Drainers and sustainers

Daily Draw: Margarete Petersen Tarot, Mother of Coins

This struck me as quite an arid queen of coins card or maybe it's gold and my perspective needs to change? 

I learned about the exhaustion funnel today (although I already know it experientially). The top circle is us when we lead a balanced life (work, family, friends, hobbies, exercise, creative pursuits). 

Then we get overloaded at work or a family member falls ill. Usually the first thing we drop is something non-essential that won't involve letting others down (like yoga practice, listening to music, seeing a friend). By the end of the week we feel more stressed because we didn't do one of the things that keeps us nourished. So we drop something else, further narrowing our lives and the next week feel even more depleted. 

So on until we reach almost the bottom - a life that has been stripped down to merely doing what we have to do to stay alive - work, cleaning, food shopping. I shudder when I think of what comes next. 

I spent time with a lovely group of ladies at my mindfulness class today. Women who have been or are really sick, and/or caring for relatives, or helping their families through bereavement. We were in agreement. You can't look after anyone else until you look after yourself first. 

Picking up the things that we once enjoyed takes effort and we can make all kinds of excuses. I suppose it comes down to whether to remain a husk...

When mood is low, motivation follows action,
rather than the other way around. When you put the action
               first, motivation follows.
unattrib.