Are You Lazy Or Are You Tired?

PAUSE. 

TAKE A DEEP BREATH. 

HOLD IT….

NOW RELEASE IT. 

You are safe here. The constant thoughts, feelings, notifications, interactions, always having to be on - They all stop right here in this moment. 

Come back to yourself. You've worked hard. You are doing a great job and you are trying your best. At the end of the day, that is all that matters. 

The stress of life can be overwhelming. Life today in 2024, looks so different from life many years or even centuries before. Lately, the perspective seems to be some people always look tired, and others look like they are idle. Our work-life balance is so out of whack that we don't know if we are going or coming on some days. It seems that the months are turning into weeks, the weeks into days, and the days in to hours. Most of us are running and we haven't stopped in awhile. 

If we do stop and rest, we may be perceived as lazy. So we push ourselves to exhaustion or a breaking point. We are trying to keep up - keep up with everyone else, the latest trends, the new way to make money, social media. It has caused us to go into over-drive. We are no longer in tune with ourselves and it is showing. Our nervous-systems, bodies, and health - in all aspects, seems to be breaking down. 

We are so drained, overstimulated, and rushing we forgot to take time to take in the life we are experiencing. You aren't lazy, you are TIRED - mostly. Tired of all the demands, requests, pressure, and social norms. At this point in time, we should be. We have evolved so much as a society, and yet in still we have forgotten our roots. We have forgotten to rest, to feel, to cry, to sing, to share in another's triumph. We have forgotten to allow the seeds that we planted to take root. 

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." - Lao Tzu 

Most of humanity is so busy running around that we miss the beauty of this world. To simply look out at nature, stand barefoot in the grass, touch the trees, and dance in the moonlight. 

Now, this is not to say stop working, striving, or trying your best. No, this is to say - remember to have balance. To start, to stop, and start again. Nature is in the process of growing, decomposing, changing, and doing it all over once more. It's the process that we must start to acknowledge. The process of success and striving for the best. Also, the other process. The process of much needed rest, tranquility, serenity, and love. To be home within our bodies and embrace the balance of our world. 

"For everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1 

There is a time to run, walk, skip, crawl, and stop. Just like there is a beginning, there is an end. 

Maybe it's time to ask ourselves what season our we in? Are we crawling around and eating like the newborn caterpillar? Or are we in a cocoon and preparing for a metamorphosis? Or are we emerging from the cocoon and ready to take flight? 

Seasons come and go. They begin, end, and come back around. We are currently in the season of summer. No matter how hard we may want autumn to come around - (this heat is gruesome for many) we have to look up and see where we are. Being aware of what place you are at in life can help with accomplishments, time, but also with effort. 

"People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall." - Thomas Merton 

Which ladder are you climbing? Getting to the top of the ladder is a journey and should not be a race. Just like rest stops on a highway, we need rest stops in our everyday lives. Instead of forcing ourselves to keep going, over-exertion, laying around all day, or sleeping too much. Stop and see where you are. 

Ask yourself: What's affecting me in the moment? What do I need? What can I change? 

For clarity, laziness in simple terms is being reluctant, hesitant, dull, idle, and slow. To be tired is to be worn out, exhausted, weary, and fatigued. If you find yourself seeming lazy (uninspired) or tired (needing rest) check in with yourself and figure out what is best for you right now. Try not to punish yourself when these emotions or states of being do come up. 

Your thoughts, body, and emotions will give you signals for each one. When I am tired - I yawn a lot. I feel my energy crash and I feel overstimulated. I know I need a break. Every so often it is okay to take one. We are human after all. When I am being lazy - that usually means I feel uninspired and don't want to do the task, or go to the event, or interact altogether. I usually put on some music, take a walk, play with my dogs, or start one of my hobbies. It's the art of knowing what to do and how to do it. 

In these situations, find your space and drift back to yourself. 

Just like anger, tiredness and laziness are all emotions and signs that pass in due time. The trick is to not stay too long in either one. To pick up on your signals and adjust accordingly. To stop, feel, and see what you need in any given second. 

In doing so, this will bring more peace, awareness, and freedom. This will help you climb the ladder, to finish, and to make sure you are on the right ladder to begin with. So you will not get to the end of life, and realize you were going in the wrong direction. That you have missed out, overworked yourself, and missed the small moments. That you have forgotten to embrace yourself, your loved ones, and new beginnings. To take the pictures, ride the rides, travel to new places, finish that bucket list, and feel alive! 

For it is not so much the destination that we remember, but in fact - it is the journey. 

Now, ask yourself what am I feeling? Am I lazy or am I tired?