Dropping Out

Whenever I’m overwhelmed by anything, and nothing in particular, I withdraw from the craziness of life by shutting out the noise of technology, and creating a sense of quiet space around me – what I call dropping out. Back when I had a home and yard, I would take my drop out period very seriously. I would begin my day with meditation, a little yoga, and a walk or run, then retreat to my garden and work my butt off – enjoying every moment. There’s something about physically working my body and being outside in nature that stirs my soul. Oddly enough, I don’t contemplate anything in particular or try to problem solve when I’m in drop out mode. I guess you could say I nourish my spirit by creating this brain break. Then I start fresh and make better decisions once I’ve had the appropriate drop out time. I can even feel it coming – the pull to disengage – knowing if I’m not finding enough space for me to disengage on a regular basis, I’ll need to come to a full stop and completely drop out.

At present, living on the road full time has brought with it a need to figure out how to continue to do what I need to do to feel at my best and be me. I have been going with the flow for the last year and a half knowing full well that I needed to find more space for me to do those things that help me be at my best. But this going with the flow hasn't quite worked because I seemed to keep flowing right on by what I needed – quiet, stillness, space, with some semblance of routine even if it’s for just a short period of time. After four months in Europe this summer and fall I was mentally and physically worn out. On this trip I had the realization that I must find more time for me to just BE. I need to make the time for me to disengage on a regular basis. Which is exactly what I was doing prior to traveling full time.

When we came back to the States the first part of November, we had two weeks of wonderful downtime in Lake Chelan, Washington. Off season is the quiet season on the lake and perfect for just what I needed after traveling in Europe – time to decompress from the recent travels, get used to the time change, and begin to find myself once again. I was able to run, swim laps, fully enjoy my yoga routines, and have many quiet walks. I was gloriously happy and was able to re-energize. Now I need to keep that going, slow the travels down a bit more and find the balance between traveling and the space to just BE.

The holiday season and new year can be a time of reflection for many of us. I’m finding my way back to what my personal values are and creating the space to just BE. My wish for you this holiday season is for you to find your way back to what you know to be true for you. Perhaps you will disengage once in awhile and give your brain a much needed break.

Michelle

Palm Springs Blue Lady photo courtesy of DaMClark's