Episode 57: How to Re-Emerge after Time Away

Photo Credit: Ruddy Media

I thought it was time for a short solo episode. This one was recorded in July 2020. I’ve been seeing face to face clients again for a few weeks and I wanted to share some thoughts on re-emerging.

I hope it’s useful whether you’re surfacing again after lockdown, or coming back to activity after surgery, compassionate leave or illness, or returning from a holiday or retreat or you’ve been in a baby bubble after giving birth.

In the midst of lockdown, a few weeks ago, I was thinking a lot about re-emerging. For most of us, we live our lives in the fast lane, responding and reacting rather than having time to breathe and stay still. As a society, we don’t give enough attention to stillness. Being busy and productive is prioritised instead. Yet so many people are chronically exhausted, which has an impact on our everyday wellness as well as our long-term health.

How often do you scrimp on having a moment to stop and be? 

For those of you who practice yoga or meditation, do you allow yourself to patiently be in rest mode or are you rushing to get up and on with your day? 

I was once learning to scuba dive and although I loved it, I wasn’t a natural. I’ve long forgotten the lingo, but instead of hovering for a while, I couldn’t control the pressure and kept rising up to the surface of the water. When that happens, there isn’t the time to acclimatise, which is jarring on the body.

If you’ve had some time away for whatever reason, here are some suggestions to make the transition a little smoother:

Go slower than you think. Slowing down helps you to feel and tune in to your body. When you’re rushing or juggling too many balls, you’re generally not present, not breathing and not feeling. 

 I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to slow down. 

In clinic, I’m often encouraging clients to slow down, to rest more and just be. It’s a muscle that needs to be practiced, so even if you think you can’t slow down or that you’re one of those ‘on- the- go” people, go slower. I use the analogy of hurtling around in 4th and 5th gear, instead of having enough contrast with second gear too.

If you know me, then you’ll know that I’m not built for the winter and that I yearn for the long, warmer days of  summer. I’ve been trying to embody winter, to really be with winter and not just wish it away so I can move on to the spring. Since we are cyclical beings, you can tune in to the winter of your month ( which is around menstruation if you have periods) or the winter of your day. We need the winter, the time of stopping so that our energies can gather and recharge. If we miss this step, we end up depleted. We need this fallow period, this empty space, this blank page to begin again, but not before it’s time. Surrender to the winter and connect with your inner world in a reflective way. 

As you navigate the outside world again, imagine yourself as a newborn baby. Your senses are constantly receiving new stimuli to process and make sense of. 

It’s as if you’re missing a layer of protection around you, so your system is more easily agitated and startled. 

Tune in to your body and listen to when you feel safe and comfortable and when you feel hyper-alert and ruffled. Each encounter is something where your nervous system has to make quick decisions about whether it’s safe or not to be there.

You’ll soon know who you gravitate most to, and who depletes you. 

Where you feel open and more relaxed, be it in the local woodland or in a well-lit cafe.

How many people you can be around and how close is too close.

These are all things that your body speaks to you about when you slow down enough to listen.

Now I understand that sometimes you can’t help but have a longer or busier day out and about.

Place your attention into your bones. Your bones are the densest, deepest and most stable part of you. Dropping your awareness into the bones of the hands or feet or spine, helps you to keep your energy field clearer, rather than merging with what’s in your sphere.

You might like to carry something with you that can easily bring you into a feeling of ease in your body. An essential oil such as orange or lemongrass to uplift or sandalwood to ground. Or a rich hand cream so you can massage your skin to keep you connected through touch. Avoid stimulants such as caffeine and sugar, and opt for simple and nourishing foods that are easy on the digestion. 

And then when you come home again, give yourself a moment to readjust. A shower or bath is helpful to rid yourself of anything that’s too charged. I’ve talked about floor doctor before, where you lie on the ground and let your body feel held so that you can let go of anything you don’t need to hold. 

I’ve also shared before about The Non-Linear Movement Method in Episode 26. This is a wonderful way of releasing stress in your body quickly and easily. 

And just in case I haven’t said it enough, go slowly. It’s a much kinder and more gentle way to move through the world instead of being numbed out and on the defence. 

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