Okay, you have spoken.
Let’s shift.
How are you doing sister?
Do this with me now.
Put one hand on your belly and one hand on your heart, then IIIIIINNNNHALE and RELEASSSSSEEEE, and say to your body, “Hi {pause + feel} How are YOU doing?”
What’s she feeling?
Is she scared of the unknown?
Fearful of getting sick?
Freaked out by how some people are responding?
Is she feeling unsafe?
With all of our worlds being ripped out from under us, it’s understandable.
And it’s so big that our ability to cope is almost non-existent.
My childhood was unstable, which leaves me extremely reactive, especially in situations where my perceived safety or stability is threatened. Many people are in a similar boat. We get triggered VERY easily.
I’ve worked really hard to learn how to deal with adversity in a more calm and loving way, but this right here is forcing me to really dig deep. I’m doing fairly well, but the anxiousness is sitting right at the surface.
It’s coming in waves.
It’s so ironic that there’s legit NOTHING on my calendar, yet my mind is still telling me I don’t have enough time.
Then I start to feel overwhelm over things that typically have no hold on me.
Like dishes in the sink, a few emails or clutter on my kitchen table.
Now, like most people, Zac and I are trying to figure out our new normal for a few weeks. How we will home pre-school Wyatt while still working from home.
Transitions are hard, it feels like the foundation cracking right under our feet, so anxiety is normal.
What do I do in these moments?
I used to find a bag of chips, inhale it, then wash it down with some wine, but now I do what we just did. I get back into my body.
I take a breath, feel my feet on the floor, touch my body, and tell her that we are safe. That in this moment, we are okay… and it brings me down a few notches. Seriously try it.
Besides this, I’m feeling extremely hopeful.
I believe this global pause is a call from the great mother to come back to the basics.
She’s created the space for us that we’ve not only asked for but desperately needed.
We’ve all been running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to do ALL.THE.THINGS, saying we never have enough time to {FILL IN THE BLANK} and here we are.
With ALL the time to:
… come back to our bodies
… come back to our relationships
… come back to nature (our true home)
… come back to our community
… come back to ourselves
… come back to what really matters in life
We have no excuses to not…
Make a meal in our kitchen
Sit around the table and connect with our family (virtually or physically)
Get some exercise outside
Give back to people who need it right now
Start that journaling or meditation practice
Or just make your damn bed (which I don’t know about you, but makes a hell of a difference on my mood #itsthesmallthingsyou)
Back
To
The
Basics.
Then why are we still glued to our screens NOT doing all the things we’ve been wanting to do for so long?
Some of it has to do with the brain’s design for survival.
Some of it has to do with our addictions (to work, busyness or drama).
Some of it has to do with our minimal coping skills in times of adversity.
And some of it has to do with not knowing where to start.
I’ve struggled BIG TIME with these very things and have learned how to take moments like these and not only survive through them but actually GROW and become a better version of myself because of them.
And I plan on showing you exactly what I did to get there (and what I am currently doing) so you too can get on the other side of this, feeling proud of how you responded.
To get started I’ve been creating short videos (2 min videos) on:
- Why I jumped back on social media during this time
- Doing this during Covid-19 is NON-NEGOTIABLE
- Feel like a pathetic turd? DO THIS!
- You will be running in circles, getting nothing done if you do this
- Why you need to say this to your body right meow!
I’m here for you,
Nichole
PS: I fully understand that there are some very real struggles coming up for some of you, like paying your bills, feeding your family or job security. Or maybe you are stuck in a home in which you don’t feel safe in. I don’t want to minimize any of that. I’m thinking of you right now, there are resources and help available to you, use your voice and receive it. What I’m proposing is being willing to explore surrender, trust, making the best of what we got and rising to the challenge. I hope you’re game ❤️
PPS: If you watch only one of these videos, let it be this one.