I recently re-watched Forrest Gump. It’s on Netflix on demand – great movie!
There are so many life lessons in this movie – like accepting sh*t happens – but one of them stuck out to me.
As Forrest runs across the United States, he says:
‘When I got tired, I slept.
When I was hungry, I ate.
When I had to go, you know, I went.’
How willing are you to honor your needs this way?
I’ve shared many times that when I decided to make changes to my overly busy and stressed lifestyle, one of my first goals was to pee when I needed to.
But I couldn’t even do that. 🙁
So often our needs go denied and unnoticed.
- Sometimes out of self-importance. Think a busy calendar with no white space in it that shows how busy and needed you are.
- Sometimes out of the need to please or fix others. Think, ‘If I don’t do it, it will never get done. I am the rock others depend on.’
- Sometimes out of fear. Think, ‘If I stop what I am doing to take a break, things will fall apart.’
- Sometimes out of disconnection. Think, ‘I don’t even know what I need,’ or ‘I’m so busy I don’t notice.’
The root of chronic stress is living a life disconnected from the heart.
To get connected, you must develop compassionate awareness of your body sensations, mental activity, emotions, and needs.
Tune in.
Don’t tune out.
Are you willing to try an experiment for two days?
Try Forrest’s approach and see what happens.
When you are tired, rest.
When you are hungry, eat.
When you need to, you know, go.
By meeting your needs as they arise, you practice mindfulness – living in the only time you are ever guaranteed to have – which is now.
By meeting your needs as they arise, you honor yourself and give permission for others to do the same.
By meeting your needs as they arise, you prevent yourself from the harm of over-doing and over-adrenalizing, all while increasing a sense of resilience.
And that feels pretty good. 🙂
Stop Looking Outside and Look Within,
Angela
