3 Ways to Show Up When You Are Tired

I hit a bit of a health speed bump yesterday. Apparently, my body doesn't tolerate coconut cream in the same way it does coconut milk. I've put in years of trial and error into getting my diet dialed in to support my autoimmune challenges, but sometimes I still hit an unexpected snag.

Couple this with the time change, and I'm just flat out tired this morning.

Being tired can have a huge effect on our ability to show up fully, especially when we've committed to something big, like taking on a writing challenge, for instance.

So what can we do?

Here are 3 ways I'm working with my lack of energy this morning:

1. Acknowledge the reality that I'm tired.

So much of our internal drama and strife is a reflection of our inability to accept "what is". It's rooted in our desire for something to be different from the way it is, The resulting resistance creates more of a drain on the system.

Simply acknowledging the fact that I'm tired helps to let go of the need for things to be different right now.

2. Float.

This one is something my wife Janice taught me. I try to imagine my situation akin to being thrashed about in the ocean, having fallen off a boat without a life vest. Amidst thrashing to get back to the shoreline, I imagine myself expending a ton of energy that isn't helping my ability to recover from the situation.

But then, I remember that I can simply float.

There's no need to get anywhere.

Instead, I can take refuge by simply floating.

I release the need to thrash.

The seas calm, the sky become blue, and I relax into simply being present.

While this is a simple visualization exercise, it helps me to remember this is also true in our daily lives. Showing up and "floating" through a bad day is usually enough.

We don't have to always be the hero, save it for another day.

Just don't give up. Float instead.

3. Be OK with less, and celebrate the smallest victories.

I had a whole plan for what this Sunday would look like. I'd wake up early, do my spiritual practice, take an epic walk, plan my work week, grocery shopping, schedule 60 tweets, and so on... you get the idea.

But what if, instead, I were to aim to just do one thing that would create a sense of victory?

Today, that's writing this post. It's not what I originally planned to write about. But it is something that's alive and present for me, and makes me feel good.

And surprisingly, as I get towards the end of it, I'm already feeling better. Maybe that walk will be possible after all :)

So that's it, my friends.

Not every day is going to feel amazing, and we don't have to be perfect in our execution and ability to stick to a plan. Things change. We learn to bob and weave.

And there's a bit of magic in that.

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