Most people’s lives are on the proverbial hamster wheel… until Elul enters – a time to slow down life and simplify!
Ladies – you know how life can get very complicated and distracting? It can get SO busy! The obligations, commitments, work, housekeeping, dinners, friends, kids, deadlines, expenses. If it’s not one thing it’s another. The way most people’s lives are set up today, they are on the proverbial hamster wheel. Even Shabbos and holidays can be nonstop work and entertaining!
Enter Elul: a time to slow down life and simplify as much as you can. This is crucial to do if we want to make time and head space for taking a good accounting of our life and do teshuva for where we have gone astray. For optimal results – we have to connect to our heart energy – the part of us that lets us know what the right thing is to do. In order to connect with our heart, we need time, space and quiet.
Here are some ideas for slowing down and simplifying:
Say NO a lot more. In other words, don’t over commit or over schedule yourself.
Declutter your home or at least some hotspots such as shelves, storage room, and kitchen.
Put some of the kids’ toys away – let them play with less, you’ll be surprised how much more focused they are!
Plan your day and to do list the night before.
Have the kids prepare the salad for dinner.
Put down the phone. Yes, the phone – put it down. Set morning, afternoon, and evening times when it is OFF.
Eat healthy and reduce the junk that the kids eat.
This is crucial to do if we want to make time and head space for taking a good accounting of our life and do teshuva for where we have gone astray.
This month, I let go of an entire part of my health business, cutting out half the hours I normally put into my work. I also took a few hours the other day to declutter some hotspots in the house that I hadn’t been on top of the past few months in order that even when the house gets messy, it’s under control and doesn’t stress me out and distract me. Finally, I planned a two week dinner menu to use alternately for the next four weeks and gave salad duty over to three kids.
I did this because I felt that I absolutely needed extra time and a lot more head space for davening, self-care, and most of all – taking time out to connect to my heart, to listen to its subtle yet clear guidance, and through this to connect to my true self – a spark of the Holy, All Knowing, All Powerful, Infinite One.
When a person manages to do this, it becomes clear that no one and no entity other than Hashem has control over them. No economy, no boss, no world turmoil, no circumstance controls them when they KNOW this and FEEL this knowing deep within them. This in turn helps with moving forward in life with a lot less fear and confusion and doing teshuva with clarity, focus and enthusiasm.
Relive the emotions of gratitude, awe, joyfulness, peace
One idea for connecting to Hashem through the heart:
Think back to a time when you had such clear Divine Providence in your life, you were in awe of how much Hashem loves you and is there for you. Relive the emotions of gratitude, awe, joyfulness, peace. Know that Hashem is ALWAYS there for you in that way. Feel the emotions of knowing that Hashem, the King and Creator of the universe, is always there for you, providing protection, clarity, love and guidance in whatever you do.
It’s that time of year when Hashem makes it so much easier for us to connect to Him and subsequently to our true selves and our ultimate power. Connecting means FEELING. When you FEEL the reality of being connected to Hashem, of being a part of the Infinite One and His Endless Light, Hashem mirrors this reality right back at you and very often, prayers get answered, teshuva is done with a happy rather than a heavy heart, and complicated issues sort themselves out.
I wish you tremendous success in using the opportunity that Elul offers. Hashem is waiting for you to activate your true self. The world is in need of as many people as possible that are activated, heart centered and connected to Hashem because it is so powerfully transformative to the entire planet. Let’s go!!