You may be familiar with the quote by Audre Lorde:
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
These words have a different resonance post election. This quote has strength in its edges, strong words that define boundaries. It frames caring for one’s self as preservation, critical for survival, something worth fighting for and in today’s world, the feeling of fighting for one’s survival has been brought to the surface.
Taking care of our mental health is the greatest gift we can give our family and community. They need us to find our center and be able to show up in a healthy way. When life feels foreign, isolating due to stress, grief, or work pressure or even just dynamic and spicy – our mind can slip into an angry, impatient, or depressed mindset. This mindset can keep us stuck and be challenging to address. How do we find our way back?
Let us first understand the reason behind this. Human beings are survivors, it is in our DNA. It is said that the mind is predisposed towards “negative” thinking, scanning the environment for problems or danger. This happens subconsciously like a computer program or an App running in the background. When the mindset is balanced, this “problem seeking” leads to innovative solutions. Think of all the things that have been created to ensure we are sheltered from the elements, nourished, and hydrated. When life is challenging, the mind goes into overdrive looking for all the things that could be changed to make the environment “safe”. This overdriven mind creates grooves in the firing pathways of the brain. As with any deeper groove or “rut” it takes a little effort to get out of.
Simple by design, Gratitude will reset the “problem seeker” mind and train it to look for joy.
The Practice: Every night before sleeping, Speak aloud 3 things that brought you ease, relief, or joy in the day. These 3 things are just for you and can be anything. For example: it has been so dry here, the rain felt good on my skin. Thank you for that. I saw a butterfly today.. That was nice. Thank you for that. I am grateful I got to eat today.
That’s it. 3 things
Every. Single. Day.
Enjoy the journey!
“You have to wash the mind to think clearly” – Dr. Suhas, Kerala Academy- Bastyr University
“Every thought is a prayer and every prayer is answered” – Teachings from the Elders