Relaxing Into Receiving and Recovering

“We must lose our fear of rest. There are some of us who keep our morale (morale being defined as a belief in one’s own cause) by being always busy. We have made a fetish of fevered action.”

—Howard Thurman

Along with the adage, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” many of us seem to believe another, “Relaxing is the root of all evil.” We feel lazy or indulgent at the very thought of putting our feet up to rest. We recognize how good it is to give, but we’re uncomfortable receiving. Because we’re human and hang out in amazingly engineered but also vulnerable bodies, we need to rest and relax into receiving and recovering. Doing so gives our bodies, minds, and emotions a space in which to repair, replenish, and nourish seeds of hope. In order to remind her “giver” Self to receive, my friend Susan moved her watch to her right wrist. She says, “It’s so uncomfortable, but it keeps reminding me to shut my mouth and open my left hand [the receiving hand in many traditions] and graciously allow people to give to me.” Because Susan’s husband is “fading away before her eyes,” it’s especially important that she allow herself to be loved, supported, and helped.

Let’s add some loving and supportive beliefs to our repertoire: It is as blessed to receive as to give, and Relaxation is the root of replenishing.

True relaxation and gracious receiving can give our lives and hearts a lift that is hard to imagine when we’re fettered by a chain of overactivity, under-awareness, spiritual aridity, and an always- pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps mentality.

Excerpted from How to Stay Upbeat in a Beat Down World by Sue Patton Thoele. Available on Amazon.