Spaces, Vacuums and Peacefulness

A vacuum is a space that is devoid of matter and comes from the latin adjective ‘vacuu’ which means vacant or void. Physicists refer to the ‘perfect vacuum,’ (also called ‘free space’). So why am I talking about vacuums and what does this have to do with time out?

Well, the idea of free space or a void seems very appealing to me sometimes, as it may also to you. The possibility of no demands on your time, with no ‘have tos’ or ‘shoulds’ is something that seems a luxury in our fast-paced 21^st century lives. Currently, I feel the vibration of change, but of what kind I know not. I can be impatient sometimes and have to remind myself to be in the present, even if I secretly wish to know what’s ahead. Whether I will be changing my work life in some way, or where I live, or making a change around the balance of my life between work and play, it is very clear to me that change is a-coming.

Often making the balance work between health and financial gain is a tough one and even more so for those whose health is compromised. If you are living with long term and ongoing chronic health issues, then this balance is a little tougher as the more you earn the less financial stress you experience, and the less financial stress you have the more likely your health will improve. However, if more work is difficult as you are not well enough, then you are caught in this bind. I empathise. I get it.

Financial Reward or Soul Gain?

How do we try and cater for both the practical aspects of our lives and also experience regular soul filling activities or downtime?

Well this is where the vacuum comes in. As a friend of mine, Jeannie says….”if you don’t have a space then there is no room for something new to drop in or occur.” How right is she? I’m quite rigorous in my own self and so I like to test out this theory before I write about it. I’m happy to say that this has also been my experience in my life. Sometimes, when I have created a space for nothing, this is the time when I feel most at peace; and on a practical level, these times are also when I get my best creative ideas and seem to be able to have the energy to start something new or big afterwards. I see these times as a necessary re-fuelling of my deepest self, just like the necessity of bills getting paid. My life just doesn’t seem to flow well if I have one without the other and what happens to remind me is most often my health starts to take a dive and sometimes that takes a while to recover from. I think for me, with my health history, my physical body sometimes does not quite have the bounce it might have had so it’s very important to not allow myself to get in a trough from which I need ladders to escape, as well as considerable investment in alternative health modalities to get back to tip top form againJ

Taking time out whether it’s a few minutes to breathe and be alone, a long soak in the bath, a walk or a longer time out, allows a space for a potential. We can be present for ourselves and the present moment and in doing so, automatically remove the stresses that are caused by thinking forward or backwards. The present moment is so under rated! The potential of this space you create could be a new idea, a new job, a letting go of things that are worrying you, or a shift in your thinking. When your mind has space, so does your body as it can get on with the business of re-balancing and healing rather than producing stress hormones triggered by our constant worrying or negative thinking.

Ways to Create Space for You

So what ways can we give ourselves and our bodies time and opportunity to reach some balance?

• Take a walk paying attention to sights, smells and your surrounding world rather than your internal one.
• Get sufficient rest which tends to improve everything in your life
• As Robin Sharma said recently in his 30 Insights for a Life of Acute Brilliance: “Remind yourself that Health is wealth. And should you lose yours, nothing will be more important than getting it back. “
• Laugh often and spend time with others who also laugh.
• Take a long bath with candles and no children allowed, Feel the warm water on your skin and your muscles and mind relaxing as you soak.
• Take time to dream a little as our dreams are indications of our deepest selves calling us forward.
• Use gratitude as a tool every day to place your thinking in a more positive frame about the things that are currently most challenging to you.

I find this vacuum creating behaviour crucial in my own life if I am to create emotional and physical well-being of the kind that makes me want to leap out of bed each day. I also journal to get my thoughts straight and to see what my inner world is wanting to express.

Think about space for yourself and see where it can take you……