Beware the Ides of March…
Shakespeare sure knew what he was talking about. Here we are in mid-March and the last two weeks have felt like a fog that’s slowly starting to lift. The days are getting longer and Spring is only two days away. Without a doubt, the most welcomed re-birth in our existence, and yet the fatigue just won’t let up.
It’s been a year since the world as we knew it came to a standstill. While quarantine may have officially ended last June, life has not been the same. Some days have been easier and other days...well, have not. Adjusting has been an exhausting battle. In my last entry, I introduced the philosophy of everyone being a house with four rooms that should be tended to daily for a balanced life. This philosophy came to me via Beverly Engel’s book, “Loving Him without Losing You” but the origins stem from the Indian Proverb, A House With Four Rooms, that states:
In today’s entry, I’ll be sharing how I attend to my “four rooms”, or four bodies as I say, especially when it feels like the fog won’t clear.
PHYSICAL: Learn your rhythms and go with your flow.
Like a mother tending to her child, our bodies need nurturing daily. Every day is different because our bodies’ needs change. Some days require more energy in the form of heavier foods or intense movement. Other days require slowing down, lighter nourishment, and stillness. Like nature’s cycles, our bodies too go through seasons.
It took me a long time to find that synergy and it started with choosing to treat my body like a friend in need of nourishment rather than an enemy in need of minimizing. Learning to flow and dance with our rhythms is a revolutionary form of self-love in a world designed to keep you apart from...you. Some ways I tend to my physical body are:
- A Yoga Practice - most effective in forming a loving relationship to all of my “bodies”.
- Nutrition & Movement According to Cycle - strengthened synergy.
- Salt Baths - cleansing.
- Strength Training - for those higher intensity days.
- Gardening - another practice that tends to more than the physical body.
MENTAL: Get present and ground your thoughts in reality.
My mind is like a garden. Sometimes it’s perfectly manicured and watered. Other times it’s overgrown and wreaking havoc. There came a point in my life where I used to overthink and overanalyze everything. My thoughts used to paralyze me from taking action. Ideas would turn into self-doubt. Worst of all, I would then see my ideas come to life through others. I’ve come to believe we’re a collective tapped into universal energy.
When an inspired thought bubbles up, that’s the Universe trying to express itself. If inspired thought can’t turn into expression through you then it’ll find someone else. I’ve witnessed this one too many times to question its validity. So now, if an inspired thought bubbles up I act to express it out. Sometimes it takes longer to see an idea come to fruition but taking steps to make a thought reality is a great way to stay present and balance the mind. Here are some other tips to tend to your mental body:
- Reading - 30 minutes a day, undisturbed and away from tech has a way of quieting the mind.
- Learning New Skills - expanding your capabilities and challenging yourself helps your mind grow.
- Planning & Strategy - brings your thoughts into reality and keeps you present.
- Reflection - taking stock helps slow things down.
- Journaling - checking in with yourself helps to quiet the noise from overthinking.
EMOTIONAL: Constructively direct your energy in motion.
Emotions are like waves that rise and either come crashing down or softly caress the surf. Learn to ride the waves instead of swimming against them and you’re golden. Creativity is the greatest tool at our disposal for expressing our emotions. Whether through storytelling, poetry, dance, music, or painting, we have the power to take our emotions and channel them into something else.
When we don’t express ourselves, we bottle up our emotions which can take a toll on our bodies. Sometimes, those bottled-up emotions come out in the form of causing pain to ourselves or others. Navigating our feelings constructively rather than destructively helps how we relate to ourselves and others. Here are some ways to help express yourself:
- Journaling - seriously, let it all out!
- Set boundaries - a lot of misunderstandings between people happen because of miscommunication. Boundaries help teach people how to treat us and when those boundaries are crossed it teaches us who is and isn’t willing to respect us.
- Create Art - dance, paint, cook, garden, sing, etc - alchemize those feelings, the possibilities are endless!
- Nurture - yourself, a child, a pet, or a creative venture
- Therapy - there’s no shame in getting help from an outside perspective
SPIRITUAL: It all comes down to you.
It’s easy to get caught up and lost in the shuffle of the outer world. Our attention gets divided between relationships, community, family, work, careers, media...the list goes on. We forget about our own needs and feel disconnected from ourselves. For me, there came a time when I had to shut out the noise from the outside world and tune into myself.
That’s what spirituality is - coming back to ourselves. How do you do that? Only YOU can answer that. The only tip I can offer here is if you find it difficult to connect, pinpoint what’s getting in the way and eliminate it. From there, only you can understand what your spiritual body needs. Understanding yourself makes it easier to find what works for you. In the words of the great Fiona Apple, “This world is bullshit. Go with yourself!”
Some days will be easier than others to cultivate balance and live in harmony. We can all use a little help from time to time. How are you coping these days? Have you adopted the four rooms philosophy into your life? Share your tips for staying balanced in the comments below.
