Have you ever played the game Spin the Dreidel? I’m not Jewish, but I’ve spun a dreidel or two. While spinning very quickly, they are like mini tornadoes – powerful, balanced, and sort of mesmerizing. Then they start to slow down and get wobbly until they finally just stop spinning altogether and fall over.

I think people are like dreidels. I know I am. I operate better at full-speed. If I don’t have a long to-do list or I have too much free time – when I stop spinning – I (metaphorically) fall over. Totally lose my balance. I overeat, undersleep, and neglect my meditation practice and the people in my life that care about me. Hurricane Irma hit South Florida a few weeks ago, and we were all forced to do just this. Stop spinning – working, communicating, traveling, netflixing, etc. Many of us lost power, couldn’t go to work, experienced damage to our homes and routines, and we have been scrambling to get our momentum back ever since.

I’ve discussed getting ahead by standing still because I truly feel it is essential to health and well-being. I believe we can all benefit from stillness each day through a formal meditation practice – but this is different. This is the ability to be still even without meditating. When I first started meditating I liked it because it felt like I was “doing” something. It was another goal to achieve, another item I could add to my day to really pack it all in and feel productive. If you’ve been practicing meditation long enough, you realize that is counterproductive to stillness and ease.

We must also be able to be uncomfortable in stillness. We practice the skills of allowing and letting be while we are in meditation so that during our lives we can easily recognize the unease and tension that arises throughout daily life and can respond with wisdom and compassion.

So what should you do when you realize you’re a momentum-less dreidel? When you stop spinning, freak out, and fall over?

Realize you’re knocked down
Understand the temporary and passing nature of the disruption – everything is temporary – especially the times when we feel flattened and out of control
Be compassionate with yourself
Get back on track when you can – you do this by engaging in whatever helps you to restore your equilibrium – meditation, writing, music, cooking, gardening, reading, exercising, eating well, spending time with loved ones, etc.
Know that this will happen many more times in your life!

Mindfulness is always the first step! Become aware of the discomfort and the possible harmful thought and behavior patterns starting to surface as a way to cope with distress.

Compassion is non-negotiable and becomes easier when you realize that you are just a product of the world you are a part of. The spinning has become our normal. The relentless pursuit of success and achievement. The busy life, multiple jobs, obligations, relationships, interests, and entertainment. It really just feels unnatural to have nothing to do for many of us.

And finally, remember the words of Socrates,

“Beware the barenness of a busy life.”