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When you’re feeling ground down by the world, remember that you are in control. It’s easy to slip into victim mode, or to think that you need to shut down, but that will not serve you well. Rest is fine, but if after a little rest you don’t feel like yourself, then you need to find what nourishes your spirit and follow that impulse.
The trap of rest.
Rest is good and necessary, but rest alone will not bestow vitality to a weary spirit. When you’ve taken a beating, you need to rest to recover. However, don’t forget that after you rest you have to pick up and get moving. It may be hard to do, but here’s the vital ingredient: Choose something that speaks to you. Doesn’t need to be vigorous or sedate but it needs to engage you as a person.
What to do?
Of course, that’s easy to say. Anyone can say “Just do what fills your need”, but that’s really hard to actually do unless you already know what you need deep down. Some are drawn to artistic actions. Some work with people. In my experience and observations, it’s usually an act of creation of some kind, or an act of enhancing something that was already there into something even better.
Here’s a few examples of things you can try:
- Fixing up your home (painting, repair work)
- Painting a picture
- Sculpture
- Writing
- Charity work
- Helping out a friend
This is just a small list of things to try. If you have been working on getting to know yourself then you already know what will get you revved up. If not, then ask yourself what will heal that downtrodden feeling and listen carefully.
Why this is important.
As I mentioned above, rest is necessary to heal the body if you’ve been run through the mill. But for healing the heart and mind, you need activity. You need to break out of what you have been doing and act in accordance with who you really are inside. When you start doing that, you feel more “like yourself” in more ways than one. You will find your energy levels improving and your mental state much lighter and more enjoyable. Remember also that the world around you is a reflection of the world within. As you learn more and more to keep your internal state where you want to be, the easier it gets and the more effective you become.
