Coming back to yourself

Sometimes we can spend so much time thinking about what everyone else needs that we lose touch with ourselves. There are people to care for, things to organise, work to do and decisions to make. Our attention can become so focused on everything happening around us that we stop noticing what is happening within us.

I’m curious about what happens when we realise we have been paying attention to everything except ourselves.

When our attention is elsewhere

We might spend the day thinking about other people. What they need. How they are doing. What needs to be done. We can become so used to looking outwards that checking in with ourselves no longer feels like something we remember to do. Sometimes we may not even notice how long it has been since we really asked ourselves how we are.

When we realise we've drifted

It might happen in a quiet moment. We finally sit down and notice that we're tired. Or something has been bothering us. We realise we've been carrying something for a while without really acknowledging it. Perhaps we notice that we haven't stopped to think about what we want, what we need or even how we feel.

Our attention has simply been somewhere else.

Coming back

Coming back to ourselves doesn't have to mean stepping away from everyone else. It might be as simple as pausing for a moment and noticing that we are here too. We might notice our thoughts. How we are feeling. Whether we are tired, content, worried or simply in need of a little space. We don't have to work everything out.

Sometimes noticing ourselves is enough.

Staying connected to ourselves

Our attention will always be drawn towards other people, responsibilities and everything happening around us. There will be times when that is exactly where it needs to be. Yet perhaps we can remember that we are part of our own lives too. We can give our attention to other people and still leave some of it for ourselves.

Perhaps coming back to yourself is simply noticing when you've drifted away, and remembering that you're here too.

I wonder what you might notice the next time you realise your attention has been everywhere but with yourself.