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Your Weekly Check-In September 27, 2024

Hi Reader,

Take some time to reflect on this past week before heading into the weekend.

This is a tool to help you understand your relationship to work, yourself, and your boundaries. Use the questions below as a guide to help you reflect on the week.

Questions

1. How did you stay aligned with your values this week?
2. What help did you ask for this week?
3. What from this week must you release before you can tend to your joy this weekend?
4. What boundaries and practices will help you release what must be released?
5. How will you commit to joy this weekend?

Rest Practice

A couple of weeks ago, our practice invited you into intentional slowness by drawing out an everyday activity for as long as possible. This week’s practice extends that exercise into our thoughts.

Slowing your thinking means paying attention to your gut reactions and giving yourself time to sort them before committing to anything. It means listening for an enthusiastic “YES!” or “NO!” and noting what it feels like when it happens.

This week, put some intentional slow thought into a decision before you commit to an answer. The goal of this practice is to slow down your thoughts enough to let what you actually want emerge from within.

To illustrate, I will use the phrase “I want to eat…” as an example because I eat every day but never really know what I want/need to eat. Feel free to do this exercise with any other decision you have to make this weekend.

This is a simple breathing exercise that will take between 2 and 5 minutes.

1. Once you have the decision you need to make in your mind, sit somewhere comfortable with minimal external stimulation. Your eyes can be open for this practice.
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2. Take two deep breaths to get settled, pausing for five seconds between your inhale and exhale.
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3. When settled, breathe in the phrase “I— want,” taking a few seconds for each word. If your inhale is six seconds, focus on “I” for three seconds then “want” for another three seconds.
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4. Hold your inhale for the same amount of time.
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5. Breathe out for double the time of your inhale. If you did a six-second inhale, you’ll exhale for 12 seconds. Fill the first half of your exhale with the next part of the phrase “to— eat…” then let your body fill the silence. Your thoughts might go all over the place. Use each breath cycle as a chance to refocus.
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6. Repeat until an answer emerges or until you feel like you are thinking slow enough to make the decision confidently and without urgency. Emerging answers might come in the form of words, tastes, smells, or other identifiers. You might experience a feeling associated with the thing you want.

It's OK if nothing comes to you the first few times you try this practice. You learn more about yourself and your needs each time you do it, even if the emergent responses aren't conclusive.

See you next week.

Peace,

Taj

P.S. If you want more focused support, book your free 30-minute clarity call to get your personalized burnout prevention plan and learn what it could be like to work together.

P.P.S. Want hands-on support in a group setting? Sign up for our Community Support Calls. These calls are free spaces for you to just be and feel alongside others committed to social change. Sign up below! Our next call is Friday, September 27.

Upcoming Community Support Calls Community Support Calls are spaces for changemakers to breathe, find support, and connect with others dedicated to social change. They happen the last Friday of every month (unless noted) from 3 to 4 p.m. EST. Upcoming call dates: Sep 27 Oct 25 Nov 29 Join us