The Pandemic has pushed us all in to some form of solitude, spending a lot more time living more minimalistic lives to our pre-pandemic days, with less social distraction & more internal attention fixating ourselves on when this is all going to be over.
Below you can find some tips and insights sent in from the wider community, both old tricks & new adaptations which help them stay mindful & keep their head in the game. The section below will be updated when we have the valuable content to post & are sent in from people with all different backgrounds & personalities, so what works for one person may not be relatable to another, so we aim to get as many different people involved as possible. Feel free to share what works for you as it may open a few eyes as to what's possible; these can be as short & sweet as you like or with plenty of narrative.
Sent in this week:
Sent in previously: The Infectious Power of Presence - Announcement Edition, Morning Meditation and Affirmations, Cold Water Therapy - Staying On Top of Lockdown Procrastination.
The Infectious Power of Presence - Announcement Edition:
It’s been nearly 12 months in and out of lockdowns & social restrictions, yo-yoing emotional energies, from hope to let down on repeat… chaos. We’ve all had plenty of time to ponder on the future and what life on the other side is going to be like; some making grand plans and some remaining grounded, taking one day at a time carrying a little optimism through each day. With the recent roadmap announcement in mind, there’s no right or wrong approach to dealing with it. We are all vastly unique & complex individuals and we deal with whatever life throws at us in our own way. Whether it be that you know how to handle the anxiety of the unknown due to many repeated self-destructive cycles. Or whether you’re still unaware of the repeated patterns in your life and you’re wondering: why always me?
There are still a few months left in some form of solitude to sharpen some tools to take into the new world before we are presented with new energetic challenges. Such as being back amongst larger crowds and how we re-adapt to the social interactions ensuring we thrive in doing so. There are a few amongst us more confident than others and I think it’s essential we all do our best to give the not so confident people the time to get back up to speed and ensure they feel that love that we return to others. Be mindful not to pressure mates to socialise if they’re not feeling up to it quite yet and, for those who are blessed conversationalists and interactionalists, to pull together for the community to spread that infectious energy, making everyone feel at home wherever they are on the planet. Ensure to check in with one another.
Now, as key as the future is, it’s also realistic to put everything into perspective and realise the future is created right here in this moment. Remember to stay present. Most often when you plan & visualise scenarios in your head we can become attached to the fantasy and become consumed by anxiety and excitement to the point where we are unable to let go. This then results in our expectations not quite panning out how we imagined. If you think back to a time where experiences developed from a raw feeling of instinct, that surprise you didn’t see coming hits differently when in your flow state. Now I’m not saying planning is inefficient. It’s that obsession and fixation on the future, being in such a rush where life can easily pass us by. Compared to enjoying the journey happening right in front of us. One of my favourite quotes of all time is from Deepak Chopra and has never been more relevant to a time in my life:
“Be happy for no reason, like a child. If you are happy for a reason, you’re in trouble, because that reason can be taken from you.”
If you can find peace in the current situation in your own body and mind, with little need for approval or reliance on external factors to bring you happiness, then the foundations are there for tackling future turmoil and even better, that energy is going to radiate on a transcendent level when we can interact on a larger scale because there’s no baggage to your happiness. You’re grateful for your existence wherever you are, accepting of whatever situation you have ended up in and from here is where you find your power to excel in personal growth.
Slow down. Breathe. Enjoy the Ride!
Morning Meditation and Affirmations:
Firstly upon awakening it is always my first intention to get water in my system, as water is electric it's important for the basic functions of the brain transitioning from theta waves (as soon as you wake) to alpha waves (when you're in an alert state). Whilst I'm conscious of the fact I'm still using theta waves, I write my affirmations on a whiteboard, for example;
- I am grateful
- I am blessed
- I am healthy
- I am manifesting my destiny
You get the idea, do not limit yourself on this, write down as many positive things about yourself as you can, once you're watered, you've wrote down your affirmations, it's now time to speak them into existence, find a mirror and tell yourself everything you've just wrote down, if you find yourself feeling uncomfortable with this that's good, that's the first step in being conscious of your ego! But that's another story.
Now moving onto another practice is morning meditation, this can be as for as long as you want it to be but I'd recommend a minimum of 10 minutes, when doing this meditation try to focus on your breathing and keep your eyes open!!! It's common in a lot of people to close their eyes whilst meditating which in my opinion is an easy way out of the practice, keeping your eyes open will allow you to access this power as you go about your day to day life, bringing you back to how peaceful you felt in the morning before the day started.
Cold Water Therapy - Staying On Top of Lockdown Procrastination.
Like many, during the first 2 lockdowns I was chasing effortless stimulation & distraction, keeping me rooted in my comfort zone leading to both physical & mental decline over time, feeling burnt out with little to no energy to do the things that require my attention as well passions & leisure's that used to spark a light in me.
I previously felt the benefits of cold water when I'd practiced this prior to the lockdown and I was fully aware of how much better I felt at the time of doing this, but as I say, I was rooted in my comfort zone after 2 rounds of lockdown, so the idea of a cold shower felt like a ludicrous, uncomfortable idea prior to my burnout; the coasting ignorance was bliss but leading me down a rabbit hole I didn't realise I was in. By chance, the hot water in my apartment stopped working, so I had to get a cold shower & get on with it and it grabbed my full present moment attention after months of detrimental wandering.
This was a big wake up call & I hadn't felt this fresh in a long time, so I kept going with it each morning & kept becoming more comfortable with the uncomfortable, it reduces any pre-existing mental stress as the cold water provides a beneficial physical stress of it's own. My alertness & willpower to get things done that are presented to me throughout the day come a lot easier to me, due to the early morning wake up call as it sets the tone for each day. Previously, these day-day tasks seemed like a challenge to me, constantly being swept under the carpet with room for no more, caught in the same cycle of feeling overwhelmed & powerless.
Now I'm taking back control, productivity levels are noticeably increasing and although it's a shock to most physical beings for the first few practices, you soon adapt & keep pushing those boundaries; it's what we do & how we evolve. Whilst this doesn't solve the full puzzle, this is without a doubt a very efficient piece to flowing, energetic living.
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