I’ve been having a lot of conversations over the past several weeks in my one-on-one work about the state of the world and the heaviness, the stress, the anxiety, the worry, the fear, the confusion and everything else that comes up with it.
I’ve had folks coming in in tears, in full-blown panic mode, in overwhelm/disconnection, and everything in between.
When this happens, I often tell people, “Hey, just so you know, this is the fourth conversation I’ve had about this today in my office;” and I say that to tell people that they’re not alone. I know sometimes it can feel isolating to care deeply about what’s happening, but I promise that there are MANY people feeling it. There are so many folks who are scared, anxious, and unsure what to do…and y’all I am not immune to that.
Yes I am a practitioner who holds space for folks and yes I have an incredible toolbox to pull from, but I am still a human who is navigating all of the human things that the rest of us are. I’m scared too. My nervous system needs support too. I cry all the time too…AND I’m fortunate to have a skill set and a knowledge base that helps me care for my nervous system and the rest of my body amidst the chaos, because my reality is that I cannot show up and hold space for the folks who need it if I am not consistently getting resourced.
So what does that look like? For me, right now, that means reorganizing priorities and maintaining healthy boundaries with myself such as:
I am prioritizing quality sleep.
I’m trying to go to bed a little earlier and I’m not making myself bust out of bed at the crack of dawn. I’m reading a cozy fantasy novel before going to bed so that my mind is in a content space when I prepare for sleep.
I’m listening to the sleep podcast, Nothing Much Happens, to help my mind settle into rest and not take off running. I’m staying off screens before I go to bed.
If I wake up in the middle of the night, I might read my fantasy novel, return to my sleep podcast, or do a breathing practice in bed.
Another thing that I’m doing ritually is dedicating time every single day to a practice.
For me, on most days that looks like about 10 to 15 minutes of breath-centered movement, followed by 5 to 7 minutes of langhana pranayama (calming breathing), followed by five minutes of rest. If and when my mind wonders, I notice it then redirect to my breath and my body in space. On days when I’m feeling particularly scattered and/or anxious, I also use mantra and chant in my practice.
I’m also reconnecting with my journaling practice and carving out at least five minutes most days to do that.
I’m limiting my screen time and particularly reducing how frequently I’m on social media.
I’m working toward having healthier boundaries with social media in general. If I am in a heightened state, that is not the time to look at social media because I have no control over what appears on the screen. I’m trying my best to intentionally interact with social media and make sure that I am in a grounded space before I open it so that if and when I do see something that is dysregulating, I’m making the choice to do so. I’m dancing the dance of staying informed and disconnecting. I subscribe to newsletters and substacks from news sources that I trust so that I can stay in the know, without getting overwhelmed.
As Ben Greene says, fear-mongering is often engineered to capture our attention because fear and outrage are what maximize views, clicks, and profit. I look for the good news too (note: this is not me advocating for toxic positivity or spiritual bypasing–both of which I believe to be very harmful). There has to be a balance of staying informed and disconnecting from media so that you can feel your body, connect with nature, and have IRL connections with people around you.
If you take nothing from this blog, let it be to limit your screen time and social media use.
I am oiling my body every single freaking day.
I put oil in my nose before I go to bed and first thing in the morning. I put oil in my ears every morning. I massage my entire body with herbal oil before I take a shower every night. I massage an herbal oil into my feet before bed every night.
Oil is love and love is oil.
We all need oil right now.
Ayurveda tells us that external oleation practices help ground Vata Dosha, which is the dosha that gets out of balance when anxiety is high and our nervous system feels scattered.
I’m also being as routine as possible about my meal times.
I try my best to eat my meals around the same time every day and I’m trying my best to ensure that I’m eating nourishing and grounding foods. Our systems like rhythms and eating around the same time every day is not only supportive to your digestive fire, but it is also supportive to your nervous system because your body knows what to expect and when to expect it. It’s not left wondering when your next meal is going to be, which can cause your nervous system to get a bit agitated.
I’m ensuring that the qualities of the food that I eat is grounding and nourishing to help support that quality from the inside out.
I’m prioritizing rest – all of the types of rest.
If you’re not familiar with the 7 Types of Rest, I strongly recommend diving in.
Ensuring that I’m creating space for social, emotional, and creative rest along with all the other types of rest I referenced above allows me to stay connected to myself.
I know that if I am well rested, I can show up in my work more fully.
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