Wow, It has been an absolute, please wake me up from this nightmare, kinda year! Right? It sure has been scary and filled with uncertainty. What to do during times like these. Since I don't want to numb myself in a bottle of wine, believe me it sounds really good sometimes, I don't do it because for me, I do not feel well after and it changes not a darn thing... The world is still chaotic. What has worked for me is keeping it simple. I mean breaking it down to real bare bones simplification like I put one foot in front of the other when getting outta bed to go pee kinda simple, YAY ME! Now I must celebrate because I just accomplished some big shit there! Excuse the pun... No, but in all reality, do keep it so simple that when you do the things that have become so repetitive, you feel like a robot on auto-pilot, that you stop and be present in the moment with yourself and celebrate! Do a happy dance! Ya fed your Littles breakfast, HAPPY DANCE! You got outta bed, HAPPY DANCE! You answered the phone or you chose not to answer so you could put yourself first and decompress, HAPPY DANCE! When we feel down, blue or have anxiety and are fearful, we tend to label these feelings as negative or bad. I learned that the feelings we feel come after the thoughts we think. What we think about creates a release of hormones in our brain and we feel what we feel. The next time you are feeling a way that you do not care for, take a few moments to get quiet and breathe. What are your thoughts in that moment? Try to tell yourself that in this moment, everything is okay. You have what you need in this very moment and that is all that really matters because the present moment is all you really have. The past is gone and the future hasn't happened yet so how do you know what it holds? I read a book called, The Untethered Soul. This book saved me from monkey mind, anxiety and depression. It taught me how to be PRESENT IN THE MOMENT. There is a quote by Lao Tzu that stays with me daily and helps to guide me when I am feeling down or anxious.
This quote is, "If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present."
So during these uncertain times, just allow yourself to be. When you are feeling the feelings Lao Tzu speaks of, please get quiet and bring yourself back to the present moment, look around you and just be. The Untethered Soul taught me how to keep my peace on a much deeper level and it sure has come in handy these days for sure. Please know that I am not trying to minimize the affects that anxiety has on people or the affects of depression. I had terrible anxiety for many years and battled depression. What I have written are a couple of the things I did that worked for me. I thought maybe they might help someone else, especially during these times. Oh! Crying is good! Let em flow baby!
All the best to you,
Teresa