Feeling overwhelmed by uncertainty? This simple strategy will bring you to calmness
Emotional exhaustion is real and knowing about this medicine 💊 will bring your whole being to a state of harmony
Hola Friend,
How October is treating you?
It is a harsh reality that our world is facing challenging times. Regardless of our location, we are constantly bombarded with news of wars, natural disasters, and global crises.
The weight of these events is tinted with uncertainty, which can easily drown us in a sea of stress, fear, and anxiety. On top of that, we face never-ending tasks and constant demands to be a loving partner, caring parent, supportive daughter/sister/friend, dedicated professional, and perfect human all at once. 😮💨 Experiencing all this feels like a storm cloud that never dissipates, leaving us tired and drained to even consider and pay attention to our needs and happiness. 🤔 Does this sound familiar?
I understand this struggle all too well. It's like a constant battle where we're endlessly at war with our emotions, trying to keep our heads above water. The pressure, the fear, and the exhaustion—it can be all-consuming.
Last week, for example, I was writing my weekly letter to you when an anxiety attack struck me and sent me down the rabbit hole (this was the reason you didn't hear from me last week); right then, I had the choice to choose between pushing myself to the breaking point or taking a step back, pause (and the pause took several days) and reassess the situations, evaluate the triggers that took me to a darker place, make peace with the triggers and find the right remedy I needed to soothe my overwhelmed and exhausted heart ❤️🩹 and mind 🤯.
I am sharing this with you first to ensure you that emotional exhaustion is real and that our experiences of fear, pain, and grief are part of our human experience, and to some extent 🧠 -calling out neuroscience and neurobiology- they are expected trades of our complexity as human beings and the nature of our nature.
How we relate to our emotions makes “the” difference in how we show up in the world, our family, our inner circle, and our workplace. You are not more or less than because of your emotions. You are just a human having a human experience.
Humanizing and respecting our emotions is a personal responsibility that feeds collective wellness. They aren't separated; individual and collective healing and wellness are meant to 🔄 co-exist equally.
Humanizing and respecting our emotions is a personal responsibility that feeds collective wellness. They aren't separated; individual and collective healing and wellness are meant to co-exist equally.
Okay, but how?
But how did you do it - you will ask me, how was I able to move from the darkest 🌧️ feelings of depression and fear of the uncertainty of our days?
My answer may shock you for its simplicity; after all, our human brain is conditioned to believe that complicated solutions give better results, and it is like we are wired to 🧩overcomplicate things that are actually pretty simple.
"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."
This reality has accompanied our evolutionary trajectory from the beginning of times; even Confucius, the ancient philosopher from the 6th century BCE, allegedly said, "Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." So, overcomplicating things is part of who we humans are, yet we also have the capacity to choose; like Gabriela Mistral said, "In simplicity lies beauty."
When we take time to reflect 🤔 on the deep appreciation for the simple and natural aspects of life, the beauty of peace and inner calmness can be found in the most unadorned and unpretentious efforts.
The most beautiful and profound elements in life are often the simplest and most creative by unnecessary complexity. It's a reminder to appreciate the beauty in the honest and uncomplicated aspects of our world and existence.
"In simplicity lies beauty”
So, I chose to step back, take refuge in nature and my inner nature, and allow myself to experience multiple moments of introspection in the simplest ways.
Sometimes, that meant stopping watching the news, 🛑 consciously resisting engaging in conversation with family members, friends, and colleagues that emphasized violence and dehumanizing 🙊 fellow humans as a method of world stability, sitting on my porch 🍁 watching the leaves changing colors, reading, and educating myself to formulate 📚 my own neutral point of view, dancing in my pajamas at the rhythm of my 🎵 favorite music, cooking a delicious dessert that makes my tummy feels 🧁 happy and content, I hope you get the point!
I cannot stress enough to say that when I consciously decide to step back to care for my well-being, it is not that I am oblivious to what is happening in the world 🌎 or that I am not a good fellow human because I am not considering the pain and suffering of others, to the contrary, by taking a step back to nourish myself back into emotional wholeness I can better be at service to others.
By taking this approach, my heart ❤️🩹 and mind 🧠 are at peace 🕊️ that by agreeing to care for my needs, I'm doing my part of promoting peace, knowing that many wars can be stopped when the inner self is attended to and validated.
It's okay to take a pause and rest.
It's okay to take a break from the news.
It's okay to disconnect and be off the grid until I feel emotionally and mentally replenished and driven by the sacred calmness the world so desperately needs.
It's okay to take a pause and rest. It's okay to take a break from the news. It's okay to disconnect and be off the grid until I feel emotionally and mentally replenished and driven by a sacred calmness the world so desperately needs.
So here is how…
The how-to has to do with contemplative and heart practices like mindfulness or, as I like to call it, sweet-loving awareness and attendance to the inner child, compassion for the self and others, etc. These practices give us effective and proven ways to address 😮💨 emotional exhaustion. And the many whys I keep going back to these ancient teachings is because they really work.
🗓️ For the next few weeks, I will be delving into these practices and sharing with you simple ways that you can attend, hold, and sustain your emotional self that eventually will propel you to show up in the world from your most authentic, integrated version of yourself, that my friend is the power the world needs to break from violence 🤬 and inspire sustainable peace 😌. And Yes! We can change the world from inner peace to collective peace.
Ok, let's start simple
Mindfulness or sweet-loving awareness offers ways to stay grounded to experience the here and now. And when you feel the anxiety creeping in, finding a way to stay with your breath is like strong 💊 medicine that brings your whole being to a state of harmony.
Taking deep, intentional breaths and focusing on the rise and fall of your breath will allow you to release the clench to the external chaos. This simple practice can help you stay centered and emotionally resilient, even in the face of the most challenging global situations.
Who would have 😱 thought that paying attention to breathing could stop a war, our own inner war… So simple, right?
If you are ready to start feeling at ease, here is a short, powerful exercise that I promise will bring peace to your heart. Try it as many times as you need to: in the mornings before you get out of bed, in the afternoon during your lunch break, at home doing the dishes, folding laundry, or at night, right before you go to sleep. Try it and let me know how it went.
Breathing Through Chaos | Listen on your favorite podcasts platform
