In the past 12 months, I seem to have talked a lot about world events and how they affect us. Shocking election and referendum results, dreadful acts of terror, violence, shock, fear.
And yet again, an act of terror has rocked my country. And yet again, the energy of the country’s gone hinky. And we’re not alone. All over the world people are having their world’s turned upside down over and over. And yet again, we find ourselves disturbed, disquieted, distressed, shocked and hurt by the world outside us.
On Sunday, this is how I felt:
Not again.
Not again.
Not again.
No more.
NO more.
NO MORE!
Over the next couple of days, I heard from a few clients and friends (especially those in and around London) who found themselves totally rattled and unsettled by the events.
So for all of us, for these times when tragedy strikes, when we are attacked, when politics divides us (it’s election time here this week…I’ll be very glad when it’s over and the arguments and accusations and heckling and denunciations and ugliness go back to normal levels), when we have a personal or national or planetary earthquake, when we are rocked by what happens outside of us; here are 5 ways to restore your equilibrium:
1. Take care of you.
Take extra special care of you. Love yourself. Give yourself what you need. Be hyper aware of feeling unbalanced, discombobulated and thrown off balance. Be gentle and tender with yourself. Obviously you take excellent care of yourself all the time, right? Yep, thought not, most people don’t…but when you are knocked off course, this is a great time to make taking care of yourself (physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually) and loving yourself a high priority.
And if this feels selfish to you – you cannot take care of anyone when you are falling apart yourself. So it is the very opposite of selfish to take care of you because when you do, you have more to give others.
2. Feel how you feel.
You might be angry, sad, horrified, shocked, afraid, distressed, numb. However you feel, let yourself feel it, and express it in a way that feels right. Punch a pillow, cry your heart out, write about the horror, talk about your shock, ask someone to hold your hand while you feel your fear, scream, sit and stare out of the window, listen to music and let it help you heal and feel.
Many of us stuff down our feelings – stiff upper lip and all that. But stuffed down feelings are still there. It’s better to feel them, to name them, to allow them to move through and out. And do not judge how you feel. Manchester shocked me to my core, I was so distressed. London seemed to numb me to begin with…then I got angry! We feel how we feel. Don’t judge it, just feel it.
3. Get off social media and stop watching the news
After Manchester I watched and listened to a lot of news. I spent hours on social media. It didn’t help. In fact, it was like picking at a scab. After London, I deliberately switched off. I watched a little news, caught a little social media, but mainly stayed away from it. And I’m also deliberately staying away from news and social media for the rest of the week because of the election. There’s only so much bile and animosity a person can take.
You don’t have to banish yourself from them altogether, but at least be aware of their impact on you. Notice if your blood pressure is up after watching the news. Notice if you find yourself shouting at the radio. Notice if you’re angry and stressed after scrolling through Facebook. And ration accordingly.
4. Know what is yours and what is not
Let’s get a bit woo-woo here…some of the stuff you’re feeling isn’t yours. If you live in or near a place that has just been attacked, there may be fear or anger or unsettlement in the air. Unsurprisingly, right? We’re social animals, and we’re also more sensitive and empathic to environment and other people than we allow for. It’s why being centered and connected to your inner self is so important…the more you know yourself, the more you know what’s yours.
When you know (or even suspect) you’ve picked up stuff from others, you can shake it off, bathe it in divine light or sea salt baths, spend time in nature swapping it for the energy of the sea, the trees, the grass, the mountains. If it’s not yours, let it go.
5. Move your body and move the energy
This is another one that may sound a bit woo-woo or strange…but think about it. Don’t you feel better when you’ve danced, or run, or walked, or done yoga, or any other way of moving your body? Part of that is chemical, part of it is physical, and part of it is energetic. When you feel stuck or upset or lost or hurt or agitated or furious, moving your body will move those feelings, will move that energy.
Try it. Dance, or do star jumps, or stretch, or run, or do the twist. Move your body and feel the energy move too.
As always, I send love to you. I send healing to you. I send light to you. And may we all find equilibrium.
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