Staying cool when the heat is on
Practical insights for more flow and less stress
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Pandemic fear sets in once again
Well, we’re back in lockdown here in Melbourne town and the dismay and fear are palpable. I hope where you are things are less hectic.
In response, I have some wisdom gold for you, but beforehand I wanted to share a very personal and MASSIVE story about my own mental health that has shaped my whole life and that has only just led to a diagnosis.
Please check out my article, Why I won’t let this diagnosis be a secret, on Medium because more people need to hear these stories. If this stuff was talked about more openly, I’d have received my diagnosis a lot sooner.
In the midst of this pandemic, I’ve had a whole lot of other intense life stuff do deal with as have so many. Thankfully, I’m a firm believer that difficult times can deliver gifts, silver linings if you like, after all, I’ve had my share of pretty sh*t times over the last few years... (In fact, I wrote a blog post about exactly this not so long ago. Click on the Lilo logo above to check it out on the website if it interests you).
But living your life in a way that promotes your mental health all the time makes it less likely that the crappy times will derail you.
Trauma and growth
Here is an excellent article for you about How the trauma of the pandemic can inspire personal growth. It notes:
“Post-traumatic growth differs from recovery. It is not a return to “normal” but the creation of a stronger new normal.”
This extraordinary moment in time is holding up a mirror to ourselves, or as Jamil Zaki puts it:
“Adversity, whether personal or collective, reveals us to ourselves: as unfinished, with choices left to make. The question is whether, and how, we choose to grow”.
Your mental health is so bloody precious. Please look after it. And then you WILL be able to grow through this experience.
And if you’re a parent please take a moment to check out how to help your kids navigate trauma in this article from the Black Dog Institute.
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Need a hand with tools to help you get through this time with your mental health intact? Book a complimentary private Zoom session with me here.
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Like weather patterns, this too shall pass
This one is a very big storm. This is true. In the face of such massive uncertainty, equanimity is so powerful to help you manage the intense emotions that are inevitable in really tough times.
Here is a lovely article for you by Willem Kuyken about Keeping a cool head and a warm heart in challenging times. It describes equanimity as "a quality of inner balance and steadiness that is imbued with awareness, care, and compassion".
It is a practice. You get better at it with time, and at first, it is not easy for most. But it is a great goal.
The article includes a beautiful meditation for you to try (Note: weather patterns reference in case you're wondering...) that made me feel really strong and centred - which is just what the doctor ordered right now. 💪 I hope it does the same for you.
As always, I'd be grateful if you'd share this fortnightly newsletter by forwarding it to friends and family you think would love it and on your socials using the buttons below. 🙏
And please let me know what topics will help you be less stressed.
With love and warmth,
Suse x
PS If you've been sent this fortnightly newsletter by someone else you can sign up here.
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Lilo Wellness
www.lilowellness.com.au
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