It’s All Fun and Games Until You Crash
Balancing inspiration with hydration, one small adjustment at a time
It’s all fun and games until… reality. Because no matter how good you are at suspending aspects of reality to play a really good game, ultimately reality has a way of calling the shots. And, mostly, it can’t be argued with…….
Except Ruby DOES argue with reality……..
This is not good. What’s missing here is….
BALANCE
I know!! Such a boring concept. So at odds with the life-affirming heightenedness of throwing yourself headlong into something, no holds barred.
And yet… and YET.
You need to take care of yourself. You just do. And sometimes that means stopping what you’re really into to attend to something a little less ‘enjoyable’.
the pull of Passion VS. the unsexy necessity of Self-Care
In The Wonderful World of Unstructured Time, ‘balance’ is going to prove to be one of Ruby’s greatest LESSONS. She doesn’t mean to blow off her basic needs. She’s just got the kind of brain. The kind that gets so engrossed in things that other concerns tend to fall away.
She forgets she means to be finding a job. She forgets to drink water. She forgets to eat. Sure, she gets the messages her body sends her, but she waves them off with a “yeah, yeah, in a sec”, until…. things so askew.
How about you?
Do you ever end up so far into “the zone” that it’s a surprise when reality taps your shoulder and says, “Food… Sleep… Bills…”?
Are you one to push aside what reality has to say… until your bank account or your blood sugar goes, “No, I’m serious”?
Do you find the intrusion most annoying?
Well, good news. Falling out of balance doesn’t mean you’re messing up, it’s just what goes along with being human. Not unlike what goes along with riding a bike!
“Whoa, going a little off to the left, gotta pull it to the center… Going a little to the right, back we come to center…”
THAT is how you keep going.
Balance.
And since it never stops needing to be practiced, best to take it ON. Make friends with it. Honor it and….
HONOR YOURSELF (with your human tendency to go out-of-balance)
GIVE IT THE OL’ SELF-HONORING 1-2 PUNCH
PUNCH #1:
I just LOVE that I’m such a passionate, purpose-driven type of person
PUNCH #2:
And I choose to do what it takes to KEEP being that person
Easier said than done so…..
Let’s tap
To release the tug-of-war between the desire to follow what lights you up and the need to care for yourself enough to keep the lights on (figuratively and literally), you first want to get in touch with the feelings that go along with this struggle.
Might be shame, guilt, overwhelm.
Might be resistance to self-care in the form of annoyance or impatience.
Might be the fear that slowing down will mean losing momentum.
Get in touch with what YOUR inner push-pull is saying… and how it’s saying it. What are the thoughts? What are the feelings? Are there any associated memories?
Know HOW you know it’s a struggle.
Got it? Great. Let’s tap…..
Tapping Script: Finding the Balance Between Art and Self-Care
Start by breathing. One inhale, one exhale. Let your body settle a little. Then tap through the points as you say….
I love how it feels to throw myself into something
I love to give myself the freedom
to follow the inspiration
and let it take me where it leads
I even love how I forget everything else -
that I have a body
that there are other things to do
It feels so good to be lit up by inspiration
And I honor that about myself
But I also want to acknowledge that it feels bad when I crash
Or when something important doesn’t get done
That’s why this needs my attention
Fully honoring the part of me that resents
having to stop doing something I’m into
that feels like balance is a buzzkill
that thinks of self-care as a chore
that wishes I didn’t have to think about ‘reality’
I acknowledge and honor that part of myself
Fully
AND I want to stay well enough to keep creating
Well enough to keep showing up
for myself, my life, my art, my purpose, my passion
So I’m willing to change my mind
about something I’m usually at war with
Maybe, just maybe
balance can feel like support,
rather that punishment
Maybe, just maybe
it’s important to remember that I ammore than my productivity,
more than my passion
I am a whole being WITH A BODY
And maybe, just maybe
it’s possible to get good at listening sooner
because maybe, just maybe
I’m cabable of being good at checking in
with my body
and my other very real needs
And maybe, just maybe
the part of me that usually resists this
is just waiting to do something new
something radically supportive
Because what if….
ALL the various parts of me are all on the same team?
and what if the new feeling is….
Balance is one of my greatest allies
It’s part of my secret sauce!
Balance
Doing what it takes to make sure that my joy in life
goes on for the WHOLE of my lifeI choose balance
the practice of balance
one small adjustment at a time
Easily
Effortlessly
And with a whole lot of love on top!
Stop tapping. Take a breath. Notice how your body feels. What’s shifted? What do you need right now?
Thanks for tapping along. You won’t hear from me next week because I’ll be on vacation with a group of high school chums, all celebrating how cool it is to be turning 60! But when Ruby returns, you get to meet the first of the many HELPERS who come into her world…… the Can Man!
