When did you stop dancing?

So often people come to me confused, “I am healthy, I do my best to put good food into my body, and I’m getting decent sleep… but I am so drained. I plan to try a new recipe or take my bike out on a trail, but when I arrive at the moment when it’s time to do it…all I have energy for is ordering takeout or hitting play on another episode”. 

Without the energy to do what we’d like to in the moment, we assume we will have more of it at some future moment, perhaps when we’ve had a more relaxed day or a better night’s sleep. But consider this: Are you tired from doing too much, or from doing too little of what energizes you?

In ancient shamanic societies, if you came to a medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions: "When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you stop being comforted by the sweet territory of silence?”

Gabrielle Roth

Consider your mix of inputs. Do you fill your days with stressful thoughts, bad news, alarms reminding you to rush along and violent television shows? When these dominate the inputs we are feeding ourselves, we become mentally and emotionally malnourished.

I invite you to take a few minutes and consider, what do you want more of in your life? Solitude? Peace? Exploration? Sunlight? Laughter? Play? Inspiration? Even if you don’t have time to fit it in this week or month, just taking a few minutes to check in with yourself and listen to your needs is an act self-love, and helps put you back in touch with your own desires.