On But Not Okay

You can be "on" and still not be okay. Functioning, responding, showing up...with almost nothing left inside. This meditation guides your nervous system out of survival mode and into quiet restoration. Not by shutting down, but by softening while you're still here. You'll learn to recognize depletion without judgment, release subtle tension, and recharge your body without forcing anything to change first.

A reminder for anyone running on reserve: You don't have to go dark to deserve rest. You're allowed to recover while the light is still on.

Transcript

Take a slow inhale and let it fall out of you without effort.

Simply pause.

Because you've been functioning on on longer than your body ever agreed to.

The way a phone can glow at 1%.

Technically functioning,

But nowhere near okay.

As we begin,

Let this land softly from Anne Lamott.

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes,

Including you.

And think of this not as a rule,

But as a permission slip.

Let your shoulders drop a fraction.

Let your jaw loosen in the same quiet way.

The way a tired phone lowers its brightness,

Doing its best to protect what's left.

Nothing is wrong with you,

You're just depleted,

Running on reserve power you were never meant to live on.

So pause,

Bring your awareness to your chest,

The hum of being attentive,

The buzz of being responsible,

And the ache of always staying ready,

Even when you're not always okay.

It's like tapping a frozen screen and wondering why nothing responds.

It's not broken,

It's just begging for rest.

So whisper inwardly,

I'm allowed to slow down.

Drop into your belly,

Into the place where your system stores everything you didn't have time to feel,

And you don't have to soften at all.

Just one layer.

So let your body choose which one.

Let your legs grow heavy,

The weight they've carried,

The places they've taken you,

Even when you didn't have the energy.

And know that even a 2% surrender is still a surrender.

Your nervous system notices the smallest offerings.

So pause.

Now come behind your heart,

The part that stays online even when every other part of you is offline,

The part that performs and tries to convince everyone,

Even yourself,

That I'm fine,

Long after the truth has run out.

So give it this.

Being on is not the same as being.

Let it loosen something inside you.

And now hear Anne Lamont's words once again,

Differently this time.

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes,

Including you.

Let your body feel the truth of that,

Let it reach the places that have been waiting.

And now feel it in this quiet space.

When you return,

Don't rush to full capacity.

Come back the way a phone wakes at 2%.

And then 3,

Honest,

Charging while resting.

And carry this with you as you move about your day.

You're weak.

You can't live fully charged if you never let yourself recharge.

Let that be the line your body and heart remember.

May your mind,

Body,

And spirit be abundant with peace,

The peace that comes when you finally unplug today and every day.

Until next time my friend,

Namaste.

Reviews

Soothing me into slowing down and caring for myself. Thank you 🌸