KRISTINA'S WEEKLY EMAIL OF THOUGHT-PROVOKING ESSAYS & VIDEOS TO KEEP YOU CONNECTED TO YOURSELF ON THIS JOURNEY CALLED LIFE
A NOTE FROM KRISTINA:
Greetings!

In case you haven't noticed, there's a lot going on in the world these days. It's a non-stop deluge of inconceivable news coming at us from every which way; a cocktail of of shock, horror, outrage, confusion and delusion on regular basis that takes it's toll consciously and subconsciously. ( This PGG was drafted and scheduled to go out before the New Zealand massacre last night, and my heart is heavy as I revise this ...) Or maybe what you're feeling in your own life is a bit of uncertainty or unsettledness, sensing so much change is happening or is on the horizon internally and/or externally; you can't keep heads or tails of it and are a bit lost in the fog or dazed and confused. I'm here to tell you IT'S OK. Well, it might not be okay okay, but trust the adage "This too shall pass" and just do what you can to respond to and/or mitigate all. Sometimes, especially if we are sensitive, our body needs to take a minute to catch up, sort and process all that's going on within and around us. And we need to let it. Although today's PGG is from several years ago, it's the kind of week I had and just trusted that laying low was the way to go - not so easy when you know you have a million things you "should" be doing. But I always heed the wisdom of my body, it never steers me wrong. (And here is a clip of Whoopi Goldberg who nearly died recently because she DID NOT) You can also see the PGG Video of the week where I talk about the importance of rest, and my recent Instagram post is about how it's never to late to start anew. Enjoy these last few days of winter before next week's official arrival of Spring! As always, please feel free to let me know y our feedback about any and all that I'm doing :) Big hug <3 Kristina
" I love your PGG newsletters - one of the only ones I actually read in its entirety. They are excellently written, and spot on. Thanks for being so inspirational and reflective!" ~ Tom D .
A Body at Rest
(Originally published on February 20, 2013 )

N ewton’s famous law states that a body at rest stays at rest and a body in motion will stay in motion until some external force acts upon it. With our 24/7 always on, hyper-connected, overachieving, digital info-media world, most 21st century Americans live in a flow of perpetual momentum with no end in sight. Neither extreme is good, so to balance ourselves we must consciously and continually self-regulate and impose as a rejuvenating or preventative measure the act of stopping all activity from time to time. Yes, I said Stop. All. Activity.

I think pretty much all the time, about practical and bigger picture things, reflecting on the state of the world, my life, my work — analyzing, understanding, observing and being as aware as possible every waking moment, and of course I am not immune to the stresses that everyday life and being human entails. This past weekend I “slept” for almost an entire day. But not due of lack of zzzz’s, or being sick, depressed or eating bad food, but simply because after everything I’ve been dealing with the past month or two, my mind, emotions and body needed me to temporarily shut down. I had nothing pressing going on, which the wisdom in my body knew and said to me, as it does every now and then, Time for a rest.

Just like bears that hibernate each winter, we need to take a periodic pause — especially after or during a busy, challenging or stressful period — to let our bodies be still on all levels so we can reconnect, regroup and emerge refreshed and re-energized to our lives and the tasks at hand. That means (gasp!) disconnect from technology and interaction with other people, if possible, so as not to expend any physical, mental or emotional juice.

You can sleep or not sleep, but there should be no distractions or even sound if you can swing it. And no thinking, no reading, no writing. And no guilt. Just luxuriate in the nothingness. Schedule and treat it as if it were a doctor’s appointment or trip to a resort spa — because it is that crucial to your physical and mental health. In other words, why not give your body and mind a break before they break down on you?

Our society promotes getting it all done all the time, which can take its toll when not interspersed with some serious downtime, which most folks only allow themselves when things have gotten so bad they are physically ill. Keep in mind that even though you might be getting enough sleep and eating right and don’t have the flu, when you’re dealing with ongoing stress, you burn a different type of energy, which needs to be replenished with rest. And resting is different from relaxing…but if you can’t rest, then relaxing is better than nothing!

Because I’m pretty good at daily maintenance, I am generally healthy and balanced (including a weekly 24-hour no-computer usage rule) so I know when it’s time to heed the call in order to nip anything else in the bud. (And hey, most of the news, entertainment, activity, tweets etc.you would be “missing” are non-essential, irrelevant and often nonsensical anyway — so really, let it go!)

Stress is inevitable, it’s how we manage it that counts, and rest plays a big part. Need help putting on the brakes? Give me a buzz and I can be the external force that gets the ball moving or the hand that stops you in your track, so you can get back on the right one…

Remember, you can always see PGGs from any month or year going back to 2010 on my website at www.kristinaleonardi.com and visit my social media pages for more inspiration throughout the week! Want to share my PGG? Use my Medium page for friendliest posting version.

WORK WITH KRISTINA



Next Public Talk: May 8th 6pm
Staying Motivated Throughout the Job Search Process

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PGG VIDEO PICK OF THE WEEK
Looking for more PGG inspiration and tips?

Click on the image to the right for this week's video about why it's important to rest if you want to be successful in life


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