2020 began for me with watching my birth country Australia ravaged by bushfire. Then within months we were all facing the reality of a global pandemic, something I honestly never thought I’d see in my lifetime.
We are in a place right now we’ve never been before. The level of anxiety on a societal and global scale is quite extraordinary and even if we’re not yet personally affected the potential is now very real, we need to pay attention.
Our MOTHER is calling out loud and clear and if you think this virus affecting humans has nothing to do with the earth, with climate change and the state of our planet then you haven’t yet grasped the reality of our situation.
We are one and the same. Earth and Us. She cries, we cry, she bleeds, we bleed, she suffers lack of nourishment and harsh conditions as do we. Our health is intimately tied to the health of our environment. We are in this together and together we must respond.
I know that most of my readers will be nodding their heads in an understanding of shared responsibility I know that others may deny and defy this idea and instead seek blame. But separate thinking is not going to help this time.
How to find a sense of calm
Hoarding resources that need to be shared is pointless. Contributing to panic and hysteria in any way is damaging on an individual as well as societal level. We cannot solve this with the same mentality that’s causing our problems. Things have to change and there is a real opportunity here if we can be brave enough to lean in, slow down and work through this thing together.
Stay in the Love
In a state of love for who is with you, around you, the birds, the flowers, the things you’ve collected, the things you can touch and hold and the things and people you can’t reach with your fingertips but can send loving thoughts towards. Stay with the Love.
Keep your feet on the Ground
On Country, Whenua, on Terra Firma. When you stay grounded you stay connected to what is real. Staying connected to Earth means you slow down excessive swirling thoughts and come home to your body. Read my article on Grounding for more info on how to do this.
Remember the Simple stuff
Like washing your hands thoroughly, 20 seconds with soap and running water, it’s proven to be more effective than lotions, potions and sanitisers and all the other gear. Eat nourishing food, drink enough water, get fresh air and sunshine, the best disinfectant going around!
Almost anything can wait
The world is calling us to slow down dramatically and I believe, take a damn hard look at how we are doing things; the pace of our lives, the priorities we choose, the rush to where exactly? This is time to slow it down and do some reflection. You may wish to use this time to read, journal, try mediation, have deep conversations with your family, get to know where your people are from, garden, grow things, sit and watch the creatures who live around you. There is so much richness in this opportunity once we get past the fear of having to stop our rushing.
Talk to Fear
Loss is going to be a very real part of this and it may affect you directly or distantly. Fear won’t help anything. Fear is not going to save anyone’s life. Fear is not going to help someone recover, Fear is not useful in any way to the events we are dealing with. Talk to your fear and have this conversation. Acknowledge it but don’t let it drive. If you’re with others who are stuck in fear you can either walk away or see if they are open to a different view. If everything you watch and read is coming from Fear, look for some commentators who offer a balanced opinion with facts and sensible, positive suggestions.
Turn up Compassion and Collaboration
Tribes and Communities who survive disasters and big change do it together. They value the Group, they understand that shared resources help everyone and that individuals have unique strengths that can come into play at times like this. Maybe you know someone at greater risk or less able to take care of themselves and there is one little thing you could do to help them. Compassion is about togetherness. Even if we are forced into isolated households we can still check on one another and provide help where we can.
Manage your Stress
The number one immune suppressant is stress. You may have read my list so far and thought it was a bunch of fluff but how are your stress levels really? Because if you’re anxious, if your sleep is affected, and you’re not able to rest, relax, focus normally then you’re already doing yourself a huge disservice by letting down your guard. If the tips above don’t help with this, please get in touch as I can chat to you and we’ll make a personal plan but managing stress and getting sleep are no longer ‘nice to have’s’ they are non-negotiable!
My belief is we will weather this storm and that positive change will follow but we’ll do that better, stronger and quicker if we come from; Love, grounding, slowing down, simple living, compassion for others, and dealing with our stress.