War outside, peace within
Feeling overwhelmed by war and suffering, you’re not alone. Here’s five tips to help you manage heartbreak:
Move your body dance, walk, bike, and make love. Physical activity alleviates fear and anxiety. Exercise breaks up the patterns in our bodies that retain stress.
Practice self-care It’s not selfish, it’s a necessity for survival. Massage, acupuncture, chiropractic care, naps, rest, nutrition, travel, and play are all important. Allocate time and resources to provide yourself with the additional support needed in times of crisis and uncertainty.
Avoid or decrease alcohol Balance is really the key here but keep in mind alcohol is a depressant. While the impetus may be to check out, alcohol and marijuana disrupt our neurotransmitters and can undermine our long-term mental health. Love lives in consciousness.
Stay connected Reach out to positive people, seek the things that inspire and bring hope to you and others. Counter challenging times by cultivating community and nurturing togetherness. Volunteer your time. Donate your money. If you want to experience more of life’s abundance, share generously with all that you have and all that you are.
Meditate often Research has proven a meditation practice reduces anxiety and depression. It can be difficult to concentrate on tasks in the face of war’s destruction. As children are terrorized, families are displaced, and thousands die in Ukraine, it’s helpful to find effective coping strategies. Here is my daily visualization practice to honor the dying which can be used at the end of your meditation.
I imagine the sun beginning to set on the horizon providing eternal warmth to those defending and fleeing their homeland. The bright light of the solar sphere offers hope and the promise of another new day. As the sun begins to touch the horizon, the souls of the daily departed Ukrainians appear as light bodies in the distance. Opposite, are the departed souls of the Russian soldiers, losing their lives for a cause that is not their own. The light bodies increase in a steady march transitioning from the boundaries of earth towards the beyond. In war, innocence does the dying. These light bodies walk together, unified in death until they merge into a single light, the sun a portal to their passage. I bless them and their sacrifices, hold vigil for their losses. Sitting quietly and holding space, bathing the lost souls in infinite love and light. I find acceptance in the darkness. Because sometimes, Love is our only defense.
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