Many of us are feeling increasingly uprooted from our normal lives. In a world trying to figure itself out, it isn’t just our routines that are being disrupted, but our relationships too. Thankfully, distance doesn’t have to mean disconnection.
These challenging times remind us that it’s never enough to just look after ourselves. We must look after each other too. But as I have always written and spoke about – we must tend to our own gardens, before we can expect to help others sow their seeds. Taking care of the mind isn’t just a personal pursuit. Each day, the steps we take and progress we make radiate outwards, like ripples on a pond. As our mental and emotional wellness improve, so do our relationships, and our communities.
Have you noticed the downward spiral of thoughts that can happen when you’re worried, stressed, or nervous? It’s common to fast forward into an unknown future and play out worst case scenarios in our mind. The antidote is to bring awareness to our thoughts and emotions, and return to presence. This helps recenter and stabilize us in times of uncertainty.
Reach out to check in on others and to ask for help when you need it. Stay in connection via text, telephone, what’s app, facetime, skype, zoom or google hangouts. We need each other most during challenging times.
I often speak on the power of meditation, but as a visual person I also understand the power of visualization. What am I referring to? Imagine yourself in a beautiful place that you love. Perhaps it’s your favorite place to watch the sunset, a stream, a lush forest, a secret beach, or a field of wildflowers. Invite all of your senses to imagine yourself there. Hear the evening crickets, feel the sand in between your toes, and smell the flowers. The power of the mind is that we can travel in time to visit a good memory and experience the positive feelings in the present moment.
Meditation and visualization can work hand in hand. We simply need to sit down, to take in what we do have and to remember that there are many acts of kindness and bravery that are happening across the globe for the collective wellbeing of all. We can join in that energy and that spirit for positive benefits we can’t always see , but can certainly recognize as beneficial.
Peace and Love, Jim
