These past few weeks have felt especially heavy. If you’re anything like me, you may be sensing both a personal and collective weight around the state of our world and our country.
What I’m noticing is that regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, your religious or spiritual beliefs, your gender identity, or the color of your skin, there is a shared heaviness many of us are carrying. It’s almost impossible not to feel it. At our core, we are energetic beings bound by our humanity. When one suffers, we all suffer—and there is a great deal of suffering right now.
And with suffering comes fear: fear for ourselves, for our futures, for our children, and for the lives and futures of others.
I’ve been reflecting on how to personally navigate this season while also holding tender space for my clients who are feeling the same. I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know how to solve the many issues and crises before us. But I do know how to offer myself peace—so that I can meet the world with less tension and more openness. If you’ll permit me, I’d love to share what’s been helping me.
First: Gratitude
I hesitate to start here because I know how trite gratitude can sound—but I swear, few things shift the heart more powerfully than intentionally noticing what we do have rather than what we don’t. When we shift internally, our interactions shift too. We become more present, more accepting, and more open to creativity and possibility.
I hesitate to start here because I know how trite gratitude can sound—but I swear, few things shift the heart more powerfully than intentionally noticing what we do have rather than what we don’t. When we shift internally, our interactions shift too. We become more present, more accepting, and more open to creativity and possibility.
It’s a simple act: Simply list all that you are grateful for at this very moment. Write them down (pen to paper is always most powerful) in your journal or notebook or even the back of an old receipt and of course, the notes app in your phone is great too. List at least 5. They can be as simple as “I am grateful for the cozy socks on my feet” or “that it’s garbage day” or “the smile on my child’s face”.
When we do this, it’s as if our guards soften, allowing us to act and respond from a purer place of compassion and understanding. Gratitude doesn’t erase the issues at hand, but it gives us a strong, steady foundation from which to face them.
Second: Intentionality
This one is more subtle and soulful. As you create your gratitude list (or “gratefuls,” as my family calls them), notice the physical sensation that often accompanies it—an opening, a softening, a gentle surge of energy. Think of that energy as life-giving. Carry it with you into each interaction throughout the day.
This one is more subtle and soulful. As you create your gratitude list (or “gratefuls,” as my family calls them), notice the physical sensation that often accompanies it—an opening, a softening, a gentle surge of energy. Think of that energy as life-giving. Carry it with you into each interaction throughout the day.
Offer peace and compassion to the grocery clerk, the bank teller, the difficult customer, the person who cuts you off in traffic, or the stranger who passes you on the street. These moments may seem small, but they can lighten not only your own heart, but someone else’s as well. The butterfly effect is real.
Third: Generosity
Where might you give of yourself right now? Few things pull us out of our own worry like being of service to another. Perhaps it’s bringing a meal to a friend, shoveling a neighbor’s driveway, volunteering with a nonprofit you love, or simply holding space for someone in conversation.
Where might you give of yourself right now? Few things pull us out of our own worry like being of service to another. Perhaps it’s bringing a meal to a friend, shoveling a neighbor’s driveway, volunteering with a nonprofit you love, or simply holding space for someone in conversation.
Even the simplest acts—eye contact, a smile, a heartfelt hello—carry tremendous power. They have the ability to shift not just your day, but the days of others too.
Lastly: Spread Loving Kindness
In my home, we call this Metta Mantra (Loving Kindness Meditation) the “Owen Poem.”
In my home, we call this Metta Mantra (Loving Kindness Meditation) the “Owen Poem.”
As you recite it, imagine concentric circles. At the center is you. First, offer these words to yourself. Then to someone you love. Next, to a stranger—perhaps someone you passed on the street or stood next to at a coffee counter. Then (and this can be the hardest part), offer it to someone with whom you struggle. Finally, expand the circle to include the whole world. Let peace move through you and outward.
The Owen Poem:
May you feel safe and protected
May you feel contented and pleased
May your body support you with strength
May your life unfold smoothly and with ease
May you feel contented and pleased
May your body support you with strength
May your life unfold smoothly and with ease
We live in a world that often seems determined to separate us. In my experience, the antidote is community and connection. While much may feel beyond our control (and in many ways it is), these micro-acts—especially when practiced collectively—can change the emotional climate. At the very least, they give us the fuel we need to endure.
I’m not naive enough to believe that small acts alone will change the world. But I do know they ease my pain and quiet my worry, and I wish the same for you. And truly—what do you have to lose?
Please feel free to forward these tips on to anyone who might need a little peace in their life as well.
With so much love, peace, and unity,
XO Jill
P.S. I gently recommend limiting your exposure to the news and social media when you can too 😉