Feeling Lazy and Uninspired? Read this…

Feeling Lazy and Uninspired? Read this…

feeling-lazy

I’m hearing it all over the place.  In the casual conversations between moms outside the school, in the grocery lines, as I chat with friends online.

There is a collective exhaustion that hits us right about this time — and for good reason. 

Winter is a time of inhalation.

As we descend into the darkest days of our year, our internal selves also need to retreat.

Just like our breath, every exhale must have a counterbalancing inhale. The rhythms of our yearly seasons, monthly cycles, and daily circadian clocks all speak of this inherent wisdom for a full and well life.

But our society elevates the exhalation. 

We exalt the exhale.

We march to the beat of a drum that has no natural crescendo and decline — it is ever pushing, ever amplified, ever manic.

Until most of us find ourselves energetically gasping for breath.

During winter, we are being called inward to reflect and ponder. To consider what is growing within us and what is ready to be let go.  To percolate ideas and plant dreams.  To deeply replenish and restore ourselves from the previous seasons.

So, I find it makes perfect sense when women I talk to feel overly edgy, utterly uninspired, and emotionally paper-thin as we head into the deep of the winter season.  It makes perfect sense because we aren’t honoring and responding to our sacred core’s needs.  We are masking, deflecting and pushing through the signs that we need to shift gears and slow down externally and internally, for a spell.

I’m asking you to look at your emotional and mental well-being during the winter from the perspective of the wisdom of the seasons.

What could you bring into your life that would make space for more of a retreat, renewal and deep rest that your body, mind, and heart are craving?  What could you remove from your life in order to better align with your deeper needs right now?

Think others you know may enjoy this article?  Please share!

Lisa


Comments

11 responses to “Feeling Lazy and Uninspired? Read this…”

  1. Thank you for this, Lisa! I have been so wanting a *retreat* from everything lately. I wanted to take December off (!! as if, right?) because I was feeling so tired and drained. You are right – we need to honour those seasonal rhythms and so I will not feel guilty about my need to retreat and regroup right now! Thanks for the encouragement.

    1. Exactly! I know so many women right now wishing they could “take a pass” on life for a month 🙂 I also remember reading an article from a nun saying that if we all took our weekly sabbaths we’d never NEED a vacation … interesting thought on how our culture has completely lost the sabbath, too for the most part – or at least as it traditionally was taken…

  2. Lisa Thank You!! I have HAD to take a nap twice this week just to keep going! I was feeling so guilty and frustrated by that. I have been physically and emotionally exhausted. Thanks for reminding me that sometimes our body knows what we need better than our brain:). I remember reading about these seasonal changes now as I was exploring some Chinese and Auyervedic medicine literature. It is so amazing how God knew just what we needed…days and nights, weeks and months, seasons of year and life. I love you and your blog<3

    1. Becky- I’ve been napping with my youngest for the past two weeks- I totally understand! 🙂

  3. I loved this post Lisa, it came at just the moment when I was asking myself “What is wrong with me, why have I become so lazy and unproductive all of a sudden?”. Beautifully written, thank you so much for what you do!

    A couple of years ago, I blogged about what comes after, the enthusiasm and renew that Spring can bring, and how difficult it is to thin the seedlings that crop up after this long winter. http://motheringourselves.com/blog/?p=24

    1. Shantana! I just hopped over to read your (wonderful!) article- and saw that you talked about the Sabbath too!! (Synchronicity- I had just mentioned it in a comment above 🙂 ) Thanks for sharing your post- it’s beautiful and so true!

  4. I was just WEEPING this morning because I feel exactly as you describe: paper thin, flat and exhausted. I was telling myself (again): “I just need more exercise. I just need to take my supplements. I need to stop eating grains. Why can’t I do this? Etc Etc Etc.”

    THANK YOU for the PERFECTLY TIMED reminder.

  5. Thank you for sharing this, Lisa. This is exactly how I feel and it is reassuring to know I’m not the only one. I’m striving to do more career wise and family wise, but more so because I feel like I “should” when really I want to be able to have a slower pace to be able to enjoy the moments with my daughter, husband, friends and family. I can’t find the joy and passion in each day and realize that I need to recharge and listen to my inner voice. Now, how to to act on that? Your two questions are helping.

  6. I just saw this in my inbox and it is totally me right now! Lazy, uninspired and tired!! We are wrapping up homeschool this week and next and not starting back until January. All the Christmas presents are bought and mostly wrapped. I’ll be taking a couple weeks off blogging – except for writing future posts for enjoyment. Looking forward to rest and recharging with the family for the next few weeks!

  7. I read this post this morning and have been thinking today about what I should bring into my life to find renewal. For me, one thing that will help tremendously (and just has because I did it) is a simple ritual of sipping chamomile tea and taking a few minutes to write each night. And for this to be renewing, I have to remove some of the distractions that would keep me up late and be more intentional about how I spend my time after kids are in bed. Thanks so much for the post!

  8. I’ve been thinking about this since I read it yesterday. My entire body is craving sleep and soup and books and staying inside. So why am I up at 2:00 in the morning, doing chores to get ready for only the first event that I’m hosting this week?? I have come to think that the winter holidays are a time where women take on an additional 50% of their usual workload. I don’t want December to be like this for my family next year, but I’m not really sure how to make things change…

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