Lately, with everything that’s happening in the world, I’ve felt the need to practice what to do when the sh*t hits the fan. I thought if I’m needing to practice this, then there are probably other people out here who would like to have some ideas as well.
So how can we take care of ourselves in the very best way we can, when we’re dealing with things that are super challenging?
I wanted to look at this from the standpoint of the Centered Wellness Framework. We need to find ways to support ourselves. It doesn’t mean going into a hole or in a cave in the Himalayan mountains and doing nothing, but It means: how can we support ourselves so that we can continue to be present for our children, and so that so that we can be productive at work when we need to, and maybe we can take time off. The ability to rest is not supported in our culture, and hugely, hugely important.
How to physically handle when the sh*t hits the fan
I’ll start first with a physical wellness body because this is one that most people think about when they’re thinking about how take better care of themselves. So during this pandemic, I hope that you are finding ways to not only move your body, but also move your body in a way that feels right for you. It could be running, it could be hiking, could be walking, it could be biking.
I also try to make sure I get enough sleep, right and this includes napping, listening to my body, not, oh, well, I’m tired. So I’m going to have caffeine or I’m going to eat a bunch of sweet foods, but listening to what my body needs. And usually there is something about sleep. And during this time, I need more sleep, not because I’m necessarily doing more, but there is more emotional load that’s happening.
I made this amazing, gluten free vegan blueberry pie that was so delicious, with fresh blueberries out of our orchard that we have our blueberry patch, and our neighbor’s blueberry patch. I had a piece each day, and I noticed that not only did my body not feel as well, but my anxiety increased. The mind starts to get very activated by sugar – it’s inflammatory. It can make your immune system work harder and actually be suppressed – so that there isn’t the ability to fight off some of these challenges that we have in today, like COVID. Increasing vegetables is another thing that you can do for your body. It also again, not only helps your body but it can change your energy, it can change your mood, it can change your mind.
Mental wellness tips for anxiety
Now, let’s focus on the mental wellness body. Both meditation or mindfulness eW really helpful for when the shit hits the fan.
And not just sitting on a cushion quietly, which is hugely helpful, and I think is really great practice. But also, I try to use mindfulness when I’m doing any activity. I am not successful doing it all the time. But I try to pick certain ones like washing the dishes where I wash my mind, I come back. And actually for me running is a huge mindfulness activity whereas I allow my mind to focus on my breath, feeling the sensations in my body.
Part of that part of the mindfulness is then noticing my thoughts and beliefs. The thoughts that we have affect our emotions. So, supporting my emotional wellness body might be changing the thought to one that leads to a better feeling emotion, one that feels more restful and easeful in my body.
Another thing that can be hugely beneficial is gratitude. There is a neurobiological change, when you’re actually seeking searching for new things to add to your daily gratitude list that helps you create new neural connections. And that’s what we’re trying to do is rewire the brain.
The other piece that I thought of was limiting my social media. I have watched how, the more I’m on social media, the greater my anxiety increases.
I also keep asking for the support I need, “Hey, kids, I need help for in the house.” “Hey, my sweet husband. This is not working for me, what can we do differently?”
I also try to find one thing each day that brings me joy. I was noticing how much my garden brings me joy. So when I’m feeling a little down, or I’m feeling like I can’t move, sometimes I just go sit out next to my garden.
When the sh*t hits the fan energetically
So switching to the energetic wellness body, another way to help when things are really tough is to listen to things that are uplifting and inspiring as often as you listen to the news. I have noticed a huge difference when I’m listening to the news or podcasts that or YouTube or whatever that are a little heavier. Yes, I still want to listen to them, I still want to know what’s going on. And I need to limit how much and make sure there’s an equal and opposite force of positivity coming too.
The last wellness body is the spiritual wellness body. This one is a little more challenging to talk about. I have a very strong spiritual practice. I found I need to connect more with my own ancestors and with the spirit of the land with my own guides. what I noticed was during the pandemic is it was like the routine was all thrown off, and I wasn’t doing it in the same way.
And so I started again, with making sure that I welcome in the directions every day on my medicine wheel, that I was still doing the work, the shamanic work of crossing individuals who are ready and willing to be crossed to be with their ancestors, I’ve been working a lot with the land that I live on, and helping those who have died on this land in the past four or 500 years, or maybe even longer to be crossed to be with their ancestors. Doing ceremonies to honor the ancestors to honor the land, honor these elements, and my own guides, has been a huge relief when things are really tough.
Be kind to yourself
I hope that is helpful for you. These are just some ideas. These are the things that I’ve been turning to more. And I know that, unfortunately, tough times don’t seem like they’re going to end anytime soon. So I want to just encourage you to be kinder to yourself, than you think you should be to give yourself the support and the compassion that really we all need right now. First starting with ourselves, and then hopefully, as we take care of ourselves, we’ll be able to give that compassion and that love back to the world. All right, friends. Thank you so much for listening today. And, you know, feel free to reach out if you have questions about this. There’s, you can read more about how to take care of yourself from my Facebook page. You can also schedule a session with me a shamanic healing session where we do some of this work together that really pulls the five wellness bodies together.
