Practitioner Articles
How to find a moment of calm by Sam Demmon
Apr
How to find a moment of calm
As the pandemic has continued to wreak havoc across the world, I’ve noticed how much I’m trying to reduce what’s happening: thinking how it could be worse, other things have been worse. I realise this is my protective mechanism— because to sit with the reality of the suffering that’s going on in the world right now is too much; it’s too heartbreaking.
I feel so helpless. My impulse is to get out and DO something, but those avenues are not open to me at this point. So to stop the spiral I keep coming back to breath.
Breathe.
Hand on heart.
Feet on the ground.
Breathe.
If you too are having trouble calming yourself, nature can help. Immerse yourself in these calming moments and deliberately take some long slow breaths as you do.
Long slow breaths turn on your parasympathetic nervous system, switching you from stress response to relaxation response – and a moment can make a difference.
