This is a special mindset toolkit for Australian Naturopaths, Nutritionists, and Health practitioners to keep in mind as we head into #Lockdown again… here on the full moon in Leo. Which is all about time to roar our outrage, roar about #allthethings!
I don’t know if this will be helpful for you but I want to connect with you and this is what I feel like I CAN do. So here I am.
If this is not for you, that’s okay. Just pick it up – like anything that is happening at the moment – look at it and go, “Actually, that’s not for me.”
Some of you might pick it up and realise, “Oh, here’s a little gold nugget. I’ll just take that gold nugget.” And that might help for the day.
*I am aware that I speak all of this through layers of privilege, and I hope wherever you are, you can get through this the best way you can for you.*
The Revolving Door Of Uncertainty
I want to acknowledge everybody who’s in Victoria or Berlin or anywhere else that is experiencing the craziness that happening right now.
Whenever things come up, I try to use the personal development tools I’ve learned. I’ll try to switch things around and reframe it. I’m quite good with that sort of thing.
But there was a time last week when I just felt like there was a revolving door of shit that kept kicking us in our asses. I flicked back through my phone, looking at photos from December of last year until now.
And there were photos of ash falling from the sky and smog when I was visiting Melbourne.
That smog was so thick that it set off the smoke detectors in the middle of the night and we couldn’t go down the 30+ floors of the building we were staying in. We knew people were losing their houses on the south coast and elsewhere. Wildlife was being decimated by the bush fires.
Then there were the:
- suicide rates
- pandemic
- domestic violence
- AIPOC (people of color and indigenous)
- black lives matter
- LGBTQIA
- disabilities
It’s a revolving door of stuff and uncertainty is bigger than it has ever been. Or more obvious than it has ever been before.
And I’m feeling it with you. My heart is with you. Especially if, with this full moon kind of vibe, you are feeling it right now, too.
So, I want to share what helped me through last week when I was feeling overwhelmed. And what helped me through the last lockdown, as well.
(Side note – it doesn’t help that they name this sort of thing “lockdown,” does it?)
5 Mindset Tools That Help In Tough Times
These are some mindset tools that have helped me and I’m sharing them in the hopes that they might help you, too. If so, that’s awesome! But if not, just leave them and let them go, just the same as everything else running around these days.
1. Loungewear (aka comfort + abundance)
Yes, loungewear has helped me.
Here’s what I mean.
See this shirt? I bought this long sleeve loungewear t-shirt online when we were told we were going to go into stage three. What it means to me is that I’m allowed to feel comfortable and to be still, even in the very uncomfortable world that we live in right now.
It was the first thing I bought online that was delivered to my house because of the Covid situation. Because we couldn’t go out. And it means so much to me.
What I’m saying is – find something that makes you feel comfortable yet abundant.
This was something I had looked at online. I love this company and they make awesome “women in business” attire.
I hadn’t bought anything online for such a long time, so I bought this and also a fresh set flannelette sheets from Kmart. And they make me feel so wonderful and cozy and comfortable and certain and yummy.
This might not be for everybody. But I am sending out the vibes to feel comfortable, yet abundant and professional.
Don’t wear your pyjamas every single day. I mean – you can totally have pyjama days. Pyjama days are very, very valid right now.
But if you’ve got something nice to wear, it feels good to wake up and put some loungewear on.
This helped me last week. I put on something comfortable yet professional last week instead of eating all the chocolate ice cream in the freezer and stay in my pyjamas all day whilst being overwhelmed by the whole planet.
Some people have bought the new anxiety blankets. My son is really quite tactile and he loves the feeling of these amazing blankets that are coming out at the moment. And there are a whole bunch of other things you can buy online that are eco-friendly, ethical – whatever’s in alignment with you.
Buying things like these also helps get the economy going. So if you are in a position to do so and if you can feel comfortable with that, do it and remind yourself it’s okay to wear loungewear.
