Staying Well in Times of Transition
“When the root is deep, there is no reason to fear the wind.”
Have you ever been faced with a change or transition that knocks you down? Not necessarily in the literal sense, but you may have felt unbalanced or unrooted following, or in facing, the event. Maybe you struggled with anxiety, depression or self-doubt, or your routine just would not re-sync?
If so, let us first validate you: you’re human! Being challenged by the new is something we all face at some point, it’s how we adapt to facing it again and again in the future that matters.
Did you know that although change is inevitable in life, it does not mean that the gusts that blow us down have to remain destructive to our equilibrium time and time again?
Wellness is more than getting massages or manicures on a regular basis. It is an aspect of our beings that we can lean into and use a foundation to ready ourselves for the turbulent times in our life. Just the way we train for a marathon or strengthen for a competition, we need to strengthen the relationship we have with our own wellness.
Here are some ways to build a formidable base for our wellness so that staying calm amidst the chaos of shifts in life is possible:
1) Meditate
“Chaos demands our attention. It's like a bratty child, jealous of our peace. Chaos will do everything in its power to suck you in and keep your stress level high. With meditation, you can use the quietness of your mind to surround and subdue chaos. Let it go easily somewhere else, while you apply your energy to reaching out into the universe for answers. Let the answers come to you as easily as you let chaos go.” (Sourced from ramdass.org).
2) Yoga
“Practicing yoga poses with awareness— and without judgment—teaches you to listen to what’s going on with you mentally, emotionally, and physically on any given day and to let go of attachments to what you think you should be experiencing, [therefore making change and unexpected transition less shocking to your system]. (Sourced from yogafortimesofchange.com).
3) Journaling
“Journaling may help ease our distress when we’re struggling. In a 2006 study, nearly 100 young adults were asked to spend 15 minutes journaling or drawing about a stressful event, or writing about their plans for the day, twice during one week. The people who journaled saw the biggest reduction in symptoms like depression, anxiety, and hostility, particularly if they were very distressed to begin with. This was true even though 80 percent had seldom journaled about their feelings and only 61 percent were comfortable doing so.” (Sourced from greatergood.berkeley.edu).
4) Exercise
“Exercise can provide stress relief for your body while imitating effects of stress, such as the flight or fight response, and helping your body and its systems practice working together through those effects. This can also lead to positive effects in your body — including your cardiovascular, digestive and immune systems — by helping protect your body from harmful effects of stress.” (Sourced from mayoclinic.org).
5) Create Habit / Routine
Beyond the “doing”, it’s important to create a routine out of them. If we just do tasks and have no structure around them, relying on them to help us through times of challenge is unrealistic. We want our wellness to become a non-negotiable, meaning we remain committed to it whether it’s rainy or sunny. Build a routine around your wellness practices on your great days so that on your bad days habit can carry you through. For a great read on creating habit and routine, we recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear.
If you take the time to root your wellness with practices like these, when it comes time to facing life’s challenges and changes, transition won’t seem that unnerving to you. It may still cause you to leave your comfort zone, but don’t be fearful of that, embrace each opportunity as a lesson to grow.
When we have set our wellness as the flower bed in preparation, it’s inevitable that whatever may grow from it will bloom beautifully.