There is something about getting through a winter holiday in this bizarre époque to reassure us that we do indeed have the resilience to get through it all.
I may toss my 2021 calendar onto a bonfire for a ritual burning, while lifting high a strong beverage, and bid the year a solemn Good Riddance! That will come in December. For this week let’s notice the bits of certainty, the floating fuselage we can grab hold of.
One of the most important ways we can build resilience while simultaneously calming our nervous system is to identify that which brings a sense of certainty to our day.
Mindfulness practices can help you handle the ambiguity of life, but they can also help you notice, and grab hold of, the buoys in the storm and know the things of which you can be certain.
BE CURIOUS
Take some time to reflect. Notice when your confidence increases and what you’re doing when calm resides in you. Perhaps you’re sitting quietly doing nothing, mastering your favorite hobby, or chatting with a friend. Maybe taking a walk, cooking a favorite dish, watching an old favorite movie, or smelling your favorite candle. Or is it when you are creating something or just watching the sunset? What can you count on? Do that. Be there, in that spaciousness.
MAKE IT PART OF YOUR DAY
Now decide which of these things you can weave into your daily routine. A daily ritual will help instill a sense of certainty. Let your new insights bring stability and enrichment to your life.
Here’s a good article about starting your day with a routine that establishes a healthy grounding. I particularly like the ‘Why’s’ listed midway.
How to Create Your Own Morning Ritual – Mindful
REFLECTION: Consider the rituals and routines you do now, or could do, to help bring stability and richness to your day. Also consider the people, places, things you know you can count on when your world feels a tad wobbly. These elements fill your resilience bank and provide reliable dividends.
To view last week’s Mindful Monday click here.
Lisa Wellington is a Certified Mindfulness Teacher who writes about integrative practices that downshift stress, increase insight, and jumpstart joy.
She is best known for her work with law enforcement professionals as well as those challenged by housing instability and addiction. Trained in the Fine Arts at Washington State University, she specializes in group training that engages participants’ inherent creativity.
If she is not under a stack of books about psychology and spirituality, she can be found at a Puget Sound beach or nearby trail, always searching for the absurd, which is her superpower.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
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