Overcoming Stagnation
Back in October 2022 as I was making the adjustment in my life to becoming a new parent, I often had strange feelings of discomfort and tension which manifested as inaction and procrastination.
I wanted to get on and do things for myself and with my family, but seemed unable to decisively pull the trigger and get on with it. My creative spark had dimmed.
This led me to reflect on my paradigm…
What is it I am feeling? This strange sensation of constipation.
Feeling trapped and confined, unexpanded…
Do I just need to shut up and get on with it? What am I really concerned about?
Am I trapped in and Egoic circle of doubt where I am manufacturing worry about being chastised for not spending enough family time?
Am I just using this as an excuse to be lazy?
Is this all-just ego noise and I really need to be kind to myself?
This is surely just a secondary effect from not following the basics? Self-care,
meditation, and exercise.
Vitality is the foundation for creativity.
First creating the right mental conditions for the juices to flow.
There is no point trying to flow with writing if I have not created first the right conditions in myself.
I simply need to do what I say I am going to do.
During this reflection, I pushed aside the noise of my ego and identified the basics of self-care that I was missing. Through restarting my mindful meditation practice and taking time to exercise and be in my body, I restored my foundation of vitality.
That is all that really mattered. Once my foundation was sorted, the rest took care of itself.
Takeaway
In life, we often become absorbed by our ego and the “effect” that is manifesting within us. Really though, the best way to get rid of the “effect” is to treat the cause. And that is much simpler than our egos would like us to believe.
Prioritise the basics of your self-care (Dan Millman calls this taking out the trash) and then keep your room clean.
When times get hard, first clean your room before you do anything else.
Enjoy, for now.