Naps are supposed to be Refreshing
During those first few years of life, the body needs lots of naps. Parents find them hard to schedule sometimes and depending on the activity level, harder to plan or prevent. But our bodies crave the rest to grow and develop. It makes you wonder why it isn’t encouraged throughout life more if it was so beneficial before. There are many things we just don’t get. When we come into contact with someone who doesn’t share our views on any subject, like napping, it is easy to be intolerant of them. They really don’t get it. Maybe they need a nap.
Wake up from that Nap
Any time we wake up, there is a little adjustment. If we were in the middle of a great dream, we tend to linger there. If we awoke to the buzzing, beeping or vibration of a clock, the switch is a little less gentle. And you have to turn something off. Sometimes we live life in sleepy mode, just passing the days. This may be due to illness, loneliness, boredom or in anticipation of a lightning strike. Since that is a rare occurrence, it’s better to remember that our free will encourages us to take the bull by the horns and find a wake-up call that shows us the experiences we could choose to wake up our spirits. Somedays, any step forward will work; somedays, it takes no action to replace too much action to create change. Life is super counter intuitive.
Choosing to be Awake
It’s subtle but valuable. When you start to create thoughts that sound in your brain like choices, you are uncovering places where auto-reactions were in charge. Start by selecting a couple of regular points in the day. It can be anything that is a daily activity that you don’t have to think about. If it is your breakfast, consider what options would be different and try them on for a week. You can do the same with choices on your commute, places you stop to eat, your “usual” beverage or how you greet everyone you see all day long. Change makes us focus on how to do something new. It wakes up the senses. It also changes the way others around you react because you are changing the rules. You will need to tap into some more mental energy than usual and that will help create new neural pathways. Small changes over time have a ripple effect.
Let the old way Nap
It is helpful to see satisfying changes from our choices. We tend to want to change more and keep up the momentum. Discovering new indulgences brings a richness to life and reminds us of the amazing number of selections offered to us. By taking old habits and letting them nap, you are more awake to how your daily choices affect your week. Since your week affects how you feel about your month and your month leads to your year, the ripple effect opens up the possibility of a totally changed life with just slight flexes. You may even add deeper meaning to your daily life. At the very least, you will have finally found out how every drink at the coffee shop actually tastes. I have been wanting to try a few of those myself to see what all the fuss is about. Thanks for the suggestion.
Just pick two daily habits to update; you can make a game of it. Can you help keep life more exciting by participating more? Why are naps considered only for babies and older folks?
