Dreaming and Soaring: The solution to feeling stuck and overwhelmed
I don’t know about you but as an adult I don’t really spend much time daydreaming. Just staring into the unknown, out the window watching life. As children we witness life so differently. Watching everything with wide eyed interest and curiosity. The simple twinkle of light reflecting on something can invoke such joy. As adults this simplicity is often overlooked as foolish, a waste of time and we often tell children to stop daydreaming and concentrate. Concentrate on what?
In meditation we will often use a single object as a focus of concentration our breath, a candle, or something else physical. This aids as a focus to calm our overactive mind. In mindfulness we bring awareness to all that surrounds us, engaging the senses, often labelling thought, tree, flower, joy, happiness sadness. But what lies between the two?
Giving ourself space to dream can seem frivolous when in our modern day culture it is often deemed a success to be busy. But where does busy lead? When we are busy we are often closed off to solutions, closed off to growth, closed off to imagination. Remaining in a constant state of busyness can lead to overwhelm, discontent and finally burnout. Having experienced adrenal fatigue and break down myself I am fully aware how easy it is to fall into these patterns of behaviour and see no way back.
During the current climate in the world where fear and anxiety are becoming more common everyday emotions it can seem the only way to live is to play safe, to keep doing, to stay on the hamster wheel of life. By doing the same as we’ve always done it gives us a false sense of safety. It keeps us small and often stuck in cycles that do not support us. Fear of trying something new is greater than the opportunity of creating something helpful and supportive. But life is for thriving, enjoying and living. Our bodies natural state is to thrive not to be in constant fight or flight.
So I am urging you to allow yourself to dream again. To engage in that childlike mind that exists within you and explore. To connect back with hope, with your dreams. Allow yourself to stop. Do not fear the stillness. Grab a cup of tea and gaze from your window. Lie on the grass and stare at the clouds, sit in your bed and look out the window. Take time to daydream and witness life. Be the observer. Truly check in with yourself. Allow yourself to drop out of fight or flight. Allow your breath to slow, your mind to stop processing at a hundred miles an hour for a moment. Are you allowing yourself to really be part of your own life, to commit to the dreams that lie within your heart?
If you could witness your life from above, from a higher level what would you see? If you took the birds eye view and decided to witness it. This is an incredibly powerful tool to use. Spend time journaling as the observer. Grab your journal and write what you would see from above. Watch yourself as you go through your daily life are you frantic, chaotic, are there moments of joy and if so what are you doing when these occur? Are you showing up as the person you wish to be? Taking this step back can allow us to see where we are stuck, where we are flourishing, areas we need to address, problems, dreams and goals we are not allowing ourself to reach for. Spend time writing about what you would see as the observer of your life.
For me this process allowed me to discover areas of my life that were stuck, where I was doing things I had always done yet I was expecting something different to happen, it allowed me to see the love of my family and how lucky I am to have this incredible support, it allowed me to recognise where I was holding myself back thus in turn preventing me from supporting more people. It revealed to me some opportunities, it allowed me to connect with my childlike self again and to enjoy watching the bird flying past my window, the stars in the sky and the wind on my cheeks.
I am asking you to allow yourself to dream again. For in dreaming we can visualise something new. Create a different future or even appreciate the one we have. To see the bigger picture offers hope, creativity, inspiration and joy. Dreaming invokes excitement and forward motion. This forward motion builds momentum, clarity and direction. A new path, a more aligned path and one you can be passionate about is revealed. This passion allows you to feel your life again, to create energy and enthusiasm.
If you are feeling stuck, overwhelmed and that you can see no solutions. If you feel close to burnout, exhaustion or even boredom. I urge you to take some time out to daydream. To take time to look at your life as a bird soaring above. Allow yourself the space, you might just find the answers and solutions you are seeking.
Let me know if you do this practice and how you find it.
With Love Susi xxx
Thank you photo credit to Eamonn Macguire https://unsplash.com/photos/P0CG96L86SY?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink
