This year has been different in so many ways.
- Pandemic with sickness, death, physical distancing, job loss and more.
- Forced home schooling while trying to work from home.
- Changed and changing relationships with separations, divorce and sometimes just a general sense of I don’t really know my partner.
- Lonely and isolated.
- Financial constraints, disappearance of favorite small and large businesses.
- Most especially the breakdown of trust. We are watching each other and wondering if we are friends or foes. You look different, talk different, love different, vote different, eat different and must not be on my side.
What can you do?
1, Slow down and Ground yourself
Time to slow down and lean in to yourself. Time to breathe in and slow down.
Time to get grounded using your senses. Find a comfortable place to sit
You will be using your senses to set an intention.
Look around you for 5 things and note them quietly to yourself.
Listen for 4 things you hear.
Feel three things (your feet on the ground, your clothes on your skin, may be a gentle breeze on your skin).
Smell two things around you.
Taste your last meal or just the sensation of your tongue.
Your senses will frequently help you center.
You have some control and just breathe and imagine you are grounding into this calmness. You are present in your body. Remember a time you were calm. Revisit that time to see, hear, taste, feel and touch what that was like. When you feel that calmness, choose a comforting statement as you breathe in and out. “I am at peace this moment,” or “I have all that I need in this moment.”
2. Acknowledge you are joint custodians of this earth together with others. You can share a piece of it without wiping others out.
3. Focus on passing on one small kindness today rather than hate and acrimony.
4. Determine how you can be part of the solution not the problem.
If you ever need help with reducing feelings of chaos, uncertainty or overwhelm, contact Embrace Mental Wellness at https://nebraskatherapist.com/contact/
We help adults find calmness in the midst of chaos.