“Summer has come and passed. The innocent can never last. Wake me up when September ends.” I’ve been playing this verse in my head for days, but today I traded it for another verse: “Here comes the rain again. Falling from the stars. Drenched in my pain again. Becoming who we are.”
October is here, and while it is a month filled with fun and spooky events and thins the veil between this world and the other, it is also a month that moves us closer to midterm elections and the onslaught of negativity across television and social media, not to mention the constant demands for money from every PAC ever created. How do we keep our mind and heart out of that negative space? I don’t think we can completely, but there are things we can do that can redirect our thoughts and help us cope.
We don’t want to become lost in our anxiety because all of those negative thoughts impact our outlook, our physical and mental health, our relationships, and even our work and volunteer activities. We have to be able to pull ourselves up for air—even if only momentarily. When we feel ourselves becoming tense or anxious we should acknowledge the anxiety and tension, take three slow deep breaths, focus on something in our field of vision and breath in—holding that moment—let everything else go. Once we feel ready, we can return to our day.
We may not always have control of events around us but we do have control over how we respond. Let’s make a point of taking care of our mental, physical, and emotional health and share with others who may need these tools as well. The rain won’t last forever, literally and metaphorically, and these storms will pass. There is nothing more spiritually loving than caring for yourself and others.
I’ll see you and a guest on Sunday as we discuss The Power of Standing Alone.
Grace and Peace,
Lori