I want to talk about listening, pacing, resting, and playing.  I am still restoring and returning to balance from the wonderful whirlwind of 2014 and the richness of my Holidays.  Somewhere in there I slipped into my old pattern of going and going and not listening, not pacing, and certainly not resting.  Even though I was in the midst of a lot of celebration and fun socially and with family through the holidays, I was also not truly playing.  I am at the age and stage of my life where I am often in charge, hosting, cooking, planning, directing, and actively holding the space for others both at home and professionally.  I love and cherish these roles and the duties that come with them.  However, this stage and age mixed with my old childhood dynamic of feeling responsible for everyone around me can set off a dangerous imbalance for me if I am not mindful and disciplined in listening to and pacing myself.  The latter created a bit of a unhealthy spiral into which I found myself whirling and twirling!  The good thing is that over time I have learned how to recognize it more quickly.  I know what to do to find my center and re-balance toward it.  I have been actively saying more "no's" than "yes's" and choosing rest and lying quietly and in stillness over gearing up for one more thing.  I even said no to my Yoga classes the last few weeks, an oxymoron in self-care in my world.  But I needed to not attend that class or two.  I needed to stay alone at home, being quiet, doing my own private practice of gentle and restorative poses.  I needed to return to my own nutritional plan that feeds and nourishes me.  I know what these things are. I know how to do them.  I also discovered again my need for play!  Mind-less, Duty-less, Schedule-less, I-am-in-charge-less PLAY!  

Interestingly, Play is as essential to our whole health as nutrious foods and quality physical exercise! (check out Terry MarksTarlow's Clinical Intuition and the research of Jaak Panksep!)  Also, registration is still open for UCLA Extension and Lifespan Learning Institute's Annual Interpersonal Neurobiology Conference: Play, Creativity, Mindfulness & Neuroscience in Psychotherapy Fri, Sat & Sun, Mar 6, 7 & 8 at UCLA!