Want to carve out time to practice your awareness skills this week? Register for one of these events. Click here for more information. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/practicing-the-art-of-savoring-tickets-237729775157 — Hope you can attend a Savoring session. ***Register here.***

In anticipation of and felt sense of historical/ongoing/future trauma, disruption, chaos, and turmoil --- how and when do we connect to ourselves and each other? Like, really? This is a nice sentiment you may say. Or “Hey, I’m good…” you say. You may already have moved into “not feeling-shutting down” mode or you may be feeling anger, deep sadness, or hyper activated. Stress in our internal and external environment can activate old wounds, healing wounds, and a myriad of coping patterns. Stress on top of years of stress, come on universe? Give us a pause.

How do we practice especially in stressful moments – a return to self, to center, and to finding a moment of calm within? My hope in the idea of inviting in practicing “coming back” or “setting within” or whatever words you have is that it can be a gentle process for us as we remember; an iterative, many-ways-to-do-it, allowing for it to be messy, process we can try out.

Invitations and tips to get curious around in the weeks ahead.

Check in on ourselves, as we do others. To notice our surroundings more – the room we’re in, the doors, the exits, the birds, the sounds, the temperature. Notice and practice allowing our feelings to be here with us. To override a little less, to get curious a little more.

Maybe we don’t yet connect to the words above of “settling within” and “coming back” (to what you may say). It’s okay. Rather than getting critical with ourselves, whatever our practices are and ways of coping with stress are (binge watching television or smoking), what if you practice a bit more gentleness around your habits? I believe gentleness can be a way for it to be a little easier to take gradually move towards shifting and to be able to be more receptive to change when we are ready to shift further.

Remember those small and big things you do during the day and week to take care of yourself and others; to navigate this environment, which is a tough one to navigate. The small things we do matter.

It is so easy to think negatively, to feel “I’m not doing enough.” The list is never-ending and so every moment we can resist this and say no; every moment we remember other models like collective care, feeling our own and each others humanity, and asking for help, is a triumph.

Where can we find laughter and joy in this day? Where do you need to express your frustrations?

What else? Explore. Allow for movement. Feel. Connect.

In love and care,

Sarah @slowintegrationcoach