If we can draw a parallel to stormy challenges or disappointments we may face, looking inward creates a similar shelter. It may be difficult to find the bright side during trying times, but I know of three practices that set us up for success.
First, take care of your body.
When your mind and spirit are suffering, you can still focus on your physical body, and you will find that the mind and body are deeply connected. Getting enough sleep, eating well and exercising require just a little bit of mindfulness to be attained. And when other things in life are not going according to plan, solace can be found in caring for our body, which is the shelter for our mind and spirit. It does help us feel more connected to ourselves.
This will make it easier to practice the next thing – practicing gratitude. Redirecting our attention from what is going wrong to what is going right is powerful! You can allow for the fact that some things may not be perfect right now, but at the same time, take a moment to shift and identify things that are just to give yourself a break from your pain, large or small. Acknowledge you are loved, you are healthy, your puppy loves you… whatever you can find. Smile, remember everything is temporary. This gives us some inner strength to move forward and tackle whatever the challenge might be. It’s still there, but now you are powered by your gratitude for what is working in your life.
Finally, engage in acts of kindness. From a simple smile at a stranger in line at the store, to holding a door for someone and saying hello, to volunteering or donating to a cause, acts of kindness have been proven to boost our mood and invigorate us to also be kind to ourselves. Which will help us continue to focus on the first practice – taking care of our bodies.
This is a cycle that can feed off itself and help us spin out of a downward spiral, when we find ourselves there at times. This summer, as the storms roll in, think about them as a metaphor for life, and reflect on how you handle your own storms.