2. Learning
Learning has been huge for me this year, in particular, as we are in a space of staying at home.
I’ve experienced some learning just through my own processing of the things that are happening right now as I apply different personal development skills.
But I have also signed up for so many great programs, read so many blogs, and listened to so many podcasts, back to back. Things that I didn’t think I had time for before.
And this is my invitation to you. If there are things you didn’t think you had time for – look at what you’ve got? The gift of time!
(I know this is a heavy conversation so I’m trying to keep it light.)
I have listened to some podcasts from their first episode all the way through. Some of these podcasts have 50 episodes and some of them have 200 episodes.
So you don’t actually have to invest money in your lessons (although I’ve done that, as well, with online courses in a way that I haven’t for years). You can just read someone’s blog that excites you from a perspective of creativity, innovation, or imagination.
It might be something that has nothing to do with your profession or even business. Something that just cracks you open in a way you probably didn’t have time for before. Super cool.
For example, I’ve been listening to podcasts around:
- personal development
- tarot reading
- embodiment and being in your body
I’ve devoured some amazing blogs I had totally ignored before. And I’ve even looked at YouTube videos on hybrid events and how to create a film. I signed up for a film and television production online course
There are some really amazing free places on the Internet now. It seems this is the way the whole world is going right now, given the situation we’re in.
Access to high-quality, university-based courses is free online! You literally just search Google for, “university courses for free.” And you will find all sorts of things you might be interested in that you never got to study because you’re your degree or diploma was a specific kind of thing. And it’s for free.
I studied something offered over in England at the University of London.
There’s a whole course on The Book Of Kells available for all you (high-five!) herbalists out there. And it’s a study of where these recipes came from and all that kind of stuff. It’s a course from Dublin University.
That’s amazing to me! We don’t have to travel over there to get access to it anymore. So whatever you have the possibility of learning, imagine if in this six weeks you learn something from front to back?
So, confession time. I was a total Tony Robbins fangirl in the late 90s when he was on TV. And I got one of the little journals and the CD sets (Oh my goodness, I’m actually blushing!).
But I never went to any of his live events because I was doing a whole bunch of other stuff.
Now he runs them online for a fraction of what it used to cost. The Australian one is coming up in September so I even signed up for that.
Do What Your Heart Is Yearning For
So what is there for you? What are you really yearning to learn?
And don’t worry about the little stories that happen in your brain about it. Like, “Oh, but that hasn’t got to do business.” Or, “That won’t make me any money.”
Sometimes it’s those things are like a tap full of imagination and ideas. And you just need to turn the tap on a little bit to let the drips out. Then a flow happens and you’re able to let the whole lot go. Rather than not go there.
So if you’ve got that little negative nelly in the back of your mind saying, “Oh yeah but that won’t work,” or, “But that will cost.” When the “buts” come up, put the buts to the side and do the thing that your heart is yearning for anyway.
3. Listening
“Loungwear, Learning, And Listening In Lockdown.” Hehe. 😁
Listening comes from all sorts of different things. It is has been essential for me, especially listening to my inner self more than anything else.
It’s really, really, really freaking easy to listen to all the crap that’s on the news, conspiracy theories, and every other bloody thing that’s out there.
But if you’re listening to yourself, to your heart, and to your acquired amount of experience, you have a better place to stand your ground and understand what is helpful to you and what is hindering to you.
This year has sent me listening in ways that I haven’t listened before. Instead of being so vocal, I’ve been able to listen. Particularly to movements that have been happening:
- the black lives matter movement
- cultural awareness around our indigenous and first nations people
- and my intuition when I want to be guided to create things in a way that is in alignment with me rather than rushing around trying to put out spot fires.
Really stopping to understand the spark that’s inside me.
Notice What You Are Listening To
If you are getting overwhelmed by all the things outside of yourself, it’s probably time to turn them off or turn them down.
