What do you do when what you thought was a bad day, turns into a bad week, a bad month and it just doesn’t seem to be getting better. When you’re in that place where things don’t seem to be getting better anxiety can quickly start to escalate.
How do you find your equilibrium again? How do you pick up the curlycues and sew them back into the fabric of your life?
It might be useful to get an understanding of what might be happening when things start to go wobbly.
Many describe this feeling as a disconnect, where the plug got pulled and we feel separate from the flow of life and the things that make us feel good. Various factors may have contributed to this: A major one is the simple process of our own growth maturation and evolution of consciousness. We may be tired of the constant drive to please others, the constant busy, busy business of life. This can create an imbalance in our lives and can be experienced energetically as feeling down or even unwell.
Quite commonly we can feel off kilter when a major life change has occurred: – a loss of work, ending of a relationship, moving countries, illness or loss (loss of a friend, family member or pet). Sometimes it may be the accumulative effect of the constant bad news on the news.
We all know we can’t live a life that is true to us if we’re always reacting to what life throws at us. So how do we manage these reactions and take care to ensure we come back to centre, back to our self.
Here are a few tips to get you back in the river and floating in the right direction – so that you start to feel that you’re going WITH the flow rather than against it.
1. STOP and turn inwards – When we get the wobbles in life, it can be hard to know what’s up, what’s down and what we’re feeling. Many of us start to operate from fear and self doubt and the tendency is to try and create more activity, more goals, more doing. Stopping and taking space can feel scarey so we may scramble to fill the void. But stopping and slowing our breath (particularly our out breath) is the first step to slowing down and turning inwards. Essentially this is where true connection occurs and where insight is more likely to come to you. Start with self, when we stop it is always surprising what answers come. Try to stop with little breaks away from all external distractions and stimulants.
2. RETURN TO NATURE – to return to nature in yourself you may need to turn to nature. Going for a simple walk to your local park. Sitting at the base of a tree or the shore of the beach or in your garden and watching the insects buzz past. Nature brings us back to presence – it helps us see beauty and the abounding creative goodness in all life, of which we are indeed part of. It is a simple way of getting out of the funk of overthinking the challenges in life and allowing a connection to our inner guidance.
3. GROUND YOURSELF – Grounding or earthing ourselves helps us return to our inner core. Walking barefoot on the grass in a park or on the beach is a great exercise in earthing ourselves. Basically, the theory is that our bodies are meant to come into contact with the Earth (a “grounding” force) on a regular basis.
Positive electrons in the form of free radicals can build up in our bodies and direct contact with the ground balances this out as it is a negative grounding charge. A simple exercise you can do right now is to close your eyes and put your bare feet flat on the ground. Imagine them heavy and sinking deep into the earth like massive tree roots. Ask yourself “Who do I want to be right now?”
4. BE KIND – to yourself. Practicing extreme self care as we slow down allows for gentle self-correction. Forgive yourself for not moving fast enough, or doing things in the best way. You are simply doing it your way. Forgive myself in the process. Each time we feel off centre and lose connection to ourself we face the opportunity of contacting the metal of our own resilience. We get to discover inner resources we may not have realised we had that help us get back in the flow, steady and sure.
5. REMEMBER – Peace isn’t something ‘out there’ – it comes from within. And from that place of peace rises the most delicious insights. Remembering is connected to when we stop and listen. That’s where we can tune into our ‘soul talk’. That quiet, inner voice that speaks simple, home truths. We know we are in the right place inside when it feels like home. For many of us that place is in our own hearts. We can recognise ‘soul talk’ because it is often kind, compassionate, reassuring and simple. We may hear words like: “Slow Down”, “It’s Okay”, “Breathe”, “Just Let Go”, or “You’re Doing your Best.”
6. REACH OUT – It’s great to be able to talk to someone – a friend, your partner, a family member, a counsellor: Someone you feel comfortable with and safe with to vent, cry, laugh, wonder with, have a hug. Whatever feels like a soothing balm for you as you go get back to centre and in the flow with life.
7. INSPIRATION -can help us shift out of negative thought patterns and ultimately feel more accepting of what is going on. It can be surprising what appears as guidance. Sacred passages, poetry, oracle cards, or simply opening a random page from a favourite book may offer something that speaks to your heart’s needs. Many may know of the poets Khalil Gibran, Rainer Maria Rilke and Rumi. There are many quotes and passages available by these and other great teachers online. Equally simple words of wisdom may come from something that stands out in the supermarket or from a billboard. I remember seeing the words “Strength with Softness” reach out and grab my attention from a packet of toilet paper of all things. They were just the right words I needed to hear at that time.
This list is by no means finite. It’s a starting point offering some simple practices to get you back on track with life when you feel doubt and fear gnawing at you and you can’t seem to get back to centre.
For information and counselling support around reconnecting to self and getting back to centre contact me – Shushann on 0410324134 and arrange for a free 10 minute consultation now.