my cup runneth over: hobbying into overflow
One of my dearest friends, Ami Park, has something called an “Opposite Day” that she also shares with her thriving community at Awakened Joy. It’s a practice that I’ve taken on and integrated into my own lifestyle too. “Opposite days” are flipping your day totally upside down so that you can start with you. An “Opposite Day” is where you can break routine, prioritize play over work, and allow yourself to be more than you do. It's the eat the dessert first kind of day. When you find yourself in a day where things are going opposite of your intention and desire, it’s also a great way to steer into the skid of that energy. By faith, you’ll never have to force what was meant for you.
I’ve found that in giving myself days devoted to just doing what I love, it also supports developing a practice for taking moments of stillness + pause. I’m more likely to put myself out there in relationships, more likely to take a moment of pause to breathe + meditate before getting out of my car, and definitely more likely to set kind + loving boundaries.
Here are some telltale signs you may be overdue for your opposite day:
In the spirit you are: distant from God, fearful, hopeless, judgmental, self-righteous
In the mind you are: experiencing negative and/or cyclical thoughts, hyper or under focused, overwhelmed, forgetful
In the body you are: tightness or softness in the muscles, extra slow or fast heartrate, unhealthy breathing, skipping meals, poor digestion, restlessness and lack of sleep
In the heart you are: more closed than open, numb + apathetic, irritable, angry, worried, anxious
In your community you are: disconnected, checked out, impatient
This could look like anything from a dwindling prayer life, missed gym dates, more tears than smiles, flakiness on previous commitments…the list goes on.
I invite you to take this list and customize it for yourself. Stress + anxiety can appear in an experience that is unique to you. Making a conscious effort to tune in to tap into your inner world every once in a while cultivates a habit that eventually becomes a reflex and muscle that is strengthened over time. This is the theory of neuroplasticity.
There are many ways you could go about your opposite day. Breaking up a pile of administrative work by taking a walk outside and smelling the flowers. Going to a local farmers market to make the best smoothie yet. Or perhaps one of my favorites: diving into a new hobby. A hobby is an activity done in leisure time for pleasure. Hobbies are a great way to break up the mundane monotony of routine with enough disciplined devotion built into the natural process of learning + exploring. Too much routine is to fossilize, while too little routine curates instability. Balance is found in the in-between and hobbies are a great facilitator for that.
A few months ago, I started to take hula classes, which was about a year plus in the making in order to be able to curate the time, space, energy, and attention I wanted to commit to a new hobby. Perhaps the largest leap was overcoming the mental hurdle that a hula dancer could not be me. Intrusive thoughts would appear of it being too late to start or that my body just cannot move that way. Hand eye coordination hasn’t really ever been my strong suit. In the beginning, I was convinced that I had two left feet. And in the process of dancing, I would find myself thinking about my lack of years of dancing experience.
The modality of dance provides a meaningful way to connect with your body, your confidence, and how you express yourself. I’ve developed new muscles from learning how to ha’a - the posture you take is with bent knees for my hula halau (school). I’ve found fluidity in motion and my posture’s improved! Instead of looking at my lack, I’m finding balance in where I’m at and learning to move in sync with my hula sisters in community through means of dance. And when I do fall off beat, taking a moment to pause encourages me to take mental notes and fall back in at the right timing rather than dancing the whole way through and finishing the routine minutes before the rest of the class.
Hobbies are great for your overall health because they aid in tapping into your joy, forming your identity, your wellness, fruitful relationships, and even your professional success. The crucial element here is that hobbies keep enjoyment at the forefront of the focus. Hobbies lower the stakes of failure + pressures to succeed. You’re able to spark creativity because rather than productivity as the goal, learning is. You’re able to be fully absorbed + immersed into the experience rather than thinking about the experience. Creativity is found in surrender rather than in control.
A group of academics found in their research that hobbies are connected to a whole slew of improved physical health even– lower blood pressure, body mass index, and stress hormones. Another study in March 2020 even revealed that hobbies even decrease symptoms of depression. And get this: when you start developing new skills, your body creates new neural pathways throughout your brain and memory. It’s like you’re giving your brain more pieces to a growing puzzle. And in this process, your brain is not only developing new strength, it’s also improving its flexibility.
When you allow, motivate, and commit to a new hobby, you ignite a new flame of opportunity. When you do what you love, you meet and discover yourself in new ways. Spiritually, when you do more of what you delight in, you uncover your calling. And when you are “doing” in this state, you’re in a creative flow. Just as our Father delights in us, I firmly believe that His gentle and loving, steadfast presence was meant to encourage us to also take delight in living fully + abundantly.
In Psalm 23:5, David praises God saying,
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
This verse is a reminder of God’s faithfulness + eternal provision for us. “My cup runneth over” is an assurance that we already have more than enough.
So much of the overflow we’re looking for, God has already placed within us. So here’s to us uncovering more of you by doing what we were always meant to do: enjoying the moments.
If you’re ready to do what you love, you can schedule a 1:1 complimentary consultation here.
Kim Yamasaki is a Christian wellness coach who supports her clients in cultivating space + stillness in the mind, body, and Spirit through collaborative processes of co-creation. She provides services that create space _ stillness for deeper connection: spiritual wellness coaching for burnout, home organizing, and yoga. Her methods are affirming, grounding, and nurturing – all interlaced with playful creativity. She is a native Angeleno with Japanese and Chinese roots.
This article was originally published for the “selah space” newsletter, reclaiming abundance’s care package for go-getters. “Selah space” offers content to support readers looking to break the cycle of stress + burnout by living, loving, and learning deeply to be their most calm, confident, and complete selves. In the Bible, selah means “to pause or to reflect.” It appears most heavily in the Book of Psalms and Habakkuk as musical notations at the end of verses to draw attention back to what was previously expressed.
References:
Yamasaki, K. (2022). 4.2 Body is a Temple, Purify to Clarify. burnout to Breakthrough.
Canavan, C. (2021, June 8). Is It Time You Got a Hobby?. Women’s Health. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/health/mental-health/a36657932/health-benefits-hobbies/
Yamasaki, K. (2022). 2.1 Be Still, A Cause for Pause. burnout to Breakthrough.
Cameron, J., & Bryan, M. A. (1992). Week 12: Recovering a Sense of Faith. In The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. G. P. Putnam’s Sons.
Aiken, D. L. Delight. Bible Study Tools. https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/delight/
Joel, R. (2022, May 11). What ‘My Cup Runneth Over’ Means in Psalm 23 and Always. Crosswalk.com. https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/what-my-cup-runneth-over-means-in-psalm-23-and-always.html
Bricker, S. (202, March 4). What Does the Imagery of ‘My Cup Runneth Over’ Mean in Psalm 23:5?. Christianity. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-does-the-imagery-of-my-cup-runneth-over-mean-in-psalm-235.html