Fire, Mud and Blue Skies

Why we’re still reeling and what to do about it.

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PHOTO CREDIT: MATTHEW KOSLOSKI ON UNSPLASH.COM

Our community is finally settling down after being slammed by record-breaking fires, toxic smoke, devastating mudslides, and incalculable human loss. The freeway is open and people are returning to the evacuated areas. The sky is crispy blue and days are sparkly beautiful as Santa Barbara always is in the wintertime. Although there’s still a lot of clean up and healing to be done, there’s a sense that normalcy may be on the horizon. Then, why are so many people still feeling stuck, uninspired and slightly panicked?

Feeling unmoored, uncertain, dazed, fazed, and numb is to be expected after nearly two months of hyper vigilance and elevated cortisol levels. Whether directly impacted or not, we’ve all been touched by these traumatic times. Closing your eyes, it’s easy to conjure images of crowded escape routes, eyes peering over the top of N05 face masks, and charred landscapes with cars & houses rammed into trees. Tuning in to your body, there’s an imprint of anxiety in the viscera and tension in the muscles. Listening to stories of loss and heroism, evokes a sudden flood of tears. And, attempting to focus and take care of business, feels impossible with a layer of impenetrable fuzz is sitting on your creativity.

During the crisis, your sympathetic nervous system went on high alert to help you make quick decisions, get the hell out, and save lives. But, now, this geared up physiology is neither helpful nor healthy. Getting stuck in survival mode only results in hypertension, headaches, inflammation, shallow breathing, elevated blood pressure, fatigue and digestive problems. If you have any of these symptoms or feel slightly stunned, irritable, confused or depressed, now’s the time to be pro-active and do something about it.

Here are four steps to help your body-mind recalibrate and return to an everyday sense of safety and confidence.

First step…just sit quietly.

In order to shift from the habit of watching every bit of news and rehashing every trauma, you need to unhook and be present in this moment and this moment only. Turn it off the chatter and be in your body, in your breath, in the intimate space of right now. No past, no future, no agenda except sitting quietly. Feel your feet on the floor, touching base. Feel your breath move your bones, bringing healing. If you need some help with this step, check out biofeedback therapist Tina Lerner’s five-minute meditation.

Somatic message= Your body connects you to earth and spirit in present time.

Second step…find tension and relax.

Put on some soft music & soak in a candle-lit bath. Do some yoga, take a walk, get an acupuncture or chiropractic treatment, call your massage therapist. Many people have told me they feel foggy, stuck, uptight, and/ or out of their bodies altogether. Getting some good body work will help you relax, reconnect and rebalance. After a recent session, Judy wrote: “Thank you so much for regrouping me. Not only can I breathe again but I’m now out of pj’s & feel more inspired and focused.”

Somatic message= Your body is a safe and steady reference point.

Step three…rebuild your confidence.

Be patient, take it slowly, cut yourself some slack. The impact of a disaster is all-encompassing. Recovering your sense of self is physical, psychological, and deeply personal. Give yourself time to reconnect and put your life back in order again. Your body is listening to the words you use and thoughts you think so reframe the negatives into positives- even if you’re not quite there yet. FYI: coming together in a healing circle might be a good idea (facilitated by AHA, call 805-770-7200x5 for information).

Somatic message= Take all the time you need to heal and recover.

Step four…seek a larger context.

The disruption of your world may be an opportunity to re-evaluate and re-prioritize. Feel the connection to all life, loved ones, and community. As you reflect on where you’ve been and what you’ve been through, invite insight from your deepest knowing. Let your perspective get really big and look for a place of calm acceptance. Open to the support of caring words, thoughts, and gestures from the people who love you. See your path extending to the horizon where life is back in order again and go there. Find the awe. In the words of psychologist, Don McManus, “Awe is mind-bending, somehow altering our understanding or experience of the world.” Celebrating the Power of Awe.

Somatic message= You are not alone.

I hope this is helpful.

Holiday Sensibility

How to Indulge without Over-Indulging.

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PHOTO CREDIT: BROOKE LARK ON UNSPLASH.COM

The holidays come around every year. And, each year, we have a chance to fine tune our participation. What if there was a way to indulge your pleasure without the distraction, weight gain and headache of over-indulgence? Here are some ways your sensible body can help you be conscious and enjoy the gustatory delights of the season:

Savor the flavors and scents. Ninety percent of the taste is sourced in the aroma. Ponder the qualities and nuances of each bite.

• Slow down- Linger a bit. Take time to chew thoroughly to maximize your pleasure and help your digestion.

• Less is more- It’s the first couple of bites that really taste good. Notice how palate fatigue sets in after 3 or 4 bites.

• Listen- When your belly says it’s had enough, pay attention. Don’t override your body and over-indulge because it won’t really be fun anymore.

• Keep an eye on sugar consumption-the AHA suggests that between 20 and 36 grams of sugar is the daily max.

• Take time to digest. The rule of thumb is to allow two or three hours before bedtime. Maybe an evening meditation recounting the many pleasures of the meal is in order.

As you approach the holiday season, tuning in and paying attention will help you partake of the many pleasures, enjoy them thoroughly, and back away when you’re satiated. Then, the next day, you won’t have to deal with the pains of over-consumption.

