Rebounding — What Matters & How We Bounce Back
Think about when you are walking down a path – one of life’s many – and it feels so right. It may be the path of a relationship, a career, a health journey, or all of the above. You just know in your heart that everything you experienced to this point has brought you to this amazing place. You’re in alignment, connected to others, to yourself, to life. And, for a while you stroll along in the flow, doing what you love with who you love, and everything is going smoothly, until…
Something happens; your path gets blocked and you can no longer go forward. Your partner breaks up with you, you lose your job, your health issues come back, the world shuts down and life as you were living it no longer works. Depending on the circumstances, you must now pause, perhaps take a detour, or even find a new path.
How do you feel when this happens? Do you shut down or do you take that necessary pause and realize this is a sign it is time to redirect?
I personally prefer the second option, the one where my higher self knows there is a greater plan. I am not ashamed to admit that I, too, get trapped in: “What did I do wrong?” “I did it again.” “Why me?” Not a very productive place to be. However when something isn’t working, taking a pause is critical to diving deeper to understand and let your inner guidance help you to rebound.
We all have brilliant plans in life, the ones that seem to be going in the right direction. But what happens when there is resistance within ourselves and we have to choose whether to keep plowing forward or accept and honor those emotions – happy or sad – and ask those Powerful Questions (PQs).
Below are some PQs to meditate on, journal, and take the time to get to the root and understand more fully what is being presented to you.
How is your heart? What are you feeling?
What is truly happening?
After a pause and a few breaths, do you still feel called to go in the same direction?
What is life teaching you?
Is life (or whoever you reach out to with the big questions) trying to show you a new way of bringing you closer to what you are truly seeking?
I believe life is always teaching us and there is always a lesson. If something is not working, despite all your effort, or if the effort consumes you, then maybe that is not the way to go. Our minds think we know things, but it is the heart – the feeling body – that truly knows. The only way to tap into this wisdom is to be still enough to listen. And when we do, we rebound further than we ever could by pushing or plowing forward.
We have had many opportunities to pause and many places we were called to redirect this past year. We could choose to be sad, angry, or resistant. Or, we could look at these times as an opportunity to take the pause, get creative and find our way back to a flow state; only this time with more awareness, insight and wisdom. We know more than we knew yesterday and that means the trailblazer in you is ready to rediscover yourself in this world. You have everything you need to move forward in a new way and/or direction.
One of my very best friends has been telling me for years to stop and enjoy the view – to take the pauses. I have even been sharing it with students in my yoga and meditation classes. But it took, among other things, a new puppy and Storm mascot, “Vyolette Stormy”, to help me find those pauses – to truly pay attention to the simple things, which ultimately lead to the greatest insights.
We are all caught up in the constant dance of rebounding – in our relationships, our careers, our diets, etc. If we do not integrate the lessons, we will keep going the same way. There is no roadmap. This is your life, your journey and all of us have to go in many directions to find our true path. But don’t get hung up on that. The most important part is that you rebound, that you come back stronger, clearer and more connected and aligned to your passion and purpose. Stay close to your heart, stay close to “home” long enough to know the next path to take. Be brave enough to stop going down the same path, even if it is well paved. It is the paths we pave along the way that lead to the greatest destinations.
Spiral on my loves and enjoy every moment of this beautiful ride we call life. Sending so much love. Share what you are rebounding from and to by tagging @nourishingstorm and adding the hashtag #nsrebound and #spiralingtowellness so we can follow along.
