There is so much going on at once these days, and often I feel like I’m swimming in murky waters of unknowing. But. Here’s one thing I know. We need you to keep showing up. We need your heart, your spirit, your divine nature. We need you.
And, I know it is tough.
As life continues to feel uncertain and keeping your feet on the ground seems nearly impossible, we need you to stay grounded and stay the course. It is imperative for all of us, and, perhaps, most especially for you, Mama.
You are holding so much right now. I get it. I’m right there with you. And every morning when I check in with myself and wonder “am I doing enough?” or “how are we going to do this thing?” I feel the urge to get quiet. Really really quiet. And then, when I send my bigger questions out into the universe, a response whispers back to me in a fairly simple way. I feel inside me show up with love. That’s it. I do not need to do anything extraordinary or remarkable. Just show up with an open heart. Show up. For myself, my family, my community. Show up.
Life is throwing new and different things at each of us, leaving us to traverse new territory, often with a new set of eyes and ears. Our hearts have been cracked open to new levels, our awareness has reached new heights, and I’m pretty sure we won’t even be able to look at daily life the same way again. Priorities have shifted and we are left facing a new sort of world, one where boundaries are essential and self-care isn’t a luxury but a necessity.
It has become increasingly apparent to me that the greatest form of Self-Care – real and true Self-Love – arises from a place of inner knowing, and that place of inner knowing is most powerful when it originates from calm. Finding a way to stay centered, balanced, and grounded is a gift that ripples out from your center with far reaching and widespread effects.
When our systems are calm, we can react and respond from a place of inner knowing. Of trust. Of intuition. We can make decisions for our families that are true and good and right and beautiful for us, even when they don’t match what’s going on around us. We can take action as activists to help change systems of oppression so pervasive in our current landscape. We can sift through priorities and have clarity as to how we will spend our days. We can hear the whispers of truth beckoning to us.
Life is hard enough right now, but when attempting to navigate it without trusting our own knowing, without feeling our own truth, without believing our own guidance, it is near impossible.
When our inner worlds get rocked by outer turmoil and we have neurons firing in overdrive, we can receive messages and ideas that aren’t ours. We may start feeling overwhelmed by other people’s needs and fears, leaving our own best interests blocked, put on hold, hidden from plain sight. We forget our own purpose, our own inner shine, our inherent belonging in this life. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
As eloquently stated by Matt Kahn:
“When the nervous system is overstimulated, you are bound to feel unsafe in your body, unsupported by the world, lost, disconnected, unable to make wise, decisive choices, and without direction in your life. As the nervous system unwinds, your attention expands to self-doubt, to enhance your interest in listening, and to guide you toward the most inspired choices that are always in reach.”
I keep finding, more and more each day how imperative my calm is to me, to my family, and to my work in this world. I cannot hold the light, cannot be true to the love we are bringing in, cannot hear my voice without it. And, as a Highly Sensitive being, my nervous system gets overstimulated incredibly easily – it is something I must pay attention to at all times – or I’m a hot mess.
So what am I doing? How am I keeping my feet on the ground and my heart to the sky?
I’m consciously pausing throughout my day. Reconnecting my feet to the earth. Feeling myself in my body, and allowing the heaviness of my bones to feel supported. Noticing when my mind is spinning and my shoulders are tight. Asking for help when I’m overwhelmed. Saying NO more often. Believing we are doing the best we can. Opening to each day with a prayer for possibility and surrender. Closing the day with gratitude. Taking short naps. Allowing myself all the feelings. Breathing. Deeply breathing.
I’ve been working to find calm in my body and mind for nearly twenty years. And lately, it feels like all those lessons I’ve learned and skills I’ve developed were preparation for now. For these times. For the changing, the restructuring, the world that feels out of orbit. No matter what chaos may happen around me, I can return to my calm. My center. My ground.
So this is how we keep showing up. With a calm nervous system and an open heart.
If this resonates with you, I invite you to join me for a mini-mini-retreat to assist you in your calm, ease, in your surrender to the unknown.
I don’t know why I look so not-fun and unsmiley in this video, because usually I’m a pretty cheerful gal. My dances with technology are confused but heart-felt, and seeing as how I’m recently 40, I simply don’t care about perfection any longer and have to trust that doing the best I can is good enough. And, practically speaking, I have extremely limited moments of time that aren’t consumed by interruptions and the needs of my children, so we are going to roll with this one. There’s no room for perfection in my life these days, and I’ll bet it’s the same way with you. There does lie a bit of freedom in that though, no?
I do promise I’ll smile more during the mini-retreat and make a Zoom retreat feel warm and fuzzy. (example of usual large, lopsided 40 year old smile in this photo)
So. If starting the school year with a breath of fresh air, a moment of calm, and a touchpoint to return to when the chaos ensues sounds refreshing – meet me on Zoom on Monday, August 31 at 4:30 PST/7:30 EST. In exchange for your 15$, I will provide grounding yoga postures, pranayama, guided meditation, and tangible tools to keep your feet planted, heart open, and mind quiet.
Until then…take good care of yourselves and snuggle your families close. There’s a lot going on at once. We will get to the other side. That’s the other thing I know for sure. We will get to the other side.
Much love to you all.
