We’re dropping deeper into this pandemic experience, watching the experience become something new every day.
Our triggers are being pushed, sometimes by the most unlikely sources.
Yesterday I ventured to the grocery store for the first time in awhile, and was a little stunned to find that my brand of eco-friendly automatic dishwashing detergent was gone. In fact, the shelves were completely bare. There was one last lonely little bag of ten detergent tabs, and I grabbed it with a disturbing urgency. My husband mumbled his confusion, “What. So, everybody is actually washing their dishes now or something? Weird.”
It’s surreal, in our land of excess, to be told “No”.
“There will be no dishwashing detergent for you today.”
We’re so used to things just being there when we need them. (Without often contemplating the negative ramifications of that level of convenience.)
It’s strange that something so silly could rattle me.
But it’s not silly, is it, when you weave into it the greater understanding: Our life has changed.
Our world has changed. We have no idea where all of this is going.
Highly Sensitive People are empathic. We’re not only processing our stuff; we’re also witnessing the energy of the people around us experiencing their own triggering events. This means certain days can feel like emotional whiplash, sensing multiple things simultaneously. Trying to force an ego understanding of it can overwhelm our system, resulting in a flooding of low-frequency energy (confusion, irritability, exhaustion, unexplained agitation… even joint and spinal pain).
To shine some light back into your energy field, please consider a daily spiritual practice of these Five Things:
1.) Stop Judging Yourself. There is nothing you should be feeling right now, besides just about every human emotion possible. Let yourself feel whatever it is you’re feeling, without adding to it some unkind assessment of how that emotion somehow defines you as a human being.
2.) Witness The Emotion. Do not identify with it. Let the emotion come and go, like a breeze you were never meant to control. Understand that our emotions are not an indication of the truth. If our inner critic is running wild, because we’re overwhelmed and exhausted, and it’s telling you you’re somehow lacking…do not allow it to convince you it’s speaking from some place of higher wisdom. The truth is, you’re probably just tired.
3.) Understand This– You definitely NEED MORE REST RIGHT NOW. Schedule in “do nothing” if that’s what you’re feeling you need. There is nothing that replenishes energy like simply unplugging every now and then, even if you’re doing so frequently– that’s okay. I’m honestly not concerned about you doing too little during a global pandemic which happens to be ushering us into an entirely new world. I’m more concerned about you piling on the unfair burden of expectation to an already stressed nervous system.
4.) Nature, Nature, Nature. Give your potted plant a gentle leaf bath (they love that!), take a walk, sit on your deck with your dog lying on her cozy bed right next to you, hug a tree (you bet I do that regularly), feel the sun on your face, pull some invasive weeds (but leave the dandelions because bees need them this time of year!), build a medicine wheel with stones, feed the birds, get up and watch the sunrise, bury your hands in sand, walk barefoot in an isolated mountain stream, see if you can connect with the energy of your favorite rock (please tell me I’m not the only one with a favorite rock!), light a candle and watch the flame dance…I could go on and on. Even the small act of listing these few nature ideas up-shifted my energy frequency, and reading them will start the process for you too.
5.) Still Your Mind. Whether you call it meditation, contemplation, or prayer (I happen to practice all three)– spend some time every day doing less and being more. Insight Timer is my favorite app for guided meditations and contemplative support. I highly recommend it. Start with guided meditations, ten minutes a day. There’s no such thing as doing it wrong in the beginning. Simply rest and listen. Create the sacred space, and your spirit will do the rest.
Please know you’re not alone. Please sense the deeper meaning in all of this (it’s actually quite beautiful). And never, ever hesitate to reach out to me if you need something. For now, if you care to share in the comments which of these five things you find most challenging, I would love your thoughts. Every word you choose to share, I guarantee will offer comfort to somebody else in need, possibly too shy to speak out.
So Much Love,
Kristy
So much love back!
Thank you for this communications!!!
❤️
Are you well, Luv? A big bear hug to you, dear Ian!
Thank you, Kristy. Beautifully written, as usual. Only note: I live in an apartment on the fifth floor of an apartment in Rome. No nature around…. Once I am able to get out and fly, I will return to the USA and visit ALL of the national parks in one time!!! Love you!
Hello my Luv! I feel that one of my greatest purposes in life is to help shift a person’s concept of Nature. You absolutely have access to Nature in your Rome apartment. Urban inhabitants almost always assume that wilderness is the only true access to Nature, and that is a false belief.
Can you open a window and feel the breeze on your face? That’s nature. Can you sit in the sun rays, streaming through the glass? You can listen to birdsong, gently wash a potted plant’s leaves, hold crystals and stones in your hands, watch a candle flame dance, hold your hand on your cat’s chest and feel the vibration of her purr…all of this is Nature. We all have access to Nature, no matter where we live.
But yes, I want you to also come here and go hiking with me! ❤️
I love you!
Kristy
Wonderful article, great reminders! And I love your couch photo with your fur baby, I’ve been doing a lot of that lately!
I think the one I have most trouble with is #1!! I try very hard not to judge and to try and forgive others, but for some reason when it comes to myself, I am my worst judge, jury, an “executioner”! I’ve been working on this for years, but I still find myself going back to that “place”. I think it stems from always trying to be perfect, trying to measure up to someone else’s impossible expectations, but long story saved for another day…or my first book, perhaps? That’s a nod to Stark Raving Zen, by the way! Loving it so far, I honestly feel like you and I are twins! I kid you not! ;O)
And I LOVE the tree hugging suggestion!! I do that, too!! As a matter of fact, that has been my user name for years in countless online endeavors!! Many people misunderstand the definition of treehugger, I was quite surprised.
Lastly, the title of your entry is quite apropos! I would go so far as to add – Instead of “change the channel”, just turn the whole thing off! ;O) I get the same feelings now as I did during 9/11, the 2005 Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and so many others, where I just had to turn off the TV, radio, even my mind, and just “be”. I would go sit outside in the sunshine, try to clear my mind, and just breathe. Such is the life of a “sensitive”, I suppose.
Thanks again for a great article, stay safe, be well, peace & love… <3
Hello Cheryl! Such good comments!
A bit about that photo — it was taken eleven years ago when Arya & I returned from our Stark Raving Zen odyssey! 🙂 I cherish that picture.
Cheryl, the inner critic— especially for the Highly Sensitive— can be relentless. I am actually creating an eCourse for working with the inner critic. For now, our objective for dealing with those inner perfection voices is to simply redirect it when it shows up. That’s what I have to do. I have an inner voice who pushes me relentlessly, and tells me I can’t rest. I have to consciously choose not to listen. And when it tells me terrible things will happen if I don’t stop working constantly, I have to tell it I don’t believe that’s true. I have to be kind to that voice, because ultimately it’s trying to keep me “safe” in the only way it knows how. But I can’t let it be the boss, because it’s misguided.
I love your “Turn the channel off” suggestion! Especially now, when so many sensitives are anxiously watching the news for too many hours. Thank you for that perspective; it’s important. The channel I’m actually referring to here is our energy frequency. 🙂
I’m so happy you’re enjoying Stark Raving Zen! Yes, we are very similar in the energy regard aren’t we? Enjoy the journey! Love you, Cheryl!
Thank you for that, I was afraid I had rambled on after I posted. I am good at that. I also understood you were referring to our energy frequency, I was just playing with analogies. ;O)
I can’t wait to finish the book journey, I will tell you more when I’m done! There are so many similarities, it’s uncanny!
Be well, peace… <3
Cheryl you never ramble! I always value your thoughts! ❤️
As always, your blogs are exactly what I need at exactly the right time!
I’m so happy to hear it helped a little! Hugs to you, Ildi!