3 Things That Are Helping Right Now

to get through the dumpster fire that is our world

We are officially living in a line from Taylor Swift’s song - Fortnight.

“All my mornings are Mondays stuck in an endless February”

Ever since my country decided a certain convict should be our leader, I’ve walked around with an orange-sized dread in my belly. I quit social media (again!) and have been avoiding the news as much as possible and yet…..to say that living is hard right now is an understatement.

To top it off, New Jersey decided to have one of its worst winters ever. I feel personally vindicated. Running was how I ran away from my problems and right now I don’t even have that.

If this feels like I am whining and complaining while sitting in my warm office in my safe, diverse, and thankfully mostly liberal neighborhood, I sure am! I am sorry but I am scared. No. I am terrified.

The week of election me and my therapist sat stunned in her tiny office on an unbelievably warm November day. A “gut punch” I called it and it still feels the same.

I am functioning, and I am hyper-aware of what’s happening around me. Running did help. But now there is snow everywhere, and we are in that part of the winter when I just want to migrate to an island.

“You don’t eat seafood” my husband reminds me every year around this time when I bring this up.

But I am functioning. Somewhat. Three things are helping me. I thought I’d share with you:

1. Ditching my hour-long meditations - and replacing them with 5-10 min mindfulness meditations. I haven’t had the patience to meditate for hours like I used to. I also started finding them quite irritating since they were focused on attaining a “goal.” I replaced them with short mindfulness meditations. Focusing on my breath, my seat, my feet, or metta meditation.
   
   I’ve been doing them on the Peloton App, but there are some good ones on Insight Timer as well. I found I was able to be more “mindful” of my thoughts after doing these meditations. For now, I am keeping this practice.
   

2. Finding Tiny Glimmers of Awe - Who knew, Awe is good for us!! I came across this article, Eight Reasons Why Awe Makes Your Life Better. Recent research tells us that people who experience awe have an increased capacity for critical thinking. At the same time that our empathy is stimulated, our radar for Bullshit goes up too. We are less likely to be manipulated by empty arguments, and political rhetoric (ahem…maybe the world needs more awe right now?)
   
   Scientists are discovering that you don’t have to take a 14 hr flight to India to see The Taj Mahal to experience awe or even trek a mountain. Seeking micro-moments of awe every day will do.
   
   A sunset. A hawk landing outside your window. Snowflake the size of a pebble on your palm. Or looking at a photo from an awe-struck moment (such as the one below)

   

   Lake Louise at Banff National Park - this was an awe moment for me!

   
   ↑↑↑ These have been my tiny glimmers of awe moments from the last few days. It’s a constant reminder (looking for awe in the mundane), but it is pretty darn awe-some once you experience it :)
   

3. Books, Books, and Books - Reading takes us to a different world. If that’s called avoidance, then be it. Ever since reading Alice in Wonderland at 9 years of age made me forget about my acute ear pain, I have been a big fan of getting lost in the world of a book to forget the pain of the real world.
   
   Here’s what I read in the last couple of months that made me forget this dumpster fire we are living in:

   1. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix (My fav read of this year so far)

   2. Never Lie by Freida McFadden (Mystery that kept me engrossed and forget where I was)

   3. The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins (Also a Mystery and in classic Hawkins style)

   4. Wild by Cheryl Strayed (I am late to this party but holy shit, what a read!)
      

Of course, it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t mention the constant tools I use from my Nervous System Work to regulate myself back to calm, connected, safe, and social. It is work, sure, but without it, I’d probably be hyperventilating.

I write about it in The Muse Master. Although The Muse Master is focused on Nervous System Work for Writers, learning how to regulate our Nervous System can be helpful for everyone. And I mean everyone. Check it out and if it speaks to you, subscribe (for free) to receive weekly tips, education, tools, and exercises.

What is helping you traverse our world right now? Is it a practice? A tool? A book we can get lost in? Drop them below in the comments.

Yes, The Taj is pretty darn awesome! The 14 hr flight though? Not so much!