You head out to a movie theatre to watch the latest blockbuster. (It hasn’t happened for a while, we know.) Popcorn and drink in hand, you find a seat with a good view of the large screen (or at least a decent view of it). The lights dim, the coming attractions have played, and you are ready to settle in for the film. The movie starts, and you are right into the flow and rhythm of whatever story unfolds before you. That’s when it stops. The image…paused. The sounds…silenced. An inconvenient interruption, but it’s just that: an interruption. So you (hopefully) exhibit some patience and wait for things to resume. And when they don’t, whether or not the interruption is accompanied by explanation (or a refund or raincheck), you leave. [Read more…]
Three Questions
This ongoing COVID-19 situation is a prime example of something that can threaten or erode a person’s sense of comfort, safety, belonging, and fulfilment to varying degrees and at different times. In the last blog entry, awareness of one’s breath was addressed as a first step to regaining those valuable feelings. The difference between this first step and ‘step one’ of a true baked-in-the-kitchen recipe is that in the kitchen you don’t expect to come back to step one until the next time you decide to create your culinary masterpiece. In our process, it is not uncommon to return to step one every time we falter, or every time that we pull ourselves out of the present moment with worries about the future, distressing feelings about the past, or both. In that way, it is more like getting up after falling off a bike, and rebalancing ourselves so that we can continue on our way. [Read more…]
Finding Our Direction
If you’re ever in an airport, you might find yourself stepping onto one of those moving platforms to shorten the time to get from one place to another within the terminal. You might even walk along the moving platform as you would strolling down a corridor. If you’ve ever tried to keep the same pace, even a slow one, as you transition from moving platform to non-moving land, you have probably experienced that momentary ‘whoa’ as you strive to regain your balance and your world swiftly grinds to a slow crawl around you.
Responding to A Lack of Stability
Consider snow globes, those self-enclosed landscapes with white ‘snow’ blanketing the ground, houses, and perhaps with models of kids playing, or snow-people built with smiling faces. To take a few moments to look at one might briefly bring some peace and relaxation.
Until you pick it up, and shake-shake-shake that snow globe until you can see nothing but white flakes swirling about, clouding the entire peaceful scene that you know is in there somewhere. And then you set it down again, watching everything swirl round and round, and waiting for things to settle once again. [Read more…]
Reality Check
This is being written as March Break, 2020 is coming to a close, or normally would if not for the self-isolation we are all encouraged to be a part of. Spring sprung days ago. This year, it seems like the acknowledgment of winter ending and the coming of spring that promises warmer and more comfortable days ahead is largely disregarded by the ongoing news of COVID-19. It’s a little like being too busy taking care of the kids to acknowledge the arrival of a loved one whom you would like to spend more time with. [Read more…]
In This Together
There’s no sugar-coating it or trying to pretend otherwise. Things are not so good right now. It is simply not ‘business as usual’.
Prior to COVID-19, many people had more of a sense of stability than they do right now. Many people lived their lives with a certain amount of recognizable happiness, planning for a future that they could see with relative clarity weeks, months, and even seasons down the road. [Read more…]
Reconnecting with Oneself During Stressful Times
The unexpected turn of events in our society has resulted in policies and procedures that are being enforced at a rapid pace in order to sustain our personal and mental health. These events have generated a mixed bag of emotions; fear, sorrow, uncertainty, loneliness and anxiety. It is important to remember that these emotions are not only normal but also vital to our daily functioning. Anxiety in particular, alerts us that we need to take action to bring ourselves back into balance. In other words, anxiety is a protective instinct. It does not always feel comfortable but it is also not dangerous. Symptoms of anxiety include but are not limited to the following; insomnia (trouble sleeping), increased heart rate, fatigue, restlessness and irritability. When we choose to honor the intelligence of our anxiety, we reconnect with ourselves and consequently reduce the distress associated with anxiety. [Read more…]
Change and resilience
Change
Congratulations! You have begun to make personal behaviour changes in order to ensure a bright future for the planet! You have faced the psychological barriers that came up and implemented new regimes into your lifestyle. But the idea of so much change seems scary, and there are also big changes happening beyond your control. So, you might have begun to ask yourself: [Read more…]
Consumerism
Do you have a house full of stuff but still feel like you are always buying more things?
Do you feel self-conscious about what you have compared to your friends, family or neighbors?
Are you worried about your growing debt but can’t seem to manage your spending?
Do you feel like your kids are always asking for more stuff?
Solastalagia & Ecological Grief
Do you ever experience deep sadness when you reflect on the natural world around you?
Perhaps during a moment on the lake when you notice more algae blooms, fewer fish, or a shorter ice-season.
Maybe it’s when you realize you just don’t see the birds, turtles, or caribou you used to see as a child.
Or on a hot summer day, when you have to reconsider your plans due to the smog advisory.
Or maybe it’s more blatant – the way your home will never be the same after a flood or a wildfire. [Read more…]
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