Build resilience and inner strength through compassion.
Feeling the overwhelming energy of uncertainty that has been prevalent for many of us throughout this year keeps me looking feverishly for ways to understand and manage stress.
Not surprisingly, stress in America has risen to epidemic levels this year. A recent report from the American Psychological Association states that nearly 2 in 3 adults (65%) say the current amount of uncertainty in our nation causes them stress.
This indefinite uncertainty is taking a physical and emotional toll on us showing up in our bodies as increased tension and dis-ease, and in our emotions as disappointment, anger, grief, sadness, exhaustion, fear, and anxiety.
And, as outlined in an article by Tara Haelle, our ‘surge capacity’ is depleted. We are fatigued and many of us are experiencing symptoms of burnout and the effects of ambiguous loss/grief.
No wonder we feel awful!
From Surviving to Thriving.
I am convinced that when we name it, normalize it, reality check our expectations, and give ourselves and each other grace, we will survive and ultimately thrive in this season of our lives.
As a great leader, Winston Churchill, so eloquently said,
“We have not journeyed across the centuries, across the oceans, across the mountains, across the prairies because we are made of sugar candy. Resilience is our shared inheritance, resourcefulness is the very hallmark of our species.” ~ Winston Churchill
So, where do we start?
One effective strategy to manage stress is building your resilience bank account.
Sleep, nutrition, exercise, meditation, self-compassion, gratitude, connection, and setting boundaries are all effective ways to make deposits.
But, let’s focus on a few qualities that can put your account into the red quickly – love and compassion.
What if love and compassion for others begins with love and compassion for self?
Have you ever paid attention to how your talk to yourself?
If you stop to listen to your inner dialogue throughout the day, you might be surprised how often you berate or beat yourself up, even for the most minor issues.
It’s that inner critic that tells you that you are not good enough and you don’t deserve to be happy.
And, more often than not, when we are hurting, we hurt others.
To dive deeper into self-compassion and 4 other stress management strategies, get my FREE TOOLKIT HERE.
United by Love.
Love and compassion – for self and others – are basic human needs we all share that will always unite us rather than divide us.
While we live in a fractured world and we cannot control what happens around us, we can control what happens within us.
For the next few weeks, what would it be like to shift our focus to:
- what binds us together rather than what separates us?
- compassion rather than hate?
- love rather than fear?
- hope rather than despair?
In no time, your inner strength and resilience bank accounts will be gaining interest!
And, you will once again call upon your creativity and adaptability to bring forth a new reality where love and compassion are seen as necessities, not luxuries.
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” ~ Dalai Lama
So, let’s start painting the picture of the future we want to move into together.
A future where we remember that we are all unique and beautiful expressions of God who are valued, respected, loved, and free to live the truth of our soul.
Just imagine what we can create when we are united by love.
