Fall From Grace
Fall in Alaska provides its own special beauty and bounty, salmon fishing, rain that hydrates our soil and blueberry picking. Fall is a time for families to recreate, unwind and come together. And while that all sounds like an idyllic time, it is not without daily stressors.
One particular day, I had decided to go out and pick the wild blueberries that were bordering the forest. Finally a few minutes alone to gather my thoughts, reflect on the past few days. Thoughts of aging family members plagued my mind, work stress and lack of personal care were all swirling through my mind as I looked forward to finally being able to take some time for myself while collecting wild blueberries for blueberry pancakes. I put on my sneakers, grabbed my blueberry pail and headed out. The walk there was quick paced as my purpose for collecting berries was a priority over my self care. I rapidly reached the edge of the forest, targeted the area of blueberry bushes I was going to pillage and set forth. Several steps into my attempt at aggressive berry picking, I placed my foot on a patch of moss. Immediately I could tell that I was not on stable ground, but rather a hidden spruce root. I pitched forward, losing my balance. Fearful of a fall, I reached out with my other foot for stability. My pulse raced as I realized that my second step was even less stable than the first. My body began to fold over as the motion of my imminent fall began to take place. The only way to save myself and the berries was to take another step! My foot reached out and planted on the ground. My poor luck that the ground was then on an incline. Friends, it is true, I face planted in the forest among the berries, moss and spruce trees. A spectacular face plant, that rendered me feeling foolish, angry with myself and unable for the moment to collect berries or my pride. I picked myself up, brushed off the moss, took a deep breath and realized that if I had just slowed down, I could have avoided my epic fall from grace. I gathered what I could of the precious berries and sat down. Stable at last. I just sat and let my emotions roll in like the fall clouds. I sat for a few minutes and acknowledged what had happened, recognizing that always moving forward at a feverish pace can and will cause the best of us to fall from grace.
How do we deal with our continual need to push ourselves to do more, be more, provide more? It is a virtual treadmill of the mind that can propel us further until we are thrown off our course. Johns Hopkins Medicine, reports that 75% of Americans reported experiencing at least one symptom of stress in the last month. Continuing on with our treadmill of life, it is easy to believe that we are doing the right thing by moving forward, crossing off the next item of our “To Do” lists. But what are the repercussions of the frenetic movement of doing more, being more? Mayo Clinic reports stress, depression, decreased disease resistance and a whole host of physical maladies to accompany the stress, which let’s face it, adds to the stress! So what is a person to do when this happens?
Stop. Acknowledge that you are stressed that what is happening in your life and with your body is taking a toll on your health and your happiness. Let that sink in, not as something that needs to be tackled but rather a thought that it is happening. Once you have come to terms with the realization, then you can begin to form a plan, take some steps to help yourself. Start small.Connect with some friends, go for a walk with someone you love, plan on saying no to an upcoming event or demand, put on some music and dance, take a hot bath. Whatever steps you choose to take, remember that you are important, your health is important and your mental well being is important. If you are struggling to find the time for yourself, come join us here at Breathe Alaska, let us help you reconnect with the very thing that helps to sustain us all, our breath. Remember to breathe. Breathe in the joy of life, breathe in the subtle kindness of the day, breathe in to nourish your body and soul. The smallest step you can take to care for yourself is to breathe. And we all know that sometimes the smallest steps lead us to the most amazing journeys.
~Natasha~
