Inspiration blog
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Monday Mindfulness is a weekly post, aimed at appreciating everyday beauty and peace, and reminding us all to be in the moment.
Take a full minute of peace and quiet for yourself. Close your eyes. Breathe in deeply through your nose, and out slowly through your mouth. Think of the beauty you can find in small things. It is easy to find beauty in expansive images of nature, but finding it in a brief moment in the middle of your busy day is much more difficult. Try it, and try again. And the practice of it may lead you to that beauty.
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Keeping your day to day routine infused with mindfulness and connectedness can be challenging just on a regular basis when nothing, but doing so when a catastrophic event derails your life can be a monumentally daunting task. That is, if you remember to think of it at all. There are occasions where your life is so turned upside down and filled with some new horrible challenge, that all the little things that cling together and form the basis of your daily life get pushed aside, including those things that contribute to self-care.
I know for myself that when a loved one is in the hospital (if you’re not familiar, substitute this awful occurrence with something you can relate to, such as a setback at work, your kid having trouble at school, a sudden huge drain on your finances, etc.), I have trouble remembering to do the things that enable me to be fully functioning as my regular human self. And my first impulse tends to be, “Well, that’s just not important right now.” But it’s really more important than ever to try to maintain your own wellbeing and at least some elements of your routine when you’re going through something difficult and traumatic. Remember to take care of yourself, or you are simply not going to function as well. Remind yourself of the in-flight warning to put on your oxygen mask first, before you help anyone else. -If you are someone who forgets to eat during a crisis, the advice is simple: do eat. Even if you’re not hungry. Eat as fuel, whether you take pleasure in it or not. And if you take no pleasure in what you’re eating due to stress or time constraints, then you might as well eat healthy! Pile on the greens and immune supportive fruits and vegetables. Warm food like soup is labeled “comfort food” for a reason: it is comforting. So if your heart and inspiration are not connected to feeding yourself during a stressful time, then at least know you’re helping to keep your body healthy and functioning, so you can better support those around you. -Secondly, try to exercise. Even five minutes of stretches and gentle movement or walking can help release tension and help you feel better. Do this as often as you can. Tension builds up during difficult times without you even realizing it! Try to be conscious of how your body is behaving and how you are treating it. Treat it kindly, and remember it is carrying you through all the difficult times, and will probably keep doing so whether you’re kind to it or not. But try, try to be kind to it. -And lastly for now: sleep. Sleep. SLEEP. You may find yourself more exhausted than ever but also more aware than ever of how little time you even have to sleep. But you must sleep. You may feel guilty if you oversleep, or are tired when usually you wouldn’t be. Stress is exhausting. Stress can be like having a second job, as can taking care of a sick family member (or other relatable situation), in how it drains you of energy and vitality. Even if it’s only for a quick 15 minute power-nap, let yourself take a break now and then. Schedule it in if you need to. Just remember, you are wonderful and amazing and should treat yourself as such! There are days when you may be too busy or too distracted to take the time to meditate or be mindful of your surroundings, and get connected to your body and internal strength. Conversely, these are the days when taking that time matters most. It’s good to have other methods, then, to gain this connectedness and engage in your body and environment that won’t seem as daunting as a full-on meditation session.
One way to do this is to incorporate mindfulness or meditation into an activity you are already doing. For example, when I exercise, I tend to listen to music or an audiobook. There’s nothing wrong with that! But on days when I feel unfocused or disconnected, I sometimes choose to exercise in silence, running to the sound of my own breathing and footsteps. Or I swim, removing the option of external input and just connecting to my own movements and the water. I feel more grounded and my mind is quieter (the exercise helps too!). And, I don’t have the additional stress that can sometimes creep in when I’m trying to find time for everything I need to do in a day. Next time you are going to exercise, or commute, or wash the dishes, try to connect to your breath and to the silence your own mind can create with just a little additional effort. You may be surprised to find your day enriched and your mind rested. By: Denell Nawrocki, MA In today's hyper-connected world, it is easy to get lost in the craziness that is media. We have access to constant updates of the world's affairs, and in an instant, can learn about what is happening half-way across the globe. But I have a question: Is it really necessary to know EVERYTHING that is happening in the world? Another question: Do you know as much about what is happening in your own local community? I understand the desire to remain informed and up to date on the current affairs of the global community. But what I have noticed is that we are concerning ourselves more of what is happening OUT THERE, in OTHER STATES OR NATIONS than what is happening in our own towns. Yes, the plight of children in Africa is a terrible thing, and yes, the bombing in Syria or the on-going killing of endangered animals in Borneo are also equally as terrible. But what about the homeless families living in your local area? What about the grove of old trees in that open space that have been voted to be cut down in order to build another parking lot? What about how your local hospital is disposing of its unused medication (most likely being through down the drain into the local water table)? What about the elderly people who are essentially left to die in nursing homes, with no family to visit and talk to? What about the critically endangered lizard that lives in the local marshes that is on the verge of extinction due to the new freeway being proposed to be built? Our brains are not wired to taken in the plight of the ENTIRE WORLD. In fact, we are genetically wired to live in bands of communities no more than 150 people- think back to our neolithic brethren- and to have concerns that reflect that amount of people. We are meant to be aware and concerned about the locations of our home. We are not meant to take on issues that are not near us, and do not directly effect us. It simply is not in our hard wiring. And that is why people are stressed. And overwhelmed. And full of fear. Because they are trying to help the ENTIRE PLANET... no just our band of 150 community members. Next time you feel the urge to gluttonize on the slow decline of our global community environment as portrayed in the news media, I invite you to notice where your focus is. Are you focusing on causes that you have no direct link to? Are you focusing on events that do not effect the course of your life AT ALL? Are you focusing on pain and suffering that you will never actually experience in your own personal world? The way we can begin the process of actually ACTING on our CARING CAPACITY, is by focusing on what is right in front of us; by focusing on our local communities. It is within our local communities that we have a real chance of making that change we wish to see across the entire globe, It MUST start locally. It MUST start with what is happening in your backyard. It MUST start with what you are actually capable of. Are you passionate about environmental rights? Volunteer for a local land management agency, and influence how the land around your town is being protected or used. Are you passionate about sociological injustices? Take time out of your day to purchase some food for a homeless person, help them find a job, or some other aspect of basic human needs. Are you passionate about racial/gender/sexual rights? Give talks or lectures at local community spaces about what you know to be true in order to influence those around you. There are so many ways to help the world, and it becomes easier to see this when we change our focus. Global focus is good every once in a while- in very small doses. But it can be paralyzing. Focus on what you can do now, in your community, near where you live. I am 100% positive there is a cause that needs to be supported. That needs YOU to support it. So I invite you to focus your energy on what is actually possible.
And once we all are focusing on our local communities, the change we wish to see will manifest. And it will be beautiful. "We are afraid to care too much, for fear that the other person does not care at all." |
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Era of Care works within the healers' community to provide gentle services to regions requesting care in times of crisis. We offer workshops, events, and services that are designed to respond directly to the needs of a community. Donate to Era of Care and you will be directly supporting the growth of a strong network of healers & helpers who can help others, maybe even you or someone you love!
Era of Care works within the healers' community to provide gentle services to regions requesting care in times of crisis. We offer workshops, events, and services that are designed to respond directly to the needs of a community. Donate to Era of Care and you will be directly supporting the growth of a strong network of healers & helpers who can help others, maybe even you or someone you love!
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