How to Experience Balance Within Chaos

In our current situation with stress overload, confusion, frustration, anger, fear, sadness, angst, (you choose what words explain what you might be feeling) it can be totally overwhelming and paralyzing.  These are my thoughts, and I know I am not alone. But I do know and appreciate a slogan from a support group I am familiar with that has kept me in balance when the going gets tough. Nurses Announcements Archive

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Self-Care

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

This is truly the time when I (we) need to cling to that message so I (we) don’t collectively lose it.

My career is based on helping people with self-care to achieve optimal health and wellness so I know what I need to do to keep myself grounded and in balance. After all, the foundational principle of wellness is “Self Responsibility”. So what did I do for myself to that end? I attended a self-care retreat online to bring back a feeling of calm and even at one point – serenity. There are so many tools we can draw from in times like these to take care of ourselves and my message to you is to find them and embrace them, now more than ever. Currently, I am doubling up on the stress management tools I use daily because I need it for balance.

Stress Management Tools / Strategies

Now I want to share how attending this healing retreat flowed for me so it might give you some ideas as well as tools you can use. Here are some highlights of the four strategies that we experienced under the wise guidance of our facilitator Barbara Badolati.

Conversation centered around “I hear you”

Now more than ever we need safe spaces to talk about our feelings. We were given that opportunity in small breakout rooms in Zoom with a skilled facilitator to initiate a question and time for each to respond. I believe this was my most important takeaway and subsequently, I have been engaged in more conversations at this level with other groups I am in. We need to pull back the curtain and explore the deep underbelly of why we are feeling the way we are right now.

Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini means "coiled like a serpent" in Sanskrit. Kundalini energy refers to the coiled up energy that lies at the base of the spine. When released, this energy moves from the base of the spine through the seven chakras (or energy centers) in the spine. Specific meditation and breathing techniques were used to tap the kundalini energy, and these practices were known as Laya yoga. This school of yoga was founded by Sage Gorakshnatha, a sage from Nepal.

This was not the traditional yoga I expected but was very energizing. However, I was reminded that my yoga endurance was sorely lacking and found myself taking several short breaks to “catch my breath”. When finished, however, I felt the flow of energy in my body and was certainly more relaxed. Note to self: ease into yoga gradually so you can work up to more endurance.

Sound Bath with Kathy Murphy

Sound helps to facilitate shifts in our brainwave state by using entrainment. Entrainment synchronizes our fluctuating brainwaves by providing a stable frequency which the brainwave can attune to. By using rhythm and frequency, we can entrain our brainwaves and it then becomes possible to down-shift our normal beta state (normal waking consciousness) to alpha (relaxed consciousness), and even reach theta (meditative state) and delta (sleep; where internal healing can occur). What You Need to Know About Sound Healing

This was a body, mind and soul bath in a symphony of the highest quality therapeutic sound and vibration. A Planetary Gong, Nepalese Singing Bowls and a Crystal Lyre all came together to bring us into complete alignment with the goal of lasting healing. Did it do the job? Yes! My body became so relaxed that I almost fell asleep. Yes, I reached Delta. Priceless!

Regenerating Images in Memory

Macy Matarazzo

RIM ® (Regenerating Images in Memory) is a body-centered, transformational technique that frees you of negative thoughts, feelings, and memories, so you are empowered to live your best life. The RIM ® process allows you to re-generate your neurologically grounded sense of self in a profound way.

Through her guided memory experience, I discovered what my spiritual grounding-guide might look like. What came to mind for me was a very large maple tree I had discovered right on my property while I was clearing away a lot of dead brush and burning it. I had never noticed this tree before because the area was all overgrown and had been ignored for years. But once I “uncovered” it and appreciated it’s size and majesty, it occurred to me that I had planted it as a foot high sapling 40 years ago and it became a visual representation of who I am today.

Thriving in nature, grounded, healthy, strong, flourishing, reaching upward with continuous growth, and surviving around other trees that were not as hearty and even had died off. This tree had become a beacon of light for me, a spirit guide from nature. A perfect reminder of who I am and who I can rely on when it seems like the world is falling apart. And, it has been with me all this time but needed to have the clutter around it removed so I could see and appreciate its presence to help me stay grounded. What a gift I received from that meditation.

At the conclusion of the retreat, I can say without hesitation that I had released all the pent-up stress and felt a great sense of calm, relaxation and felt the flow of balanced energy in my body. I was numb – in a very good way.

So what steps can you take to “change the things you can” and bring balance back into your being. Remember, you are the only one who can change YOU, and trying to change others or situations is not your work.

PCU_RN9, MSN

2 Articles; 63 Posts

Specializes in Health insurance nursing/ Cardiac nursing.

I loved this piece. I’ve never heard of RIM but I’m definitely going to look into it further. Thanks for the info!

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