Wait, what??

And Other Things

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of travel amidst the regular stuff of life that had to be squeezed in, pesky things like meeting client deadlines, attending meetings and paying bills, making sure my newly planted garden stays watered, overseeing some work done on our house and that our sweet and pretty dog would be tended in our absence. On top of that, I managed to layer some socializing in.

In the midst of it all, I’ve had this idea that said sweet and pretty dog who is always hungry and therefore on the hunt for food should perhaps be the subject of a children’s book. I’ve shared her picture at the bottom. Isn’t she cute?

Aside from that niggle of an idea, I think what I learned this week is to say ‘no’ to more things in busier times, even if they are things with good friends and things I would enjoy doing. Sure, in the short run, it seems you can override the need for more rest, but it isn’t very smart. It often catches up when the body eventually protests more loudly. That can look like a lot of things, from burnout, exhaustion, illness, etc. According to the American Psychological Association, stress affects all systems of the body including the musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous, and reproductive systems. Whew. That’s a lot.

I am still embracing a daily meditation practice which is helping, but I’ve been missing my regular weekly yoga class. Note to self to get back to it upon my return home.

I have also been noticing those times when I am consciously choosing to not fall into old ways of being. I recently read that our triggers, for example, may always be there - the things that happen big or small that in the past set us on edge and itch to be reacted to - and when I chose to instead respond differently, which often looks like having no response at all. If you did that too this week, pat yourself on the back.

The other thing I noticed as I have for some time is that it takes me more time than others to decode what people are saying, particularly if there are distractions or background noise. At times it’s frustrating. I can also be at a meeting where someone asks a question of a factual nature and someone else pipes up with an immediate answer. Meanwhile, I’m thinking “wait, what? I didn’t even get a moment to process what was asked much less pull the answer out of my brain”. Likewise, while I find some other people quickly manage to find the right quip or glib response to something, I can realize hours later what I should have said in that moment. It’s not unusual to have an “ah-ha” moment hours or days later as to what was behind something someone else said or did.

Of course, I had to look up if these things were abnormal or just part of being a highly sensitive person. And, whew, it turns out it’s a feature of our trait due to depth of processing, not a flaw. If this is you too, you may find this video reassuring.

So, here’s to all of that.

Take care of yourself, be kind to yourself, and let go of the need to be perfect as life will never be.

Happy Sunday.

Peace.