COMING BACK TO CENTER
Feeling off balance lately? You're not alone.
The good news is that there are many tools we can use to come back to our center and return home to ourselves, even admist all the chaos.
1. Breathe - as simple as it may sound, tuning into the rhythm of your breath cycle and sneaking a few slow, conscious breaths into your busy day can be a great way to calm your nervous system. Try breathing deep into the bottom of your belly and notice the way your body responds.
2. Get out of your head and into your body - Often times we feel off balance when we spend too much time ruminating about the past or worrying about the future. Doing physical activities - dancing, running, playing an instrument, creating art, practicing yoga or qi gong, or even just taking a walk on the beach - are a great way to reconnect with your body and drop you back into the present moment.
3. Call up a friend and seek out community - Even if you're staying home, connecting with other humans is super important for our mental health. It helps us to cultivate feelings of safety and support during this unpredictable period, and helps remind us that we are not in this alone.
4. Spend some time outside - the natural world is truly our ultimate teacher. Grounding practices such as touching the earth (whether it be running your hands through the soil or the grass, or walking barefoot), smelling the scents of the ocean and the autumn air, or listening to the sounds of nature, are simple methods for rooting our energy. If you can't get outside, try listening to nature soundtracks or getting a plant for your apartment/house!
5. Meditation and mindfulness practices - by slowing down and observing ourselves from a place of curiosity and compassion, we begin to become more aware of the ways in which we might bring ourselves out of center. Maybe we spend too much time thinking about certain situations or people, maybe there are societal influences weighing us down, or maybe there are certain emotions that we let dominate our minds. Whatever we struggle with, meditation and mindfulness can help illuminate our path towards balance.
