Welcome to my first monthly newsletter. I so look forward to crafting these, and aim to use them to share ideas and resources that might support you in living a life that you love.

How are you lately? These are such hard times. The winter is now so very long. The Pandemic is lasting longer than anyone imagined. Perhaps you have lost loved ones. So I’ll ask you again: How are you, for real?

 

As I consider how to navigate this time, I come to one clear truth: Building resilience is the most important thing you can do right now. All that really matters is staying the course, and prioritizing your ability to weather the hard stuff. Having read about resilience from so many angles, I have come to realize that the recommendations do anything but help. It’s all too overwhelming, too confusing. Too many things to do during the hardest moments most of us have ever experienced in our lives.

 

So here is what I recommend: Make no big changes. In building resilience, we are building increased stability. This means that we need to add in healthy habits, thoughtfully, carefully. No drastic changes, and don’t remove anything, as this will likely create instability at best. The most meaningful and foundational places to focus are so basic that I am about to bore you. But stick with me. Here is a list of absolutely fundamental building blocks. Nothing will work well if these aren’t in place. Choose one and practice it for a month. Once you’ve got it, choose another. Don’t pressure yourself to engage in meditation, yoga, journaling, etc unless you’ve got the following fundamentals in place:

 

 

You’ve heard these ideas before, I know. Now is the time to actually do them, to actually invest in yourself.

 

 

Now. I want to offer another concept, as we consider weathering the rest of the winter, the rest of this Pandemic. The idea is Contraction and Expansion. Some would liken this to Inbreath and Outbreath. Going Inward and Moving Outward. One prepares us for the next.

 

The dark half of the year is a time of Contraction, Inbreath, a time to do inner work. The light half of the year is just the opposite: Big expansive thoughts, movements, adventures. Outward thinking and doing.

 

So, winter is a wonderful time to go inward, do your inner work. Find quiet restful time. This is truly the time the world rests, resets, heals and nourishes. This time is for gently turning inward and facing whatever we find. In many ways, for those of us who have survived, the Pandemic is one very profound contraction. So, I offer to you a reminder to take this time to use the contraction. Hibernate a bit longer. Check out the Danish art of savoring the dark and cold months, called “Hygge” (there are tons of youTube videos on this). The time of expansion, big outward adventures, will be upon us sooner than we realize. 

 

Building a meaningful life, for those of us blessed with the opportunity to keep living, is paramount. Take time to recalibrate, to build a strong foundation, to restore yourself, so that you are primed to build, by hand, a life you love.

 

Lastly, If you need herbal nervous system support, check out this line of restorative teas. They are earthy to be sure, and they blend well with milk of any kind, cream, honey, powdered rose petals, cardamom, etc…. Have fun making these yours …

 

I leave you with a short set of words that have guided my days lately:

 

-Mary Oliver, Sometimes