I just returned from a 4 week trip to Peru. Leading up to this trip, I was feeling uninspired, tired, empty and a little burned out. The last 4 years I have worked very hard in my practice and have completed just over 2000 face-to-face Skype consultations. I also returned to school and completed my certification with the Nutritional Therapy Association. I needed a time out to re-evaluate where my life was going. Did I need to change direction with my nutrition practice and where I was living? Should I start offering classes for Lyme Disease and other chronic illness recovery? What could I do to get inspired again? Did I just need a rest? I definitely needed to take a pause.
A pause will look different to everyone. Some may just need to take time off work and lay on the couch reading inspirational books. In my case, I usually need to do some type of hike in an extraordinarily beautiful part of the world. I had been wanting to complete the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu for a very long time. So I blocked off 4 weeks from work and backpacked solo through Peru. This may seem unusual for a 56-year-old woman, but it is who I am. It gave me the time to immerse myself in nature, to pray and reflect on my life. The last time I took a pause was when I thru-hiked over 900 km on the Camino de Santiago, Spain in 2017.
“We are human beings, not human doings”
5 Signs it’s Time to Press the Pause Button on Your Life
1/ You are chronically ill
This is the most common issue most of my clients have. It might be time to pause and look at the way you are doing life. How is your diet? Are you taking care of yourself? Are you getting to the root cause of your illness or just medicating your symptoms with pharmaceuticals? Maybe you need a time out to re-evaluate your treatment plan and move more towards a natural path of healing.
2/ You are exhausted
Why are you so exhausted? Are you trying to do too much? Are you practicing good self-care? Are others in your life making too many demands on you? Are you just filling your life with endless distractions to anesthetize unresolved issues?
3/ You are battling depression
Why are you depressed? Is it physiological or situational? Try and assess with a good counselor the root cause of your depression. Once you know the root cause, you can implement a solution. In my own case, it was resolved from changing my diet, boosting minerals and trauma counseling for early childhood issues.
4/ You are in an unhappy relationship
Do you find yourself in a relationship that is not allowing you to live your true authentic self? Do you feel unsupported? Do you feel abused? Do you feel alone, afraid or ignored? Examine all of the relationships in your life. Begin to weed out those that are not helping you to live your best life. Stick to the people that help you to shine and can celebrate your successes. Cherish the friends that can help you up when you have fallen down. The best friends are able to tell you when you are getting off track or not living up to your true potential.
5/ You dislike your career
Do you find it difficult to get out of bed and go to your workplace? Do you have a boss or coworkers that are very unsupportive or difficult to spend the day with? Take some time to reassess your life and work goals. Maybe you are long overdue for a career change. The average person changes careers at least 2 or 3 times in their lifetime. Maybe it is time to align yourself with a career that fuels whatever you are passionate about. I myself began as a bakery owner and then big city realtor. Over time I went back to full-time studies for an addictions counselor and now a nutritional therapist. Sometimes a change is the best thing we can do for our physical, spiritual and emotional health.
6/You are unhappy with where you are living
Do you dislike where you are living? Is it your city too big? Is it too small? Is the climate unbearable? Is it too noisy? Do you feel safe there? Are there enough of your favorite recreational opportunities to satisfy your interests? Is your house rundown or full of mold? Are your neighbors driving you crazy?
7/ You are feeling very flat and uninspired
This is the one that can just sneak up on you. Maybe there is nothing wrong with your life, but the monotony of doing the same things over and over. Sometimes, it is as simple as taking the coastal route instead of the freeway. Maybe you should just take the top down and enjoy the wind in your hair. Maybe it is time to move out of your comfort zone and try camping, fishing, boating, swimming, exercising or ziplining. New activities can breathe fresh inspiration into our lives. It is so easy to get comfortable with the ordinary. Try something new. I still want to ride a camel, climb Kilimanjaro, learn how to throw knives and shoot a crossbow.
8/ You are confused about your next steps in life
Are you feeling confused about everything? Sometimes we just don’t know what to do or where to go. That’s okay. We can pray, meditate, talk to others until the answers come. Whenever I feel at peace about my path I know that this is the right course of action for me. I do believe we each have a purpose to fulfill in our lives. We can pause and let the answers come to us. This is a good time to do less and quietly ponder our lives.
“Everything that’s created comes out of silence. Your thoughts emerge from the nothingness of silence. Your words come out of this void. Your very essence emerged from emptiness. All creativity requires some stillness.”
Wayne Dyer
We only have one life! Sometimes we need to take some much needed time to discern if our current path is the right one for us. It is so easy to get caught up with “doing” that we forget about “being”. We forget to take a time out so that the answers can come to us.
Every single day I turn my will and my life over to the care of God. This is a recovery practice that I have maintained and it works very well for me. I have also included time for daily prayer and meditation that has served me well over the years. When I need additional guidance I talk to my people. I have a very good support system to listen to me and offer feedback.
I am really grateful for my time away from home and work. I have decided to travel more and begin to implement some changes in my practice. I also plan to hike as much as I can while I am still able. It is my most favorite recreational activity that allows me to unplug from the daily demands of life and work.
So if you are feeling any of the above try and take some time to assess your life and current situation. There are always changes that we can make to improve our spiritual, physical and emotional health.
Blessings and Best of health,
Brenda♥
