Things To Do
Breathe
Remember how to breathe a deep, nourishing breath that fills your lungs. Learn how to exhale & release all that doesn't serve you. Create space by pausing between your inhalation and exhalation. Know that all that is, has sprung forth from that sacred pause. Slow down. When your become distracted or agitated, come back to the beginning. Come back to your breath.
Develop a relationship with nature
Observe the cycles of the moon, greet the sun & the tree outside your window, marvel at the dandelions persisting through city sidewalks. Whisper your secrets into a seashell. Caress a smooth stone. Eat violets and chickweed in Spring. Make root teas in Autumn. Give thanks always.
Start telling your story
Tell somebody the truth. If it is too raw or you haven't found someone you trust, write it down or say it aloud to yourself. Exorcise the secrets that you have kept hidden away to protect yourself or others. Bring them out into the light of day. It is only then that you will be able to gain clarity and agency over your own life.
Allow yourself to grieve & rage
Go willingly into the waves of sadness and anger that wash over you. Understand that you must move through these temporary, cleansing emotions as part of your healing process. Understand that if you continue to repress and to numb, your suffering will mutate into multivalent forms that harm you and others. You must fully feel the grief and rage in your body in order to metabolize them. Take up this alchemy for the good of all. Feel.
Find your kindred spirits
Find people who speak the language of your secret heart. Listen to your intuition; pay attention to what lights you up from the inside out. Who shares your enthusiasms? Go to a place where your unique gifts are celebrated. Follow ease. Notice synchronicities. If you do this, you will find support, community, and belonging.
Learn about & support your nervous system
Study and implement techniques to activate your parasympathetic nervous system. Tend to your gut health. Eliminate unnecessary stressors from your life. Drink infusions of milky oats. Realize that everyone's nervous systems are wired differently - some are more sensitive than others, some have been wounded. Have compassion for & and take exquisite care of yourself.
Meet your inner child and your inner elder
Find a picture of yourself as a child. Introduce yourself to that child and listen to what they have to say. Become that child's confidante and let them know that they are safe with you. If you do this, you will begin to reparent yourself and become your own fierce protector. Then, imagine yourself as a wise elder. What advice does that elder have for you? They will want you to savor, to learn, and to flourish. So you will.