Settle the Internal Tempest in Turbulent Times

We can all agree the past few years have been as turbulent as we ever thought we’d witness. The great ferment of P’s; Politics, People, Pandemic, and Planet have become increasingly unsettled, and we’re all experiencing massive changes.

Perhaps it’s time to take stock and take care of our inner beings as well as our physical bodies.

The tumult may continue outside but settling our internal storms—being open to new habits and beliefs—will help us all through this gyre.

But how does one change how you think?

Create new physical habits.

One of the most mind-settling activities available to us is simply to get outside. Whether I’m mushroom hunting, bird watching or gardening, being in nature shifts me away from the mundane.  

Gardening is available to all of us. If you have a simple pot or a big plot, you can plant, weed and hoe your worries away and create some beauty. 

It may be that you get some sunflower seeds, or that you get some sunflower quotes printed onto a piece of slate. When you do this, you will soon find that you can bring out the overall theme of your garden and that you can also make it feel that bit more homey.

If you are concerned about planting flowers because you feel as though they are going to die from lack of sunlight then you need to try and embrace a host of different greens.

If gardening isn’t your thing, there are all kinds of exquisite habits to nurture.

Walk every day, drink a tea stead of wine, take a train to a new time and place.

Find a way, get involved with a cause without pause

connect with family and friends from the heart

make amends.

Consider the habits that no longer serve you and what new things will make your heart sing instead. Cultivate that song but don’t expect perfection. Old dogs are sometimes hard to tame and so are old habits.

So be easy on yourself.

Plant new fruit in your mind.

Many doctrines, ideologies and devotions exist to help us help ourselves and grow. In addition, self-help videos, podcasts, books, and workshops are available at the whim of your finger.

Figuring out which practice calls to you is the key to your evolution and personal empowerment.

Practicing meditation, deep breathing, keeping a journal are ways to help slow down your racing mind just long enough to notice what you’re thinking and when negative thoughts arise.  

Have gratitude for the miracle that we are here- living on a blue planet revolving around a molten ball of fire. There aren’t many places like this in the universe, and we should thank our lucky stars every day.

When you wake up, take 3 minutes to think about what you’re grateful for. Then, see what a difference it makes.

Realize this moment is all we ever have; the past is just a memory, and the future is an opportunity or fear.

I’ve been reading The Order of Time by physicist Carlo Rovelli. He believes, “time is an illusion: our naive perception of its flow doesn’t correspond to physical reality. Reality is just a complex network of events onto which we project sequences of past, present, and future.”

It makes me realize that this moment is fleeting, and there will come a time when I have no more moments, so I better live each one well.

Cultivate genuine heartfelt connections with friends and family.

I recently had a colleague reach out for career advice during these chaotic times. Instead of running through her resume, I asked her what she was doing to nurture herself. This led to a deeper connection for both of us about our fears and hopes our time commitments and priorities.

We learn from each other, so don’t be afraid to go a little deeper in your relationships.

The way I approach my relationships with people, and the world shifted radically when I learned about Regenerative Living.

The definition of Regeneration means to EVOLVE capacity, not to do better or follow certain rules. It means to increase the ability of you, along with your family, friends, and foe, to do what you set out to do, to express your very essence.

Carol Sanford invites us to think about the whole systems we operate in.

How much do we think? DO we have original thoughts, or are they ones passed to us through a teacher, parents, or experience? The way we learn to think is often linear. 

We see a problem—we attack the problem—solve it, we must. But we can also begin to think beyond the immediate issue and resolve the underlying issue that caused the problem.

Then help others evolve to do the same.

In her book, THE REGENERATIVE LIFE, Carol shows how to fundamentally change the roles you play in society, enabling you to do more than you ever believed possible. To grow yourself and others, to become more creative, and bring new life and opportunity to everything around you.

Today’s challenges require a different mode of thinking that isn’t focused on one single point or thing to fix. Instead, we must see and help reshape the whole systems we live in.

To settle our internal tempest will help us weather the external storm.

Turbulence is just another path to change.

Ride it with joy!