) you have to feel that way.
I'm sure we can all relate to the discomfort that comes from completing all your daily tasks and managing your responsibilities while feeling down or less than yourself. Especially when you aren't quite sure how to cheer yourself up. You may find yourself questioning your purpose, questioning yourself, questioning your outcomes and the rabbit hole keeps going on. I've felt this way more than once, with little differences each time. I've taken a few different approaches in hopes of finding the best solution to "fix" what I perceived to be a "problem". Yet, this time around, I'm accepting a new perspective. Feeling lost or deflated or unmotivated or unfulfilled is not fun. I wouldn't pass the feeling along to my worst enemy (if I had one). However, we must keep in mind that our feelings are a source of communication between our physical bodies, our intellect and our spiritual beings. Our emotions either tell us, "yes we like this," or "this is not our ministry, try again." Regardless of where our emotions fall on the expansive spectrum of feelings - they can always give us insight and direction. To feel, and I mean to truly feel, is a blessing in and of itself. Our feelings are our reminder that we are genuinely experiencing this thing called life. As such, we need to treat our feelings with care - whether we perceive them as "good" or "bad".
I went to a hot yoga class with my all-time favorite yoga instructor (yes, I still attend classes even though I teach them - always a student), and she said something that really stuck with me long after the practice was over. It's over 100 degrees, I'm drenching sweat and ready for practice to be over and she encourages the class to focus on finding stillness in between the postures. She tells us to "sit in it" - "it" being our discomfort, our sweat, and our feelings about the heat and humidity. She reminded me why I love my yoga practice. Not only did I actively find my stillness during the physical practice, but I was able to challenge myself to sit with all the uncomfortable feelings I had been dealing with in the days leading up to the class. I challenged myself to embrace the discomfort in my life and face it head on. I didn't find any answers, nor did I come up with a fix-it-quick idea. I simply pushed myself to feel all the things on a much deeper level. I decided to slow down and take it all in and in return, let it all out - on the mat, through my voice and even through my tears. I've still got some work to do, however I feel really good about what I've done so far. I'm beginning to understand my feelings more and I trust that when I have enough information I can make a decision, if there is one, that serves me best and moves me forward.
I'm going to challenge you the same way that my yoga teacher challenged me. Sit in it. Sit with it. Don't run away from it. Focus on your stillness. Allow whatever you're feeling to teach you more about the journey that you're on and about yourself. It'll be okay. Things will work themselves out, just make sure to make it through to the other side to watch it all unfold.
