Someone's gym bag caught my eye today. It said "UNTIL YOU COLLAPSE" in bold yellow letters. I have been contemplating this for the last few hours.
We often hear of collapsing into a fit of laughter, or a fit of tears. In the nursing world, collapsing is not a good thing, and the definitions tend to agree. Synonyms are "cave," "slump," "crumple," and "disintegrate.".
The message on the bag, to me, felt synonymous with the popular notion that we should "go, go, go" and "do, do, do" until we collapse, or deplete, ourselves. We "dis-integrate."
Sometimes when we collapse, we "lose consciousness." When we collapse in fit of laughter, we generally are no longer conscious of our surroundings, in a good way. We empty out in a way that creates spaciousness and we feel light.
How do you collapse?
Do you inevitably collapse under the weight of your burdens, from the exhaustion of over-giving and over-doing, or do you consciously collapse in order to lose yourself and find spaciousness and lightness?
It's so important to ponder this. If you find you are constantly collapsing because you are overwhelmed, it's time to learn how to collapse with the intention of restoring.