It is such a cruel and honestly disrespectful scientific reality that being chronically exhausted reinforces inactivity and inactivity reinforces exhaustion. Because, for people burdened with health problems like depression, POTS, or autoimmune conditions, where does that leave us? If we are already feeling low energy, this finger trap of an emotional conundrum can make us feel even more hopeless, defeated, or searching for miracles.
When I first started my journey with mindfulness and meditation 7-ish years ago, I struggled the most with body scan meditations. In a typical session, the instructor would ask us to mentally scan our bodies and try and distinguish any particular areas which might be holding on to pain or tension. We were asked to then pay special attention to these areas throughout the practice in the hope that we could direct our mindful energy towards healing and relieving these aches. As someone with chronic pain, this exercise was a nightmare for me.
Mindfulness. A word you’ve probably heard a time or two. When we think of mindfulness our mind often flashes to a yoga studio where the members are in a tangled pose taking deep breaths. But did you know we can take little steps towards mindfulness everyday?