Elizabeth's Blog
Find Calm in the Worry
I find that gratitude and mindfulness practices can complement each other. When I’m mindful of my surroundings I’m also feeling grateful for the things I’m noticing, like the sound of the wind in the tress, or the feeling of my dog’s soft ears, or the way the sun makes shadows on the walls in my home.
When we live in the worry of what was or what might be, we lose touch with where we are right now. Even though things feel out of control or worrisome, a lot of lovely things are happening in this moment. And we miss them when the worry consumes us. So, what can we do to feel more grounded and present in our lives?
But worrying about the bad all the time can color how we see and experience what’s happening right now, too. If we’re stuck in negative thinking, we might not notice an opportunity to get a hug, or the array of colors when the sun sets, or the breeze on our face, or the smell or the earth after a rainstorm, or the warmth of our home after we’ve been outside in the cold.
I’m writing this because I’m a mother, a business owner and a therapist who knows what it’s like to be caught up in the worry. I’m a white woman who’s been caught up in the worries about not knowing what to say, saying the wrong thing, and feeling the shame and guilt of not saying anything when I see racism in my life, in my community, my country and in the world.
I experience anxiety, I’m an introvert and I recognized later in life that I’m also a highly sensitive person (HSP), so it’s not surprising that I usually spend a good amount of time alone. With the current physical distancing and stay-at-home restrictions here in my home state of Maryland, the pace of my days is a little slower and I’m spending even more time at home.
About 15 years ago, I got stopped in my tracks. I’d been so busy taking care of others: the kids, the animals, the house, schoolwork, the chores…. Suddenly I realized I was missing something. I felt disconnected, untethered.
I was so out of touch with what I needed and wanted that I would freeze when given a choice like “pizza or Chinese?”
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