Turn Your Attention Inside: A Key to True Peace
In our Spiritual Self-Care Group this past week, we looked at what supports you to shine the warm light of your loving attention inside. As a Rare mother, your attention shines outward much of the time. You are caring for your child which means that you are doing a ton and that even when you are asleep, your nervous system may be on red alert. Some call this hyper-vigilance and for many Rare mothers this is the norm.
Your own needs may not even be on your radar. You are consumed with taking care of your child because their life depends on it. It makes sense that you have honed your ability to acutely recognize what's needed on the outside.
What if you turn some of your precious attention toward yourself? Although it may seem like a foreign concept and is challenging, you decide that you are a priority. It is your own self-care that will sustain you and your family.
Some of you may be working, running organizations that do research on your child’s disease, managing your household, finding time for your relationship and then maybe, just maybe squeezing in a few droplets of self-care. I’m not suggesting you get a massage or a pedicure, I’m talking about finding time to be quiet, take a walk, do some free-writing in your journal or maybe 10-minutes of yoga or gentle stretching. Doing something for yourself each day is a necessity.
Are you a Rare mother who finds time for herself to meditate or pray in the morning? What you do in the morning sets the tone for your whole day. Take just a few minutes to slow down and feel. Maybe your M.O. is to power through. Powering through has its place. It's just that you have other options. One is to slow down and be with your feelings. You are worthy of your own time and attention.
Here is a practice to support you:
Slow down, breathe and receive yourself. Receive whatever is there. It might be sadness or joy, grief or ease, it might be a knot in your stomach or a heaviness in your chest. Whatever it is, let it be there and rest the warm light of your attention on it. Breathe and let it be. There is no need to change or fix anything.Try this for 5 minutes. Notice how you feel after taking this time for yourself. When you do this regularly, something shifts inside your heart. I would love to hear how it goes for you.
Come and join us this Tuesday at 10am PST to learn some tools for Spiritual Self-Care and to share what is working for you, what is supportive and what is not. Come and share with other Rare mothers who understand the life you are living. The groups have been wonderful and intimate. I hope to see you tomorrow, dear ones.
Please RSVP or just pop this link on your calendar as a reminder.
https://us02web.zoom.us/w/88188554253?tk=zheFEF6Ue0X6Gocu...
