Welcome back to IFS Meditations and Insights.
I'm Tim Fortescue,
Your guide on this journey toward wholeness through the lens of internal family systems.
Together,
We're creating a sacred space to explore,
Accept,
And love all parts of ourselves.
As we do this work,
We open ourselves to experiencing divine love and living more authentically.
Let's begin.
Ever feel like you just want to stay in bed?
Like your body is heavy and even the smallest task feels impossible?
That moment isn't laziness.
It's not something to push past or shame.
It's a part of you,
And chances are it's been working really hard behind the scenes.
You may notice another voice pops up right away.
Get up.
Be productive.
You're wasting time.
That's another part,
And it's likely formed at some point to help you survive in a world that rewards hustle,
Performance,
And constant doing.
So here we are,
Stuck between two valid parts with competing fears and goals.
One says,
Please rest.
The other says,
Please don't fall behind.
IFS gives us a path to slow down and ask,
What is each part trying to protect?
Maybe the part that wants to stay in bed is carrying exhaustion from years of overwork,
Emotional labor,
Or unprocessed grief.
Maybe the one urging you to get moving is trying to protect you from judgment,
Failure,
Or being seen as unworthy.
Instead of forcing a decision,
What if we listened?
I have a part that shows up often on Friday afternoons as I'm finishing up work or Saturday mornings when the house is a little bit quieter,
Even though if I'm honest the kids get up early on Saturdays,
And that's a part session for another time,
But when that house is maybe a little more quiet,
I don't have sessions or clients to see or groups to lead or tasks pressing in,
And it whispers,
Don't get up,
Stay under the covers just for a little longer.
I used to push past that part,
Get up,
Make coffee,
Get moving,
Because it even shows up too when it's not Saturday,
And I've got work,
But I don't have to move so fast,
And I can trust my own system and rhythm a little more.
And over time I realized,
I continue to realize,
That this part has and had a reason,
All of our parts do.
It remembers those seasons of work,
Work,
Work,
And burnout,
Of going and going without rest,
And it just wants to protect me from crashing again.
It's looking out for me.
I'm so grateful for that part.
Now when it shows up,
I'm able to listen more,
Let it know that,
That it's a part of the team,
And sometimes I am able to stay in bed a little longer,
Or resist the urge to join the 5 a.
M wake-up crew,
And I'm able to thank it.
I may rest a little more,
And then I get up anyway,
And I get things done,
But the difference is,
It feels seen.
That's what I want to invite you and me into again today,
A shift from reacting to relating.
You don't have to agree with your parts,
You don't even have to do what they say,
But you can offer them the gift of being heard.
It goes a long way.
You can say,
I hear that you're tired,
I see that you're afraid,
I know you're doing your best.
Even that tiny act of recognition can soften the tension between parts and allow more self-energy to show up.
This week I invite us to notice any moment where we feel torn between doing and resting.
Pause,
Breathe,
Ask.
What part wants rest right now?
What part is afraid of that?
What might they be trying to protect me from?
And then just listen.
No fixing,
No rushing,
Just presence.
Presence.
