As regular readers may know, I do a practice called the morning pages every day. As part of my Morning Pages, I check in with body, mind, heart and soul. On Monday, I was feeling very Monday-ish. I have a to-do list as long as my arm, I’d got a busy week ahead, I really need a couple of days off (coming later this week!), and I didn’t want to do a darn thing. Not one single, solitary thing. No sirree! After fighting the feeling of “I don’t want to” for a few hours, I finally gave in and stopped trying to force myself to do something I didn’t want to do (which is the very definition of ‘pointless’!)
I decided to get out my morning pages book, and I didn’t even want to do that. I looked at my Things to do when things suck list and I didn’t want to do any of them either. Eventually I just lay on the sofa in my office, singing along to my ‘mellow’ playlist. I only managed about 3 minutes at a time as I kept getting ideas and jumping up and reaching for my morning pages book again! Anyway, eventually, I got to check in with what my soul had to say to me that day.
“An ebb calls for re-evaluation, contemplation, thought, meditation, peace, self-care, refilling the tank, musing, pondering, rumination. It’s all beautiful stuff! So stop complaining and embrace it!”
Hmm. Frankly I’ve never managed to embrace an ebb with grace and ease – I love to flow. I love the creative, joyous, energetic time of flowing. I suck at ebbing. I know it’s got to be done, I know it’s natural, and usually, eventually, I give into it. Grudgingly. And only because there is no point not giving in – the ebb’s there whether I like it or not.
But to embrace the ebb? To enjoy the chance to cogitate and ponder and muse and mull? The curious thing is that I love to consider and review and pootle and contemplate and meditate and mooch about. But when the natural ebbs arrive, I would just rather flow! So I resist. And waste energy. And get pissed off with myself. And miss the opportunity to enjoy the chance to consider and reflect and ruminate and refill the tank and take care of me.
So let me ask you: when was the last time you allowed yourself time to re-energise, recharge, cogitate, mull and ponder? When was the last time you stopped to fill up the tank so that you could go further forward on your journey with energy and fire, rather than trying to run on fumes for as many miles as possible before conking out at the side of the road? When was the last time you managed to embrace your ebbs? Perhaps you are better at this than me (in which case, leave me a comment, let me know what you do!), or perhaps you also need a little time to pootle and consider and meditate and simply rest? Perhaps you, like me, need to embrace your next ebb and enjoy the downtime, knowing that when the flow begins again, you’ll be recharged and ready for it!
How do you deal with your natural ‘ebbs’? Do you embrace them? Do you need to change the way you react when a natural time of low energy and cocooning appears? Leave me a comment and let me know.
Love
Donna.x
Comments
14 responses to “OnTheBeach: Embrace Your Ebbs”
Lol Dominee! Me too. Stubborn as a herd of mules! But I think the lesson is starting to sink in…slowly! Well, I managed to take 4 days off the computer and work anyway, which is a record when I’m at home! x
Yup. I hear ya! I’m normally ok at recharging, but taking time off to do so (even when I know I need to) is something a bit alien to me! Leonie is teaching me this – I read somewhere that she takes lots of time off and ‘overfills’…meaning she’s not running on half empty. That’s lodged in my brain, and I’m determined to train myself to do the same! 😀 Because I know (as I’m sure you know too) that I work better the more filled up I am – more efficient, more effective…just better! x
Interesting perspective Dian! You’re right it is worth checking in to make sure it’s a ‘real’ ebb. For me, the ‘ebb’ has a VERY different energy to avoidance! If I try to push ahead with avoidance, I tend to fall back into flow…or feel resistant to flowing. If I try to push ahead in an ebb, it’s like walking uphill through treacle with steel boots on! 😀
I always fight with myself when I hit an ebb and every time I come to the conclusion that the less I resist the easier things bounce back into place. It’s a lesson I continuously have to learn, I’m a little stubborn!
I know the ebb all too well; it’s been hanging around lately and although I know I should lean into it and recharge, I feel like I’m wasting time. This is something I’ve been practicing over the past few days. Just going with the ebb, knowing the flow will return in I allow myself to be filled up again.
I like to have conversations with my ebbs, Donna … that way I know whether they’re really ebbs or just fear masquerading as necessary downtime. The conversation doesn’t always move me into flow or define me in ebb, but at least I’m usually on the way to getting clear about what I need for myself. I love the idea of embracing the ebb, as long as I’m not avoiding the flow, per se. Thanks for the great post 🙂
I reckon I’m at about 50/50 embrace/resist – it cracks me up that I know that resisting is a total waste of time – if I don’t wanna work, I ain’t gonna work, end of conversation. Not that I’m stubborn or anything! 😀 Well, hopefully next time you’re ebbing, you’ll think of this and realise that it’s more efficient to embrace the ebb. Hopefully so will I B) xx
Lmao – yep, me too! It’s like part of me is saying “ok, you think a NAP is unproductive? Check this out for ridiculously unproductive (opens Candy Crush game on Facebook!)” xx
I’m getting to that same point Jessica! I can see the ebb more clearly for how good it is when I’m out the other side! xx
Lol – glad I wasn’t alone Sibylle! Yes, I did exactly the same thing, gave up trying to force myself to do something I didn’t want to … and BAM! Creative inspiration came back! Psh.
Mollie says thank you! xxx
Ah the lovely ebbs… I would love to say that I gracefully accept them each and every time. And there are days where I do allow myself to move through them and cuddle up with my puppies.
And I will admit that most of the time I don’t. I don’t give myself permission to crash until it’s no longer optional. I force my way through it or rather I force myself around it through the path of most resistance. I do eventually get to the other side but I’m battered and bruised.
Embracing them like you said would be so much simpler and kinder… thank you so much for your wisdom!
Spot on, Donna! I struggle with feeling guilty about grabbing a nap when I could be doing something productive. Then I end up screwing around on the computer (Helllooooo Twitter and Facebook) instead of actually BEING productive. LOL
It can be such a challenge to embrace the ebb! I often find myself back in the flow wishing I had in retrospect, though, and I think that perspective is helping me do better about embracing it when I’m actually there.
Once again, you’re practically reading my mind, Donna! I’m not great at “ebbing” either, and like you I’ve been having some ebb time lately. On Monday I finally gave up trying to be productive whilst feeling bad about myself, as that would only add negative energy to my business (and worse, send it out towards potential clients), so I spent a couple evenings re-watching old “X Files” episodes. Three days later, and I’m motivated and can’t wait to get going again after work this evening.
It’s the usual thing: As soon as we stop resisting, the flow comes back.
Much love! xx
P.S. What a gorgeous dog Molly is! <3