And, let me know how it goes! I’d love to hear about your experiences and insights.

Get in Touch

A Good Night’s Sleep

When you sleep well, you look better, feel better, and function better the next day. Setting up your sleep situation so your body can relax completely makes a lot of sense. Check out the S. L. E. E. P. video I produced to help you get your body-mind in the zone where sleep can find you.

And look for my book, A Guide to Body Wisdom: What Your Mind Needs To Know About Your Body (Llewellyn Worldwide) forthcoming in June, 2018.

Experiment with Vitamin N

PHOTO CREDIT: BRIAN MANN

Whether it’s exercise, fresh air, negative ions, or unplugging from the grid, being in nature helps you slow down, calm down, and get grounded. Author Richard Louv coined the phrase “nature deficit disorder” to describe the negative consequences of too much virtual and too little real time. His recent book, Vitamin N, sites studies showing how spending time in nature helps ADHD, depression & anxiety, obesity & myopia, and the immune system. It’s also a good way to disconnect from the demands of a scheduled life and reconnect with your essential self.

I hope this summer gives you an opportunity to get away from your complicated indoor life and spend some time outdoors. In a spirit of playfulness, why not turn off your iPhone and discover the influence of Vitamin N on your body & mind? All you need is a place with more nature than concrete. Set up an experiment to evaluate the N experience- before and after. At the onset, how does your body feel? Is it tired, heavy, agitated, or numb? Is your mind flooded with chatter, judgment, or impatience? Then, spend ten minutes sitting on a rock or bench tuning in to your senses. What do you hear, see, smell, and feel? If your mind wanders off, bring it back to what’s real, right around you. Afterwards, check in with your body/ mind and reevaluate.

Spending unstructured, focused time near trees, rocks, water, and wildlife is a good way to get a healthy dose of Vitamin N. When you take the time to do it, you’ll definitely feel the difference. And, once you do, you’ll want to go back again and again.

NOTE: You can find three interesting and delightful exercises to enhance your N experiment in my longer post at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/ann-642.

Rabbit Saves The Day

PHOTO CREDIT: TPSDAVE

As I sat at my desk, pondering the publishing industry and my stuck energy one day last week, some movement caught my attention. I looked up to see a rabbit eating geraniums in the terraced garden outside my window. A rabbit, how sweet! In that moment, my attention shifted from churning internal worries to the simple beauty of nature. I wondered if this rabbit had a helpful message for me.

Because I know that animals can be symbols of greater meaning, I went to the Internet and looked up Rabbit. Rabbit is known for luck (rabbit foot), fertility (multiply like bunnies), and fear (scared as a rabbit). It also represents family, shyness, and creativity. Seeing Rabbit changed my orientation from feeling snared and fearful to seeing writing as a creative endeavor that demands productivity, exposure, acceptance of failure and success, as well as a bit of luck here and there.

Rabbit saved the day for me. Maybe the next time you need to get out of a funk, you’ll notice what animals show up. Personalizing their symbolic message is a good way to change your perspective, tap deep inner knowing, and start things moving again.

See the complete article on HuffPost.com

Postscript: Shortly after Rabbit appeared in my window, I got a good publishing offer from Llewellyn Worldwide for my book on body wisdom. In addition to describing ways to listen to and follow your inner knowing, this book helps readers broaden their perspective and feel connected to all life. Look for Body Wisdom: How to Listen To, Care For, and Enjoy Your Most Valuable Asset in Spring of 2018!

Spring Renewal

PHOTO CREDIT: TIM GOUW

It always takes some effort to reverse the inertia of winter. But, this year, the resistance may be more emotional than physical. Living with months & months of disturbing news and political uncertainty makes it challenging to get out of the funk and on with your life. This isn’t just about your attitude. When your body’s carrying a load of angst, worry, and discord, even the momentum of springtime can’t budge the logjam. Why not let your basic anatomy get it moving again? Here’s how:

Close your eyes and locate your tight, stuck places. Now, let your body reclaim its natural range of motion as you slide your shoulders up & down, back and forth, and around in circles. Let your jaw open and shut, move side-to-side, forward and back. Let your spine curl and uncurl, bend and twist from side to side. You get the drift. Slowly and respectfully, move your body parts through/under the tension. Release the old and free the way for the “joie du printemps”.

Get Centered

PHOTO CREDIT: KALEN EMSLEY

Like any physical mass, your body has a center of gravity. It’s slightly below your navel in the center of your pelvis. As martial arts practitioners know, being aware and moving from the center is the key to both agility and stability. Tuning in to your COG several times a day will also help you get out of your head and into the present moment. Here’s how:

To get centered: Place your hands over your center of gravity. Hum softly, directing the sound to your belly under your hands. Let the sound resonate here for three full exhales to awaken the area. Now bring direct the movement of the next three inhales into your lower belly to expand your awareness.

Remember your COG often over the next few weeks. This will establish a powerful, personal reference point whenever you need to get focused and feel centered. Speaking and acting from your center infuses everything you do with confidence and reliability. Try it out in different situations and see how it changes your sense of self and effectiveness in the world.