Clarity Shot #27
Looking around, it’s not just me struggling to keep my head above water in November…
Many of us are handling more projects, commitments, deadlines, responsibilities, which come packed with more insecurities, sleepless nights, overthinking, ruminating, lack of focus… and an overall feeling that life turns into a hurricane that sweeps us off our feet, messing up our sense of direction, focus, progress and sanity.
So I’ll keep this week’s Clarity Shot unbelievably simple and straightforward:
Whatever tough times you’re going through… what is the antidote?
Instead of powering through everything that feels too much, for you, right now… how about looking for something that cancels your catastrophic perspective for just enough moments, to remind you how life used to feel when you’re not sinking in too much to handle, at once?
It’s usually hidden in a different direction than you’ll likely look.
On another shelf, out of sight.
Some ideas:
✨ If you’re feeling overwhelmed… look for ways to create a luxurious experience for you.
This is not about binge-shopping to relieve anxiety, or spending any money at all. It’s about creating an opposite experience, by doing whatever makes you feel physically pampered or mentally spacious, even for 5 minutes.
For me, it’s listening to French music, and remembering lazy mornings in my 20’s… or feeling the soft velvety feel of my favourite vanilla-scented body butter, on my skin. Or fresh-painted nails, in outrageous red or rebel dark blue.
It doesn’t solve the overwhelm (and I don’t pretend that it does!) but for some precious moments, these moments trigger feelings at the opposite extreme of the spectrum. They make me feel balanced, calm, and better able to handle what I need to handle without letting all my ships sink into overwhelm.
✨ If you’re having anxious thoughts ruminating in endless loops in your mind… go outside, feel the fresh air on your skin, and gently press your face against the rough edges of a tree trunk.
Feel the lines and textures of wood, on different parts of your face. Look for places where the outer crust feels harsh, and some where it feels softer. Spend some time observing different textures and sensations.
For a moment, experience touching something that completely lacks anxiety and spend a few seconds resting your thoughts on those rough edges.
Melt your worries into sounds of nature: birds, wind, dry leaves under someone’s footsteps. Experience being so close to something that just is - a big part of our world where anxious thoughts have no power or meaning.
✨ If you’re feeling things are spinning out of control, or that you’re falling behind at work… open a poetry book and read a page.
Slowly, leave your thinking mind behind, and deep-dive into whatever sensations poetry brings out. Allow yourself to feel strange feelings that words may evoke, walk down that memory lane, and explore anything that bubbles up in your awareness, no matter how irrelevant it may feel.
(a guitar riff works just as well - if, maybe, poetry isn’t your thing 😉)
Set aside 5 minutes to do something completely unproductive, that pampers your soul and brings a different perspective on the urgency that might be driving your life right now.
Restore your sense of calm, balance and capability by stepping outside the difficulties in your life, by looking for antidotes and opposites.
Small doses work best.
You only need around 5 minutes - and the commitment to put your hardships aside, and enjoy something entirely different, focusing on being & feeling instead of doing & thinking.
Explore, not knowing where it leads you.
Be open to surprises, and notice your own reactions.
Create a different experience for you.
Play around for just a bit.
“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in…”(Leonard Cohen - Anthem)
… And when you get back at handling all those complicated projects, deadlines and responsibilities in your life…
notice if there’s anything different in your mood, perspective or approach.