I hope you found some time for yourself this Easter Weekend. As you know, I have been offering up Self Care tips, to help you through this very stressful and scary time in our lives. Self Care is a small part of what I do, to help those who are single AND those who are in relationships, but it has an important impact. We cannot expect others to solely responsible for caring for our needs, and those who value self care, have healthier relationships!
Today, I want to talk about the great act of self care that is shifting your every day focus away from negativity, which will only heighten our anxiety levels, and mindfully FOCUSING towards the kindness out there in the world.
It is all too easy right now, to be absolutely overwhelmed by the infection levels, death tolls, politics in the news today. Too easy to allow our entire perspective to be coloured by the rude people in the line at the shops, the reports of people flouting the lock down, police harassing people who are just going into work because they have to, our healthcare workers struggling without the proper equipment, and a social media news feed clogged with complaints, insults and fear.
My self care suggestion today, is to zoom in, and ACTIVELY SEEK OUT THE KINDNESS... the helpers, the good stories, the feeling of the rain on your face, the cherry trees fluttering their pink blossoms outside your window.
The stories of an entire village coming to their front doors to sing Happy Birthday to a man turning 100 years old.
Of Joe Wicks donating all the proceeds from his 'PE for the Nation' classes to the NHS.
Dolly Parton not only donating loads of money to find a vaccine, but also reading us bedtime stories for free!
People who,though on lock down and struggling to make ends meet, are making masks and scrubs for healthcare workers.
Of neighbors and friends, going out of there way to help on another during this pandemic.
I am not saying to ignore the unsavory reality of what's happening! I am saying, mindfully spend more time and energy on the good, then on the bad
As I walk down the street taking the dog for a walk, I can choose to stand under the lilac tree, breathing in its sweet fragrant offering AND I can stare at the pile of trash left on the curb that hasn't been picked up for days.
HOWEVER, I NEED RIGHT NOW, to choose to spend more of my time and energy on gently pulling down a low hanging branch of that lilac tree just to really allow it waft all it's glory on me, to notice the blueness of the sky as its glorious backdrop... AND NOT spending way more time and energy complaining about the trash, calling the local authority, calling neighbors to vent etc...
Focus in on the kindness, be the kindness (!) we all need right now, to yourself and others!
Avoid the pitfall of spending way too much time and energy on spiraling down the rabbit hole of doom and gloom, on constantly cycling through transgressions and faults, missteps and villains.
Make sure you are not only just, balancing it out, but consciously spending MORE time and energy on the good, on SEEKING OUT THE KINDNESS that is out there to be celebrated in spades!