“TIME, REST, BREATH” The important need to simply stop, rest, just be & breath!

“TIME, REST, BREATH”

A slogan to remind us esp when we are stressed out or having a manic time, that we also need to take time to stop, de-stress and calm our minds and bodies down!

Sometimes your body gives you NO choice in just stopping and needing to rest or just be still.

I learnt this the hard way in my early 20’s when I got ‘Chronic Fatigue Syndrome’ & later on the debilitating health condition ‘Fibromyalgia’ (read all about my story of getting ill by clicking HERE to open a new tab blog post all about it).

For others it’s when they are pregnant, ill, fatigued, recovering from an operation or medical treatment etc – that they discover the concept of having no choice but to listen to their body and STOP! Along with that, is the discovery of the need for resting and the importance of just being still to aid recovery.

Give yourself time to just be and not do!

I shared this image below in my FIBROMYALGIA & CHRONIC ILLNESS SUPPORT & AWARENESS GROUP on Facebook (click on the group name to open link to it in another window as you are all invited to join the group) which I think sums up this need beautifully:

The important need to simply stop, rest, just be & breath!

Some see rest or stillness as being boring or too quiet. Maybe it’s stone as adults we need to learn once again how to enjoy being still and just being in that moment.

Here is a mindfulness exercise you can try to help you ‘just be’ in the present:

1. Close your eyes.
2. Try to clear your head from thinking about events, feelings, problems etc.
3. Concentrate on hearing the noises around you.
4. What can you hear?
5. Listen, notice and in your mind list the things you can hear (eg: a clicking clock, traffic noises, the hum of the fridge, the birds singing, etc…)
6. Choose your favourite sound out of the list & try to cut out the other sounds by solely concentrating on your favourite noise.
7. See what pictures come to mind as you listen to that one noise.
8. After a while, choose another sound from your list and try to drown out the other sounds to concentrate on the one chosen sound.
9. You can do this for all the sounds on the list individually if you have time.
10. If outside thoughts, problems, questions come into your mind, try to make a conscious decision to push them aside and concentrate on the noises and the pictures they bring to mind.
11. To end the exercise take a deep long breath in, hold it for a few seconds and then blow out the breath slowly. Open your eyes when you feel ready…

I have a board on Pinterest full of similar Alternative Therapies, Breathing Exercises & Relaxation Techniques. Find it here:

Mind full or Mindful?

Yet in those times of needed rest for our bodies, our minds, on the other hand, can be very active despite the bodies stillness.

Physical pain can drag us into mental pain, feeling low & hopelessness etc… these are natural emotions that come along with having to battle Chronic Illness or experiencing some sort of debilitation out of your control.

However, this is where we have a choice to make, do we:

• Get dragged down into negative emotions of it all?
• Let negative feelings or fears start to take over and be consumed by them?
• Get stressed because you literally haven’t sat down

Despite not having physical power, we do have the internal power to try our hardest to not be mentally debilitated also! (excluding Mental Health disorders and chronic depression etc, as these are more complicated illnesses that are different from dealing with low mood, light depression, SAD, etc)

Below is a list of things we can do in order to try & keep a positive mental attitude even when our bodies are exhausted, worn out or hopeless:

 

✨ Have a mental reply to these feelings waiting in the wings of your brain

✨ Use Affirmations

✨ Saying a positive for each negative you say to yourself or out loud

✨ Breathing exercises

✨ Relaxation techniques

✨ Self-massage

✨ Tapping

✨ Prayer

✨ Meditation

✨ Self-help techniques

✨ Music therapy (relaxation music, praise music, sounds of nature, specific lyrics etc)

✨ Self-hypnosis

✨ Sounds of nature

✨ Art Therapy (colouring & crafts, knitting, etc)

There are more I can add but those are the essentials that come to my mind. Use the comments below to share what else would you would add to the list…

I also have a Pinterest board to help me with trying to take charge of my thoughts and what I tell myself, it is called ‘Affirmations, Christian Meditation, Mindfulness & Mental Health’ and you can follow it here:

Enjoy these self-love, self-help, self-care posts? Well, I have written more blogs of encouragement for dealing with the hard times in life and when we are mentally struggling. Here are some more links to my blog posts that might be of empowering interest for you:

(click blog titles to open up the posts and read these life lessons and handy hints for getting through)

> The dangers of Tunnel Vision and how to break down the walls to widen your perspective in life

> Survival Tips for when life feels overwhelming!

> WHY IS WELLBEING SO VITAL TO OUR HEALTH & HAPPINESS? My top Wellbeing posts of encouragement!

> HOW TO GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK WHEN LIFE MAKES YOU HARD ON YOURSELF! A FREE PRINTABLE AFFIRMATION, TO ENCOURAGE SELF-LOVE, FORGIVENESS & LETTING GO…

> “You are…” a SELF-LOVE AFFIRMATION to remind us how AMAZING we are!

> The Power of THANKFULNESS! Top Tips for logging GRATITUDE, to bring more happiness & inner peace into your life, through the joy of gratefulness! (Including a FREE Printable: WEEKLY GRATITUDE DIARY!)

> What I’ve Learnt from over a Decade with Chronic Illness! Top 5 Life Lessons Fibromyalgia has taught me;

> Life Lessons that the Season of Autumn/Fall can bring for us all!

ENJOY READING HELEN’S JOURNEY POSTS AND POEMS?

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