Integritus Prime

These are challenging times at home and work. We are cooped up at home with the children and need to focus on work, home schooling, and family time. Or, we are alone and lonely, depressed, and panicking. It’s a challenge to stay connected in meaningful ways beyond Netflix and gaming. Perhaps we are stuck in a hotel waiting for a flight home. Perhaps our coworkers have been laid off and we are worried about them. Sometimes we become overprotective of our loved ones and create more stress and tension for ourselves and them.

While it’s easy to say “Don’t worry, it’s a waste of time,” it’s more difficult to put into practice. We know it’s true – worrying does nothing to help us or those we worry about. Instead, we need to have the inner spaciousness to stay centered and give compassion and support whenever we can. Thankfully, there are ways to stay engaged throughout all the chaos. Here are five important ones:

1. Take care of yourself – sleep and eat well, meditate, do yoga or tai chi, spend time safely in nature, and get exercise to stay centered. Take time to feel your emotions: anxiety, grief, fear, or worry. You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel and how much more productive you can be. The insightfulness behind the decisions you make will also increase, helping you navigate situations better.
2. Practice gratitude – this is time away from the rat race, so it’s an opportunity to break the addiction to busyness. Instead, count your blessings: being alive, healthy, and with the ones you love the most. Notice and journal about what you’re grateful, and you will notice a powerful shift in your thinking. A grateful mindset is more than half the mental battle.
3. Be mindful of the chaos – it’s around you, it’s not you. Don’t let it in. Instead, view this time as a period of much needed renewal and deep understanding of how life works and what we need to be united globally. Take mini retreats, whether it’s 30 minutes, half a day, or longer, and notice how you feel when you emerge from your quiet time.
4. Embrace opportunities – being home, having more time with family, and more time for creative and meaningful tasks and interactions are all gifts we can invite and leverage to stay motivated and enthused. Gardening, making art, writing books, dancing, making music and so on are wonderful opportunities right now. Be supportive of your family; pay attention to loved ones at home – see what their difficulties and stresses are, especially those who already have a chronic disease or are lonely and help them occupy themselves better. Ultimately, see if you can follow your heart and immerse your soul.
5. Be supportive at work – stay connected, offer encouragement, and channel meaning into your tasks. View your colleagues as brothers and sisters who need love, and provide a supportive ear to them. You can only do this if you’ve achieved the first and second tips.

It is important, and possible, to use this time wisely and to be inspired. I am writing two books, both of which were inspired this week. The possibilities are endless if we do the inner work and calm the inner storms. Then the outer world begins to settle into some sort of order out of the chaos.