Buckets of rest and water ...

... or is it the other way around ???

I came across this half written note today and wanted to share it …

Full transparency – I don’t always have the luxury of time to rest and I am sure you don’t as well.

That is why I like to take micro moments every day to rest and recentre (when I remember).

Some days it may not seem as if it is making a difference.     

But I want you to picture an empty bucket (you could go as far as to say that empty bucket is you (but you don’t have to!)) 😊

Then imagine placing that bucket under a very slow dripping tap in the garden.

Imagine each drip is a micro moment of rest and self care.

You come back after a day and there is a very small amount of water in the bottom of the bucket – hardly noticeable.

You leave it for a week and suddenly it is 1/3 full.

You leave it for a month and it is full. (it’s a very big bucket … 😊)

It then starts overflowing and spreading onto the garden, even as the tap keeps dripping.

Flowers start to bloom around the bucket, growing bigger, fragrant and more colourful as each day passes.

That is my hope with micro moments of rest and self care.

Each moment of rest you take for yourself replenishes you AND also replenishes those around you.

It is not a sprint to get rest done and checked off: Rest – check. Self care – check. Move on.

It is not even a marathon (that sounds way too exhausting)

I like to think of it as a leisurely stroll in your favourite place – stopping to rest when you need to and enjoying the journey without thinking of the destination.

By starting small and often, you then get into the habit of recognising what types of rest energise you and which don’t.

What are micro moments? Anything that is short (think less than 10 minutes), restful, simple and easy to incorporate into your day.

My go to micro moments at the moment are:

Putting on a favourite tune and dancing around the house
5 deep conscious breaths
Lying down for 10 minutes with my legs elevated
Sitting in the sunshine drinking my tea
Taking off my shoes (and my bra!) and walking barefoot
Spending time with my cat Tia
Pulling weeds for 5 minutes

These micro moments then energise me to explore longer and deeper rest … dancing, yoga, massage...

I would love to know your favourite rest moments. 

Have you been able to take some this week?

As I say at the end of my sessions …

Be gentle with yourself

Until next time
Carolyn x