The other week, I got out and spent some time with friends, celebrating a birthday over laughter and amazing food on one occasion, and catching up with Amy, who I hadn’t seen in months.

More lovely conversation!

I remember thinking that I didn’t have time to hang out for very long. “There’s too much work to do.”

Can you relate to this? Can you relate to being locked in the cycle of work, work, work?

We need a break. We need time for togetherness, time to remind ourselves what we’re working so hard for.

Stressful thoughts have a way of pushing us around. When we spend each day stressed-out, we begin to feel isolated, disconnected.

The mind conditioned by the stress response looks out into the world and sees lack and limitation. Through stress, we believe there’s not enough time, we’re all alone, life is a struggle.

Connecting with friends, we can relax. We are supported and provide support. We’re safe.

We see ourselves not as a lone soul against the world, but as a thread in life’s beautiful tapestry.

So get out there a spend some time with someone who loves you. Someone who lifts you up. They want to see you and know how you’ve been doing.

Making time for others is making time for yourself.

You deserve it!

Stress Release Tip

Feelings of safety, of being in the company of friends and loved ones, of joy; activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the body’s “rest and digest” response, opposite to the “fight or flight” response. Time with friends and family actually lowers the amount of stress hormones in your body! But we have to allow for this relaxation to happen. When with your friends this week, be there. Give the moment your undivided attention. Allow yourself to relax into the time.

Mindful Homework

Tuning into feelings of happiness and joy bring more! When you’re feeling happy, where does this feeling arise in your body? Does it start as a thought and then spread to your chest or throat? Or maybe there’s a feeling that runs throughout the body. The coming days, in your moments of happiness and contentment, notice how your body feels. Notice your thoughts. Then notice how the world looks through this joyful lens. Feelings of joy color the way we see the world.

Quote From Adam

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'”

– C.S. Lewis

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