As the snow melts and spring arrives, I feel myself melt away some of the heaviness of winter and all that we have been carrying in these challenging times. The lightness of the longer days and warmer temperatures bring with it feelings of new possibilities. I have been reading Jane Goodall's book on Hope. She defines hope as finding the light in the darkness and putting action to that light. This has me wondering how I can take this lightness that I am feeling and make it a verb? As we transition into this new season can I be a part of cultivating a new sense of hope?
For me I am best at doing this when I am feeling clean, clear and bright; of mind, body and spirit. So before I can spread any assemblance of light / hope I need to start with myself, brightening my inner light. Like you I mostly know what I need to do to feel my best, the practices I need to be doing to support my health and wellbeing. I find the need to focus on the elements of self care and stress resilience have required more of my attention in the last couple of years- my tipping point is closer then it once was to fall into a state of imbalance. I use this acronym RESET to check in with myself and assess what may need a little more attention: I have included a few questions for some personal reflection:
R = Rest (enhanced sleep): there is sleep and there is rest. What do you do to rest during the day? What is your sleep hygiene? E = Exercise (meaningful movement) : what does this mean to you? Can exercise be fun and meet your body’s needs? S = Stress Management : what practices do you use to manage your stress? How is your nervous system health? E = Eat Well (optimize nutrition) : do you see your food as energy and medicine ? Do you know what foods support your physical and mental health? T = Take care of self (self-care) : what does self care look like for you? How do you show yourself the same care, grace and compassion you show others?
I invite you to check in with these basic pillars of health and see what might need some nurturing. These things have helped me to slow down the mind wandering, feel more grounded in my body while nurturing my nervous system: *Putting my phone away whenever possible.
*Getting outside- in the woods and in the water ( cold dipping :)) to ground and clear my mind, body and soul.
*Drinking more water, warm lemon water to start my day- a daily spring cleaning of sorts.
*Committing to meditation/mindfulness practices to keep my awareness and focus strong.
*Setting and re-assessing boundaries on the things I do and the people I spend time with.
*Practice actively weaving ease into everything I do.
Remembering, it is not about getting to the “finish line” it is about the journey. When those moments of joy come- I don’t miss them, so I actively practice mindfulness to be with my experiences.
Getting through another winter, another wave of the pandemic, builds our resilience threshold. Now let's see if we can remember what lights us up inside and start to put that into action and see how we can move the dial our own and collective healing.
If you are feeling like you need a little guidance on your journey, book a consultation: marystreeter.co@gmail.com