Staying Grounded & Sane
Woah. Times are interesting to say the least. But we can be proactive in staying grounded and sane during this time.
First off, if you’re here because you received my newsletter, thank you. Please know how much I appreciate you allowing me to slide into your inbox from time to time..
And if you’re here because you happened to stumble across this website, Welcome. I’m so excited you’re here as well!
Ok. So let’s get into this.
My goal with this blog post is to talk about:
#1: My personal insights on what’s going on. These are my PERSONAL options and beliefs and how I am choosing to go through and see this experience. In no way, shape or form am I suggesting that you take any of these on as your own, but wanted to talk about them in case they may be helpful if you’re trying to find meaning in all of this. If you’ve heard enough opinions on this, feel free to skip to….
#2: A variety of ideas, tools, techniques and strategies that I love and have been using that may also be useful for you.
Personal Insights
(in bulleted format for ease of reading and to literally get to the point):
Never before has the world (in our lifetime) been ‘shut down/close up the shop’ like this. Wow. We are literally a part of history in the making. And ‘history’ (or herstory) is still. being. written.
We are becoming more equal. Most of us are at home. Those of us who may have been laid off and unable to find work are less judgmental of government assistance and find ourselves appreciative. Most of us are humbled as we find ways to make things work. We are discovering how human and kind everyone is. We get to take off the ‘Independent Penny/pull yourself up by your bootstraps’ attitude and are more in a place of asking and receiving help, because we need it.
We are receiving the time we’ve desperately been asking for (how many times have we said ‘if only I have the time, I would…’ or ‘If only I had a whole week to myself I would…’? No worries, me too….but now that we got our wish. The thing is friend your time is likely more valuable compared to what you may have been getting paid. If you see it that way, what do you get to do with your time now that is valuable?
That brings us to this: Do. The Damn. Thing. Whatever it is. Now is your moment. THE moment. The world has literally stopped and now is the time to read the book, watch the documentary, organize the junk room, do your taxes, start the business/the blog/the podcast…whatever it is that’s been tugging at your heart strings for attention, my friend, now is the time to DO IT!!
Now is the time to see what we’re made of…and to work on it. This time is digging up some deep shit. I can’t lie, put it lightly or sugar coat it. I just can’t. This thing we are in, this moment, is showing us allll the doodoo that we’ve been avoiding. But here’s the thing…it’s okay because now you have the time and energy to work on it. So don’t avoid it, step into it and do what you feel you need to do. (see bullet point above). Do the thing. Work on the thing. DO NOT AVOID IT. I don’t believe in coincidences and this is here for a reason; for each of us, that reason varies. And if you’re not feeling like you’re doodoo….
GOOD FOR YOU MY FRIEND! High fives ALL AROUND ( and I mean it!! Not being sarcastic in the least)…you get to SAVOR this moment because you’ve done the work as you were called to do it, you were on top of it and I applaud you. But/And now is also the time that you get to pass on your goodness and your wisdom to serve others (only you know what I mean…it’s that thing your gut is telling you ;)
With all that said, yes, we need to do our part in flattening this thing. We do what we need to do. For some of us, that is physical distancing and staying home. For some of us, that is going to what is considered essential work to serve our community. And everything in between. Follow your gut and use common sense. As on of my mentors, The Movement Maestro, says,
“The only way out is through, and the only way through is together.”
I couldn’t agree more. Now let’s move on to FEELING GOOD!!
#2: A variety of ideas, tools, techniques and strategies that I love and have been using that may also be useful for you.
I have three primary 'category’ of tools I use: Mindset, Movement and Spiritual:
Encouraging Mindset and beliefs I’m holding onto:
I understand and know that all a belief is is a thought that’s been repeated over and over in our mind. We can change a belief at anytime when we choose, and our belief drives our behavior. So I operate from the belief and behavior to seek the good in everything, no matter what. This has taken time and practice, but it’s pretty much become an automatic thing for me know. I first started with putting sticky notes in various places with the questions: “what am I grateful for right now?” “What am I happy about right now”. These questions have switched my focus to focus on empowering things.
“In every adversity is an equal seed of opportunity”
“Life happens for us, no too us”
“The only thing we can control is our work ethic and our attitude”
“Life is only 10% of what happens to us and 90% our attitude towards it”
For every ’negative’ thing I hear about, I seek 3 positive ones
I choose my attitude and mindset first thing in the morning. We alllllllll have this choice. When I first wake up, I say ‘Thank you’ and mean it. I get to love, serve, and enjoy the gifts of the day. I meditate to get grounded (find a guided meditation you love if this is something that’s new that you want to get into).
I reinforce my mindset with inspiration reading from various spiritual texts and personal development written by people I find inspirational. You’ve probably heard the quote “success leaves clues”…so I pick up these clues every morning.
Just like everyone else, I’ve had moments of feeling down throughout my life, but over time, I’ve learned strategies of not staying there; of honoring my emotions and how I feel, but also learning that I may be making up stories in my head that aren’t true and learned to reverse them and flip them on their head. In stead of looking too far into the future if it makes me feel anxious, I just think about what the next step is, focusing on the moment, the day in front of me, and going from there. Got that pearl from Oprah.
Body/Movement:
We are meant to move and moving increases blood flow, oxygen and endorphins, so move in anyway that feels good and natural to you. I am to get some kind of movement in everyday…some days that’s an intense workout, other days it’s a gentle yoga flow and a 10 min walk with my pups.
Music is my JAM! When I work out, I always use music to pump me up, ESPECIALLY If/when I don’t feel like working out, but know it’s time (listen to your body), I put on some booty shaking music I can’t help but start dancing too…then I get into it.
Know when the best time to move is for you! For instance, I know I have more energy and am more likely to get a good workout in in the morning after having my coffee vs at the end of the day, when I feel energy depleted and can’t have coffee (because if there’s anything I love more than coffee, it’s a deep and good night’s rest). But sometimes, when I want to sleep in, that workout might happen in the afternoon. Again, listen to your body.
Spiritual
I’m not going to go too deep here because I know we all have our spiritual beliefs. But this is the category of doing anything that lights you up, gets you excited, is life affirming and feels EXPANSIVE. This can include any and all of the following:
Surrender/prayer
Stillness/meditation
giving to others in a way you’re able (time, money and/or energy)
nourish your relationships and stay connected to community.
do the things that make your heart sing while you’re at home
Laughing, seeking joy in the present moment and in nature (I saw my first butterfly of spring a few days ago!)
I hope these tips help. If you have any tips of your own you’d like to share, I’d love to hear them! Feel free to send them to hello@jasmineraecoaching.com
