January 2021

There’s been a shift. Can you feel it? Since a new administration has moved into Washington, a sense of sanity has returned. Plans for dealing with the ongoing pandemic and many other pressing issues are taking shape.

The shortest day has passed and the days are getting longer. There is more light.

But most of us, if we are conscientious and responsible, are keeping to ourselves, working from home when possible and avoiding activities outside our homes. We continue to be stopped from fully engaging in the way we used to live.

The rate of infection remains high, and feelings of isolation and stress are still troubling. For those in need, it’s important to seek professional help.

Although there are things we can’t control, there are others that we can. Whatever we’re doing now, the inner journey of transformation that goes on throughout our lives hasn’t stopped.

Self-care and taking steps to create and maintain a sense of well-being are essential.

Richard Davidson, founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, describes four pillars for well-being.

The first is awareness.

According to the Center for Healthy Minds, awareness is a “heightened, flexible attentiveness to your environmental and internal cues.”

Awareness means knowing what we are doing, how we are feeling, being able to watch our thoughts and choose which are beneficial. It’s about being mindful—being present in our life without judgment. A daily meditation practice is optimal. But even without that, you can, at any moment, notice what you are thinking, feeling, sensing. The next step is to become aware that you’re being aware; developing a kind of ‘meta-awareness’ can help you stay focused on whatever you are doing and increase your sense of well being.

The second is cultivating connection.

Staying connected can be challenging during this time. Online meetings and telephone calls and texts are great, but they don’t take the place of one on one interaction in the flesh. But even without being able to get together with people, we can endeavor to open our hearts, simply contemplating our connections. And if you don’t feel close to many people, you can recognize that others whom you may not know are in a similar position as you. You can send them your kind thoughts and wishes. In another newsletter, Sending and Taking,  I wrote about how, by thinking of others and sending them your wish that they not suffer, you can receive a sense of well being and contentment.

The third is practicing insight.

By cultivating awareness, we can get closer to our own inner guidance. New thoughts, new ideas, can arise when our minds aren’t cluttered with worry and distraction. Eckhart Tolle says that “Real change comes from being aware of whatever is happening inside you.”

The fourth is connecting with your purpose.

Having a sense of purpose in your life can ground you, can help you maintain your sense of self-worth. Even if you don’t have some large goal you are working toward, your life is essential to the whole. For example, if you cultivate connection through wishing others well, you are participating in the larger scheme of things. Maybe, during this time you have been able to work on some projects that you didn’t have time for before.  If not, maybe through insight you will find some creative ideas.

Keeping a journal of your thoughts and dreams can help you track your progress, and if you record meaningful insights, something new can grow. Keep a notebook by your bed, and jot down any dream fragments you remember. Then free write for a few minutes and see what comes out.

“Awareness is the power that is concealed within the present moment. … The ultimate purpose of human existence, which is to say, your purpose, is to bring that power into this world.” ― Eckhart Tolle

 “Here is a test to find out whether your mission in life is complete. If you’re alive, it isn’t.” ― Lauren Bacall