Things are scary right now…
Things are scary for a lot of people right now. There is a lot of uncertainty and it’s blooming into financial uncertainty, job security uncertainty and much more. During times of chaos, our mind looks for things that we can control.
During this world pandemic, many of us are choosing to socially distance ourselves and go into self isolation for the wellbeing of ourselves, and to keep others safe. Many of us have been losing gigs, losing clients, and therefore losing money and more. All of this effects us in a tremendous way.
I wanted to write a blog that people will hopefully find uplifting and inspiring. Because yes, things are scary. Yes, what you are feeling is okay to feel. And yes, things will probably get crazier before it gets better. But while we sit inside and socially distance ourselves, this also gives us the opportunity to heal ourselves, truly turn our focus inwards. How many times do we get the chance to truly dedicate time to ourselves fully?
If you live a hectic life like I do, time alone usually means time to crash, sleep and not do anything. But now, with some time on my hands I am looking forward to doing those things I always wish I had time to do. There are days where I think “man, I just wish I had a week off to paint”, or “wouldn’t it be nice to have more time to read my book?”.
Your life in the next couple weeks doesn’t have to become countless hours of netflix (unless you want it to be- then absolutely!) and trying to pass the days until this craziness is over. Social distancing doesn’t mean locking yourself in your room with nothing to do. Self isolation doesn’t have to be not talking to friends.
We live in a society of “business=productivity=success” which is not at all true. Life is about balance, about giving time for yourself to rest as well as pushing toward your goals, whatever YOU decide your goals are. Maybe this time has been created for all of us to slow down, enjoy time with our spirit.
Remember at the beginning how I said our minds try to find things we can control in the midst of chaos? We can control how we choose to nourish ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually in the next couple weeks. Here are my tips, take them with a grain of salt or implement them into your daily life during the next couple of weeks.
The Medicine Wheel
One of the most important teachings in my Cree culture is the medicine wheel. It reminds us that we have four parts to our overall well being. In the medicine wheel we are taught to balance our mental, physical, spiritual and emotional health. People are just starting to understand mental wellbeing, but have you ever thought about your emotional and spiritual wellbeing. During the next couple weeks, write things down that support these different quadrants and try to do one thing a day that helps each quadrant. I’ll list a few of my personal favourites!
30, 30, 30
This is a Matricia Bauer teaching. Those of you who know my mom know she is a very powerful and wise woman. Mom and I have our own business- Warrior Women. The thing about being your own boss is that you have to make yourself work. You have to be the boss for yourself. So, mom always taught me that you need to break up your day. If you spend 30 minutes doing hard work (emails, working on a business plan), 30 minutes of housework (laundry, cleaning) and then 30 minutes doing something that excites you, you tend to be pretty productive. We aren’t beings that are meant to sit down for 8 hours a day and work like robots. If you give yourself scheduled time chunks you are able to focus on the task at hand, knowing that eventually you will have time to get up, do house work and then reward yourself later. I do this at work with 30 minutes of emails, 30 minutes of working on an upcoming assignment deadline and then working on a project that really excites me. If this needs to be modified to a 20, 20, 20 or an hour then jive with whatever works best for you!
Take a Break from Social Media…
Seriously- you deserve a break. Try turning your phone off for an hour and just calm your mind. We get enough over stimulation as it is, especially now. You will be happy for the hour of calm.
Write down things you’ve waited to have time for to do
This can be anything you’ve wanted to do, even if its a saved video on facebook that you wanted to watch but didn’t have the time to. Make time for these things! Do you have a business plan you’ve been meaning to write, a grant you’ve been meaning to apply to or a “tasty” recipe you’ve wanted to try out? I’ve seen a lot of free resources for online courses floating around. Maybe now is a time for you to expand your knowledge on a certain subject. Has there ever been something you were interested in but didn’t have the time? Well, now’s the time.
Make Yourself a Routine
As someone who struggles with mental health, I know routine will be very important for me in the next couple of weeks. Make yourself get up at a “normal” time and give yourself something to do right off the bat, whether its having a shower right away, breakfast, yoga, reading a book at the table. Make yourself a routine the way you do at work or in other settings. Again, find a constant.
Be Kind to Yourself and Kind to Others
It’s important to hold on to one another and support in whatever capacity you can. Whether it’s donating food to your local homeless shelter, buying groceries for a senior, supporting your arts friends and helping with rent or just being an ear to listen. If you don’t have the capacity to help, it’s okay to reach out for support. Let’s take care of one another during this scary time because the only thing that is constant (other than change) is the love we can show for one another and ourselves.
