Resources
In these really challenging times, I want to offer resources that I value and I actively turn to for guidance, support, and nurturing of our hearts and souls. I hope these may be of use for you, and let you feel supported.
BOOKS I turn to again and again for wise guidance:
Breathe, Move, and Practice Gratitude:
Simply taking several deep breaths helps us feel better instantly, as we calm our internal nervous system with just a few deep breaths. Can you pause and choose to move in a way that would feel better to your physical body? I recommend Somatic practices. One is simply called looking around the room. We, as a species, have no protective shell or fur or fangs or claws; no easy way we could protect ourselves. And yet we are the dominant species on the planet. Why? Because of our evolved, tightly wound ability to perceive potential threat or danger. We needed that to survive, and we did survive. But when that tightly wound alertness to potential threat is turned on all the time, it can be part of what makes us reactive. If we can simply look around the room, and look especially behind you, both directions, your eyes will give data to your brain that, in fact, there is no lion behind you. We had no conscious thought or worry that there could be, but that part of our brain is always vigilant. Looking around the room actually is a small reset button for your nervous system. It’s one of the first small steps in Somatic Experiencing method.
And there’s lots of good research that shows that practicing gratitude, thinking about what you can be grateful for, can actually improve your mood and feelings of contentment and happiness. Maybe consider what we can be grateful for in this moment. If you’re well, we can be grateful for the good health we have today. If you’re sick, perhaps notice the love and concern our friends and family are sending to you. As a people we are together in a collective experience of living. We can collectively support each other. The research on Gratitude is strong: practicing gratitude, even when it is hard, helps us and lifts our spirits. Consider if you can, writing down 10 things every day that are blessings in your life.
Being helpful to others is also deeply nourishing for ourselves. By offering warmth and kindness to others, through an email, through a phone call, or in person, will benefit both of you. The power of prayer is also well documented. Connecting to a sense of how sacred each moment is, of choosing to become aware of the sacredness of life and of our important relationships can help. Prayer to connect with Spirit or God or the vast universe, and prayer for the world we want to create together — a world that is kinder, more peaceful, more just, and more loving, can help. Can you spend a moment to envision the future you want for yourself, and a positive, hopeful future for all?
Nature:
Getting outside is such a deeply nourishing experience for our body, mind and soul. Connecting to nature, breathing fresh air, looking at the trees in the breeze, the blooming flowers, the grass, and listening to the sounds of nature, are all profoundly helpful in calming our thoughts and worries, and supporting our selves.
Meditation & Mindfulness:
Meditation is the practice of quieting our busy minds, pausing to breathe, and coming to rest inside a state of support and peacefulness. With advanced meditation we are connecting to a vast, available, expansive, nourishing source of awareness, connection, and stability. I’ve been fortunate to study at the Washington Center for Consciousness Studies with Rudy and Sharon Bauer for about 10 years, and participate in a daily meditation with advanced practitioners from the Center, where we practice with Buddhist texts, Psychology of Being, Chi Gong, Kashmir Shavism, Phenomenology, the experience of the Beingness of our Being and the field of awareness. www.meditatelive.com. I will offer as much of these skills as you may wish to try, as one method or another may be right for you.
Yoga and Movement:
This is an important time to move your body in any way that brings you joy. Walking, dancing, running, yoga, or a slow chi gong practice, any of these that might bring you joy, will be of great benefit. We are physical beings and our bodies inherently will know what will feel healing for us. Can you notice what movement brings you more joy? Can you pause and choose to move in a way that would feel better to your physical body? Physical movement and yoga are helpful ways to get out of our worried thoughts, and into our embodied Beings. There are many classes, both in person and online, to support you in getting out of your worries and into your body to move in ways that feel better.
Internal Family Systems:
IFS — Internal Family Systems — https://ifs-institute.com/ — is a method developed by Dick Schwartz. IFS helps us understand the different parts of us that are inside and drive our feelings and behaviors. Everyone of us has different parts inside; maybe a part that feels worried, maybe a part that feels avoidant, maybe a part that gets triggered easily. We also have, inside, a full, wise Self energy which we can connect to, and from Self, we can hear, understand, and soothe our own inner parts. In these highly stressful times, I feel the I.F.S. model is especially helpful. I practice IFS and have completed the Certified Level 2 in IFS. I highly recommend Dick Schwartz’s book No Bad Parts, as there are no bad parts inside of us, just parts needing support, needing our own attention to be understood and to unburden the sometimes rigid roles they’ve taken on inside of us.
R.A.I.N. and Tara Brach:
R.A.I.N. and Tara Brach – www.TaraBrach.com — is a gift for many. She is both a therapist and an acclaimed Buddhist teacher. I suggest her book: Radical Acceptance to many clients. The book helps us accept ourselves more fully. Tara has dozens of helpful podcasts on relationships, self-acceptance, finding meaning, and her therapy method of RAIN (Recognize, Accept, Investigate, Nurture), we can bring RAIN to any feeling, emotion, or state of mind. There are many, many good online meditation programs! I have both trained with Tara, attended many of her weekly meditations, and am honored to have been chosen to consult to their organization, Insight Meditation Community of Washington, during a time of evaluation and change. I often think the very best therapy methods are all quite similar, and I see a lot of similarity between R.A.I.N. and I.F.S.
There are many good meditation programs online, really many! Find what works to support you and your system, and share it with others!