Lately a lot of my clients have been coming face to face with the idea of pushing and how it is affecting their life. It ranges from pushing against a concept, a yoga pose, work projects, or relationships. They are often trying to stomp their feet down and work against an immovable force. 

Most of us have been taught to push ourselves since we were very young. It was the way to become a successful adult. If we just work harder and push through our fatigue, pain, (fill in the blank), then we can have what we want. Our effort is seen as equal to our success. 

We think we have to hurry up and finish so we can move on to the next project, posture, task on our to do list, etc.

When we actually slow down and give adequate time for relaxing and restoring we open ourselves up to possibilities that we can’t see when we have our nose to the grindstone. We give our body and nervous system the opportunity to get out of a stressful state and open to new solutions and possibilities.

I have seen this happen in my own life on so many occasions. I used to think I had to do everything all the time for everyone around me. That was how I measured my value as a person; by how others felt about me. I was constantly pushing myself so I could be everything to everyone. It was not sustainable and eventually left me completely depleted and sick. 

When I was able to step out of people pleasing mode (which I’m still working on) and start taking care of my own needs, I was able to see how many things I was spending time on that didn’t really matter. They certainly didn’t matter more than my own health! 

When we push we don’t allow space for what is. We create expectations and when we, or our body, don’t measure up then we become angry or disappointed. 

When we can figure out how to stop pushing all the time and create more space for allowing then we can create a life that is about ease and flow.

Need some help finding flow in your life? Get in touch with me by clicking below.