This is a time when I have let go of thousands of things I was either signed up to on email or was watching on my Instagram stories feed.
When something comes up that doesn’t feel right for me, I’ve let go of it.
4. Letting Go
That’s number four – letting go.
Notice where you are listening or looking at things that your nervous system just freezes or wants to fight. This is a really fighty time. The Leo full moon is like – rawr!
So when you get that jiggle, it might not be the thing you need to be setting up your nervous system for. Wearing loungewear might be the thing that feels nice for your nervous system!
Having a cup of or coffee in the morning, eating the ice cream. Whatever it is that’s aggravating your nervous system – let it go.
I have let go of:
- emails I’d signed up for
- Instagram things I was following
- Facebook on my phone
- music I don’t like on my Spotify
- listening to my brain when it says having ice cream is a bad thing for me
Sure, I choose the panna cotta – all that stuff that comes with being a nutritionist. But I’ve let go of the notion of being perfect.
I’ve let go of being perfect and of filtering what I say (so some of this may seem “ahh!” to you).
This is a great time to play with that. If you are holding on so tightly to things in the middle of a lockdown, it’s really difficult for your body and nervous system to be okay with the changes that are happening on a daily basis.
#5 Find A Practice
What happened for me during the last lockdown was I got really boozy. I was like, “Right! In the afternoon, it’s time for wine and cheese.”
Turns out, that wasn’t helpful for me. So I haven’t drunk at all since uh the first couple of weeks of this lockdown.
I created a practice of :
- doing yoga in the mornings (and I’ve stayed with it in a way that I haven’t before)
- journaling with some prompt card
- setting intentions for the day
These are things that I just didn’t think I had time for before. Well, not in the way that I have intentionally set, at this time.
I’ve also gotten into a creativity practice and have created artworks like candles and my book.
Be okay with being present to things that aren’t necessarily the same things you were used to before.
Create a practice to anchor yourself will keep you steady in times of craziness.
For me, showing up every day for my journal, my yoga, and a conversation to check in with my older parent were part of what got me through last time.
What’s a practice that will give you a cadence to check-in?
Check in on yourself or someone else who’s by themselves or who needs a connection?
Something that can happen on a daily basis. It’s a practice and the cool thing about a practice is that sometimes you get it wrong but you get back up and do it again anyway.
How can you create that in your life during this time? And how can you be okay with the creativity that you can let in?
Because this can be a really creative time, as well. It’s those things that you didn’t have time for before that you might have the opportunity to pursue now. Instead of listening to the little “but, but, but” – just step into it and see what happens.
There could be something extraordinary on the other side that you didn’t have time to let through before.
I’m Sending You Love
Listen, my heart goes out to you. I’m sending you a whole lot of love.
If you don’t have the loungewear or the bandwidth for learning, if your headphones are broken and listening isn’t a thing for you or letting go seems too hard. . . If creating a practice or creativity seems so flippin’ woo-woo. . . I’m sending you love.
Love – above anything else – is so needed right now on the whole freaking planet.
We are all absolutely doing our best. This is a blip in time and the cool thing is we have a whole lifetime. This little blip in time is something that’s going to create some of the most powerful books most and lessons, the most extraordinary stories for you to tell your kids, your family, and your friends as you grow older.
And I’m sending you lots of love for wherever you are right now.
Hopefully, there was something in this for you today. I hope you can find a gold nugget and that you can find the gold nuggets in any day that shine just a little bit brighter instead of all the darkness that can be so overwhelming and all-consuming at the moment.
Sending you love, strength and courage to you all in this difficult and ever-changing time.
Resources
If you are in a really dark place don’t forget about LifeLine 131114. If staying in means you are at higher risk of domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT.
Community Support is available to Practitioners in the Natupreneur Hub on Facebook.
(Note: *I am aware that I speak all of this through layers of privilege, and I hope wherever you are, you can get through this the best way you can for you.*)
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