These are difficult times. Dealing with uncertainty is hard. The reality is that we don’t know the full extent of how this pandemic will affect us personally, as a community, as a nation, or globally. What I do know is by staying aligned with who I am and my core values and reclaiming my peace and calm I’m able to do more good, particularly in this difficult time. I can deal with the chaos better. I can be a beacon of peace and calm for those around me. I’m more able to help and be kind when I’m not feeling drained and stressed. I would bet you can too.
I have found myself swirling in the chaotic energy of the times we are living in. I’m usually pretty calm and centered. I recognize when I’m out of alignment and course-correct pretty easily (this is because I have lots and lots of practice;-)). This past week I was finding it hard to both recognize and course-correct when I did finally recognize I was off-kilter. It was affecting my sleep, mood, and outlook. I was noticing this with clients as well. Scrolling through news feeds and social media began consuming most of my time.
During my morning meditation earlier this week I got the inspiration to look at where I could reclaim my peace. As I mulled it over in the shower, I decided to limit my time in the news feeds and in social media. I chose to check the news twice a day for 15 – 20 minutes, this is double my normal dose of news. I’m a nurse and work part-time in that industry so it felt important to stay informed, particularly because patients have a lot of questions. I also resumed my normal limited social media time focusing on mindful engagement rather than mindless consumption. It’s so easy to lose an hour or more and not even realize it so I try to be conscious of my engagement with social media.
I looked at the things that help me stay grounded and peaceful. For me that looks like walks on the beach, meditation, riding my Peloton, journaling, conversations with people I love, and watching the sunset. These were also the things that dropped off my to-do list first. The very things that keep me aligned were the things I stopped doing. By not doing the things that ground and center me it made its much easier to get pulled into the steady stream of fear, anxiety, and anger that’s filling the collective consciousness. In acknowledging this it helped me actively look for ways to unplug from it.
In addition to honoring my commitment to less time in the news feed and social media, I’ve added in extra time for those beach walks and sunsets, meditation is twice a day instead of once and virtually connecting with others in a more conscious way. I’m trying to be more mindful and staying in the moment. Each day I’m actively looking to show appreciation to someone and to help someone. These are small simple acts of kindness that feel good. I can feel my nervous system calming, moving out of stress mode. My energy is flowing more smoothly. My muscles are relaxing, and my mind is clearer.
I reclaim for myself:
Peace ~~~~Love~~~~ Kindness~~~~ Connection
I’m holding the space for you to claim it too.
What can you do right now to reclaim your peace?